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Sydney Rhyne
Professor Taylor
Sociology 1001
December 9, 2014
Three Sociological Perspectives
Pierre Bourdieu once said, “the function of sociology, as of every science, is to reveal that of which is hidden.” Our society will forever be advancing and molding into something new and different. Just like history alters so does the perspectives of sociology. As time moves on so do sociologist and their views of society. Many historical sociologist may look at our culture today and be somewhat disgruntled with our declining social behaviors, the lack of respect for each other, and the amount of thoughtless relationships encountered. When it comes to romance and relationships of this century, there is no better way to define them than through movies and music.
One of the three major theoretical aspects of sociology is functionalism. This is perceived as a society existing as one living organism with various parts functioning together for the good of the whole. In this century, many movies display men as being the sole provider to families. In relationships where the husband controls everything and the woman has little to no say, there typically will be no romance involved. A historical functionalist thinker may agree with the way this works because in this situation everyone serves a function and although there is no feelings being implicated, the way their life is ran seems to work. As there is no poetic significance behind music in modern times, a functionalist thinker may view the top ten songs as degrading. Because current

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music is written about one night stands, sexual encounters, and demoralized women, this makes for a shallow perception of how modern relationships are. Modern music creates an adverse image of relationships and gives no function or romance to them.
Simply implying that each contributor in a relationship is merely looking for satisfaction.
The second major theoretical aspect of sociology is conflict. This is defined as focusing on power and the allocation of valued resources in a society. Music in today’s era is is either demoralizing to women or empowers them. A conflict theorist may view the song “All About That Bass” by Meghan Turner as an anti­stereotypical song about the appearance of women. Unlike the majority of modern day rap, this song gives women a voice and also hands them an opportunity to feel good in their own skin while not being placed under the pressure of looking like a model. Conflict theorist might also look at the movie Frozen as an anti­stereotypical film where instead of having a male ruler a young woman serves as the queen and sole leader. Elsa defied the stereotype of male power by overcoming her fear of revealing her true self, eventually making her powers public and rules the town of Arendelle. A conflict theorist may view both the movie Frozen and the song “All About That Bass” as empowering and moving to women and young girls.
The third major theoretical aspect