SOCI LECTURE 6 AND 7 NOTES

Question 1

What is mutual identification?

Answer 1

Pre-occupation with other people’s feelings. If the king is sad then I am sad

Question 2

How did the birth of the middle class come to be?

Answer 2

• lower levels of intra-state violence allowed businesses to flourish with fewer robberies and murder
• better-pacified population allowed for the state to re-introduce a money-based economy
• Greater interdependency for the economic prosperity of all (had to be nicer to each other, more restrained, and less violent)

Question 3

What is the increasing complexity of manners?

Answer 3

• Due to thriving businesses, small proportions of the middle class, became as rich as the upper class but their mannerisms distinguished them from the upper class
• As a result, they started mimicking the mannerism of the upper class to fit in
• in order to separate themselves from the lower class nouveau rich people, the elites kept shifting the goalpost on manners and stop engaging in animalistic behaviour

Question 4

What was the key issue in reducing animalistic behaviours?

Answer 4

• Some animalistic behaviours were impossible to sacrifice such as sex, defecating, urinating, etc.

The Solution
- Needed animalistic behaviours occur hidden or behind the scenes of social life (further pacification of society)
- Over time, they became so distant that showing these behaviours in public became embarrassing

Question 5

How did the middle-class gain advantage over the upper class?

Answer 5

• power changes of the middle class increased as they earned their way to the top
• Victorian manners toned down and spread of Europe and civilizing the savages in the colonies began
• western Europe became increasingly pacified (decline of homicide rates)

Question 6

What is the quest for excitement?

Answer 6

as life become increasingly calmer it also became boring. As a result, people began to find ways to bring excitement to their lives while following the new norms. E.g., modern-day sports