Chapter 5 Culture, Media, and Communication True or False 1. More people live alone now than at any other time in history. Answer: True 2. Internet use seems to cut people off from real friendships and connections. Answer: False 3. Culture is characteristic not of groups but of individuals. Answer: False 4. Every society is full of symbols. Answer: True 5. Ethnography is a research method based on lengthy and intimate observation of a group. Answer: True 6. All people develop certain sets of assumptions about the world and their place in it. Answer: True 7. Our future choices and opinions are always guided by our past experiences. Answer: True 8. There are no cultural universals. Answer: False 9. "Resistance through rituals" is typical of countercultures. Answer: True 10. Ethnocentrism refers to a belief that all people of all races and identities are equal. Answer: False 11. The terms cultural relativism and ethnocentrism have, essentially, the same meaning. Answer: False 12. Max Weber attempted to explain the rise of capitalism as the consequence of a large-scale cultural and religious transformation. Answer: True 13. Research shows that people's Twitter networks, although they could, in theory, be global, are generally national and unilingual. Answer: True 14. People living alone are more likely to live in cities than in the suburban-rural fringe. Answer: True 15. French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu argued that taste is fundamentally the distaste for the taste of others. Answer: True 16. Tastes help maintain status boundaries between different groups. Answer: True 17. Furniture maker Ikea has diminished the cultural capital of modernist home furnishings. Answer: True 18. Socioeconomic status and morality are symbolic boundaries. Answer: True 19. Class reproduction is the process that causes class boundaries and distinctions to be maintained over time. Answer: True 20. Marx and Engels argued that people who have the most wealth and power in society generally also have the greatest ability to produce and distribute their ideas and culture. Answer: True 21. In an ideal public sphere, according to German sociologist Jurgen Habermas, citizens would set aside their own interests, as well as their wealth and status, to collectively debate and generate ideas about how to govern. Answer: True 22. Culture jammers embrace the passive consumption of marketing messages. Answer: False 23. The three most widely read newspapers in the United States are the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and the Washington Post. Answer: False 24. Sociologists of the media commonly argue that the news is slanted because of media framing. Answer: True 25. One consequence of corporate media consolidation is that the media are less responsive to the local communities that they serve. Answer: True Multiple Choice 1. More people now live in __________ households than at any other time in history. A. one-person B. two-person C. multifamily D. two-family Answer: A 2. Compared with their married counterparts, single people are likely to do more of all the following EXCEPT __________. A. hunker down at home B. spend time with friends and neighbours C. attend lectures D. go to restaurants Answer: A 3. Scientists in the nineteenth century tried to connect people's physical differences with their behavioral differences, arguing that __________ determined how societies were organized. A. biology B. history C. language D. wealth Answer: A 4. Sociologists would be least likely to agree with which of the following statements about culture? A. Culture is characteristic of groups, not individuals. B. Culture is a way of understanding differences between groups. C. Culture is an aspect of social life different from biology. D. Culture is relatively constant throughout history. Answer: D 5. Symbols communicate a(n) __________ while being distinct from the __________ itself. A. attitude; attitude B. belief; belief C. emotion; emotion D. idea; idea Answer: D 6. Studying symbols helps us understand things about society that are not often discussed, such as __________. A. race, ethnicity, and gender B. habitus and the digital divide C. distinctions of honor, inequality, and competition D. subcultures and countercultures Answer: C 7. Anthropologists Clifford Geertz thought of culture as a __________. A. system of collective meaning B. collection of material objects C. series of mysterious rituals D. series of coded messages Answer: A 8. What was the subject of Clifford Geertz's ethnographic study in Bali? A. military parades B. cockfights C. public restrooms D. restaurant kitchens Answer: B 9. What is ethnography? A. a research method based on lengthy and intimate observation of a group B. a research method based on lengthy and intimate life histories C. a research method based on the reconstruction and interpretation of past cultures D. a research method based