187 Discussion Social Problems

1. 187 DiscussionSocial Problems Themes: Levels, Systems, Feedbacks

2. Discussion of 187 • 187 is a kind of urban anthropology • The E. LA school pictured is rather different from that most Villanova students attended, • but it is not that different from most Philadelphia schools.

3. Most serious Social Problem in Villanova Intro. To Soc. Classes *: Includes: war, overpopulation, censorship, natural resources, abortion, welfare, lack of responsibility, herd mentality and apathy.

4. Questions • Urban anthropology raises many questions. • I am going to focus on three main course themes with respect to 187 • but any comments or questions whatever, or any reactions to other students comments are perfectly appropriate for e-mail discussion. • I will moderate the discussions. Send comments or reactions to me and I will forward them. • For example, is the structure of the school in 187 consistent with the value (and constitutional rights associated with) equal educational opportunity? • If not, what should be done?

5. 3 THEMES • 1. LEVELS • Does social structure have effects independent of individual action? • 2. SYSTEMS • Does social structure consist of interdependent parts, and if so, how does that affect how it is analyzed? • 3. FEEDBACKS • How do actions or processes self-reinforce, or self-inhibit.

6. 1 Levels

7. 1 Levels: macro-structure • How much are individual actions constrained by the social structure? • Cesar says, “It (KOS) is all I’ve got.” To what extent is this true? To the extent that it is true, Why is it true? • Rita says, “You can’t blame everything on environment, but you can push anyone too far, and they will go bad.” • Which is true? • Can you push anyone too far?

8. Macro-structures and neighborhoods • One of the main sources of American sociology was the study of Chicago neighborhoods. • Some had very high rates of poverty, homicide, unemployment, illegitimacy, prostitution, academic failure, gangs, alcoholism, homicide, etc. etc. Why? • Even when the whole population changed, the neighborhood retained high levels of social problems.

9. Policy Implications • Macro: • Structural change (draining the swamp) • Micro • Individual change (shooting bullfrogs)

10. 90210 vs. East L.A. • Rita is class valedictorian. • Rita is a bright, motivated student. • Rita’s address demonstrates a lack of grammar and academic skills that means that she could not get into Villanova, let alone afford to go. • Rita will probably not even go to community college. • Is this a problem? • If so, what is the solution?

11. Pettigrew’s Quiz and levels: • Common sense is often wrong. • All the common sense answers were false. • The main issue is that human behavior must be understood as part of a cell, rather than as actions of an isolated individual. • E.g. servicemen compare themselves to the people they come in contact with; losing votes in KS is worth it if you gain some votes in PA, etc.

12. 2 Systems • A school, a neighborhood, a gang or an ethnic group are a set of interdependent parts, each of which reinforce each other in multiple ways. • For example, the social problems in East L.A. are mutually reinforcing. • You cannot change one part without changing everything else. • In a system, you can’t do only one thing.

13. Example of an Ecosystem • Suppose harbour seals eat 50 lbs. of cod a day • 1500 lbs. per month; 9 tons per year • Suppose there are 500,000 of them in an area • Suppose they can be reduced in number • Will killing them increase the supply of cod that fishermen may catch by millions of tons per year? • Why or why not?

14. Ecosystems:Not necessarily; probably not • Harbour seals eat a lot of things that eat cod as well as eating cod themselves. • If seals also eat a ton of cod-eaters per year • The cumulative effect of reducing the seals may be to increase those predators and therefore to reduce the supply of cod. • If you do not know the system dynamics, then you don’t know the effect.

15. 187 systems: • If the academic problem of East LA schools and students are more than KOS, then getting rid of Benny may not help. • And getting rid of Benny may strengthen, rather than weaken KOS. • Garfield acts as vigilante; but even a police strategy of attacking the symptoms may be unproductive or counterproductive.

16. 3. Three kinds of dynamic systems: • Self-reinforcing system: a common result of positive feedback. • System without feedback • Self-maintaining system: a common result of negative feedback. • Find examples of each in 187.

17. Self-reinforcing system: • Self-reinforcing system is a common result of positive feedback • “Unstable equilibrium.” • Feeds on itself. • E.g. a marble on a hill. • Vicious cycles. • A small push has a big effect; a big push has a big effect. Once the marble is moving, its movement to a steeper slope causes it to pick up force. • What is an example from 187?

18. System without feedback • Systems without feedback are usually neither self-reinforcing nor self-maintaining. • “Stable equilibrium.” • E.g. a marble on a plain. • A little push has a little effect; a big push has a big effect. • What is an example from 187?

19. Self-maintaining system • Self-maintaining system is a common result of negative feedback • A “hyper-stable” equilibrium. • Eg. A marble in a valley. • Either a little push or a big push goes away as soon as one stops pushing, and the system returns to its original condition. • What are examples from 187?

20. Examples of self-reinforcing dynamics in 187 • Garfield retaliates to punish the individuals responsible (shooting bullfrogs). • Things become actively worse. Why? • The gang becomes more solidary and aggressive. • One reasons is the dynamic of escalation that results. This one of the classic examples of positive feedback producing a self-reinforcing system. • Garfield cannot work with the usual structures of control (families; administration; other teachers; police; student groups). Why? • Would more policing than individual vigilantism? (Note that this is what the Philadelphia proposal called for.)

21. Examples of self-maintaining dynamics in 187 • Often when Garfield makes a change, such as removing the KOS head, the situation changes back to its prior state. • The role exists independently of the person who happens to fill it, the way a job exists independently of the person in it. • What is the difference between getting rid of the members of KOS and getting rid of KOS? • KOS gets income and status from the drug trade; if you take it away, they will react; they constitute a “vested interest.”

22. Examples of no feedbacks: • There are surely some times when the net feedbacks are zero. • For example, probably tutoring Rita does not, by itself, either maintain or reinforce itself. • Almost certainly there are self-reinforcing processes, and there are also counteracting self-maintaining ones, which happen to cancel each other out. • In the 20th c. we have often had to assume that this special case of zero net feedback is typical because, for technical reasons, systems with feedbacks are inconvenient to analyze.