on experiential exchanges between two or more ethnicities Answer: A 10. Sociologists __________ insights from ethnographic research on one culture (e.g., Super Bowl fans) to interpret the symbols, behaviours, rituals, or meanings of other cultures. A. use B. are unlikely to use C. have tried unsatisfactorily to use D. would never use Answer: B 11. __________ are judgments about what is intrinsically important or meaningful. A. Attitudes B. Ethics C. Morals D. Values Answer: D 12. Ethnographers such as Clifford Geertz argue that __________ of context are necessary to understand the meaning behind behaviours. A. linguistic descriptions B. holistic descriptions C. thick descriptions D. inventive descriptions Answer: C 13. Bourdieu's concept of habitus refers to __________. A. our socioeconomic status B. the subculture we belong to C. our tastes, preferences, and skills D. how culture first developed in humans Answer: C 14. What is a cultural tool kit? A. A set of research methods that ethnographers use. B. A set of symbolic skills that we apply to practical situations. C. A set of meanings that that we use to explain our behaviours. D. A set of behaviours that we adopt to impress cultural elites. Answer: B 15. Research has shown that most Americans have two tools available to them in their cultural tool boxes regarding romantic love. What are they? A. love as a choice and love as a commitment B. love as a conversation and love as a commitment C. love as a choice and love as a challenge D. love as a conversation and love as a challenge Answer: A 16. Most linguists and cultural sociologists believe that language __________ culture. A. influences B. determines C. is not closely related to D. needs to be spoken to have an influence on Answer: A 17. What is a cultural universal? A. a cultural trait common to all members of a given society B. a cultural trait common to all cultures in a given region C. a cultural trait common to mainstream cultures but not to subcultures D. a cultural trait common to all humans Answer: D 18. What effect has the Internet had on how people consume media? A. Media have become less accessible. B. Media have become more participatory. C. Media have become less accurate. D. Media have become less interpersonal. Answer: B 19. To whom does the digital divide refer? A. to adherents of radical social movements that rely on Internet technologies to mobilize B. to government-appointed monitors of Internet traffic flowing in and out of the country C. to a new division of haves and have-nots based on access to Internet and communication technologies D. to the generation of children born into the Internet age Answer: C 20. What principal purpose does group style serve? A. It establishes acceptable forms of dress for group members. B. It distinguishes a group from other groups through a set of norms and practices. C. It is a measure of the formality of a group, whether high or low. D. It allows groups to screen outsiders from group activities. Answer: B 21. What is mainstream culture? A. the ties or connections between people, groups, and organizations B. the most widely shared systems of meaning and cultural tool kits in a society C. an organized association of people in a society that gives meaning to their lives D. a group whose ideas, attitudes, and behaviours are in direct conflict with the dominant cultural practices of the societies of which they are a part Answer: B 22. Which of the following groups is NOT a subculture? A. hippies B. rock climbers C. children D. hunters Answer: C 23. Which of the following statements about subcultures is false? A. Subcultures stand in opposition to mainstream culture. B. Subcultures have sets of practices or beliefs that distinguish them from mainstream cultures. C. Subcultures have either clearly articulated or loosely articulated senses of purpose. D. Subcultures are more likely to emerge in cities than in less populous regions. Answer: A 24. What is the difference between a counterculture and a subculture? A. Subcultures tend to exist in harmony with the mainstream, whereas countercultures are in direct conflict with the mainstream. B. A subculture's beliefs stand in opposition to the mainstream, whereas a counterculture's beliefs exist in harmony with the mainstream. C. A subculture is made up of deviants, whereas a counterculture is not. D. A subculture pushes for social change, whereas a counterculture does not. Answer: A 25. Which of the following groups is NOT an example of a counterculture? A. Occupy Wall Street B. the Tea Party C. hippies D. the U.S. army Answer: D 26. __________ legitimizes and empowers a society's elites. A. Group style B. Habitus C. Hegemony D. Monarchy Answer: C 27. It has been suggested that, in the United States, the main battle lines in electoral politics began shifting from __________ to __________ in the 1990s. A. economic questions; social questions B. economic questions; moral questions C. national questions; local questions D. social questions; economic questions Answer: B 28. The defection of white working-class voters from the Democratic Party has been attributed to an increasing turn away from __________ too __________. A. national questions; local questions B. economic questions; social questions C. economic questions; moral questions D. social questions; economic questions Answer: C 29. The highest percentage of Americans who do not speak English at home lives in which state? A. California B. Florida C. New York D. Texas Answer: A 30. The smallest percentage of Americans who do not speak English at home lives in which state? A. Delaware B. Maine C. Ohio D. West Virginia Answer: D 31. What proportion of Americans does not speak English at home? A. 25 percent B. 30 percent C. 35 percent D. 40 percent Answer: B 32. What proportion of Americans is nonwhite? A. 35 percent B. 40 percent C. 45 percent D. 50 percent Answer: B 33. What do sociologists find problematic with the traditional concept of America as a melting pot? A. At any given period in American history, the immigrant population has never been greater than 10 percent. B. It privileges what it means to be an American to the white, English-speaking middle or upper classes C. It discourages immigrants from learning English. D. It underestimates people's desires to assimilate. Answer: B 34. How do sociologists view the traditional concept of America as a melting pot? A. as the standard metaphor used to describe multiculturalism B. as an example of cultural relativism C. as an example of ethnocentrism D. as a reflection of the realities of the immigrant experience Answer: C 35. In terms of how it influences our thinking, what does ethnocentrism lead to? A. to the evaluation of cultural meanings and practices in their own social contexts B. to thick descriptions of other cultures based on real understanding C. to incorrect assumptions about other cultures on the basis of our own experience D. to correct assumptions about other cultures on the basis of interpretations of shared meanings Answer: C 36. Which of the following statements is more likely than the others to be deemed ethnocentric? A. Taxes in this country are too high. B. Using chopsticks to eat food is strange. C. Teachers should be fired if their students do not pass grade-level examinations. D. Rice is an important food staple in some parts of the world. Answer: B 37. What is cultural relativism? A. The idea that cultural meanings and practices must be evaluated in their own social contexts. B. The idea that cultural meanings and practices must be evaluated in relation to other cultures. C. The idea that cultural meanings and practices are fundamental, inherited, innate, and fixed across cultures. D. The idea that cultural meanings and practices must be evaluated in relation to a control group. Answer: A 38. How old is the concept of a global culture? A. Global culture is as old as civilization itself. B. Global culture began to develop during the Age of Discovery, around the mid-fifteenth century. C. Global culture began to arise, in the late nineteenth century, along with the social sciences. D. Global culture is a new phenomenon; its development is ongoing. Answer: D 39. What did sociologist Max Weber attempt to explain? A. the rise of Protestantism B. the rise of capitalism C. the decline of Western values D. the rise of democracy Answer: B 40. What term did sociologist Max Weber use to describe the belief that thrift and hard work are signs of God's eternal salvation? A. proletarian ethic B. Protestant ethic C. predestination D. predeterminism Answer: B 41. Sociologists could plausibly interpret all of the following as evidence of an emerging global culture EXCEPT __________. A. McDonald's B. Microsoft Windows C. human rights D. Calvinism Answer: D 42. Among the following, which is the least likely contributor to making global culture plausible? A. globalization B. homogenous products C. common technological vocabulary D. revival of indigenous languages Answer: D 43. The concept of national cultures assumes that __________. A. global culture is non-existent B. nationalism is a substitute for regionalism C. shared cultural practices and beliefs exist within nation-states D. diplomatic relations between nations, in their natural state, are strained Answer: C 44. Which of the following phenomenon do sociologists suggest is a contributing factor to people's sense of national identity? A. the ability to watch foreign films in any country of the world B. mass production and consumption of print media written in local languages C. the decline of indigenous languages D. rising rates of urbanization Answer: B 45. Which of the following factors is NOT a likely influence on whether people want to and are able to live alone? A. mass urbanization B. the rising status of women C. the revolution in communications technologies D. print capitalism Answer: D 46. Of the following, which would NOT be considered a reflection of a person's taste? A. the music they like B. the sports they play C. the things they like to do D. the balance they keep in their bank accounts Answer: D 47. Sociologists think of the United States as __________. A. the least class-bound high-income nation in the world B. less class-bound than most high-income European nations C. an intensely class-bound society D. an intensely classless society Answer: C 48. Sociologist Pierre Bourdieu thought about the kinds of resources that have a bearing on people's lives in terms of __________. A. cultural capital, economic capital, and class capital B. economic capital, political capital, and social capital C. economic capital, social capital, and cultural capital D. economic capital, political capital, and cultural capital Answer: C 49. Your __________ consists of your education, attitudes, and preference (or tastes). A. economic capital B. social capital C. cultural capital D. class capital Answer: C 50. As a basis for signalling distinction, high-status cultural capital requires __________. A. secrecy B. social context C. class reproduction D. scarcity Answer: D 51. What do sociologists call the distinctions that people make between themselves and others on the basis of taste, socioeconomic status, and morality? A. symbolic boundaries B. social contexts C. class borders D. scarcity Answer: A 52. Which of the following distinctions is NOT an example of a moral symbolic boundary? A. the distinction between economic capital and social capital B. the distinction between public servants and crass politicians C. the distinction between business leaders with integrity and corporate fat cats D. the distinction between the deserving poor and the undeserving poor Answer: A 53. Through what process are class boundaries and distinctions maintained over time? A. class reproduction B. class warfare C. class consciousness D. class conditioning Answer: A 54. How do working-class childrearing methods differ from those of the middle class? A. There are no significant differences between middle-class and working-class childrearing practices. B. Middle-class parents embrace the concerted cultivation approach to childrearing; working-class parents embrace the accomplishment of natural growth approach. C. Middle-class parents instil their children with a sense of their talents; working-class parents instil their children with a sense of entitlement. D. Middle-class parents rely on discipline-based systems of learning; working-class parents rely on rewards-based systems of learning. Answer: B 55. German sociologist Jurgen Habermas's ideal of the public sphere is a vision of the __________. A. equal participation of all private citizens B. balanced participation of corporate and public interests C. balanced participation of conservative and liberal media D. equal participation of private citizens, corporations, and the media Answer: A 56. What sociological concept stands in opposition to Jurgen Habermas's ideal of the public sphere? A. the counterculture B. the subculture C. the counter public D. the subpubic Answer: C 57. Examples of counter publics include all of the following EXCEPT __________. A. observatory decks of tall buildings B. union halls C. African American churches D. on-campus LBGT centres Answer: A 58. What label did German sociologist and philosopher Theodor Adorno apply to popular movies, music, and other types of mass culture? A. the culture machine B. the culture industry C. the contra publics D. the counter publics Answer: B 59. According to German sociologist and philosopher Theodor Adorno, what effect does popular culture have on the public? A. It encourages participation. B. It encourages aggression. C. It encourages overconsumption. D. It encourages passivity. Answer: D 60. What do culture jammers do? A. combine elements of the corporate media with public interest advertising B. passively consume corporate media C. mock and satirize corporate media D. monitor the integrity of corporate media Answer: C 61. TVs in American households were turned on, on average, __________ hours a day in 2011. A. 8.5 B. 10.5 C. 12.5 D. 14.5 Answer: A 62. What are the three most widely read newspapers in the United States? A. USA Today, the New York Times, and the New York Daily News B. USA Today, the New York Times, and the Washington Post C. the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and the New York Times D. the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and the Washington Post Answer: C 63. Why do sociologists of the media agree that journalists help to create and change the news, not just report it? A. Journalists have the tendency to intentionally skew facts to fit predetermined storylines. B. Journalists have the tendency to treat the world as their laboratory. C. Journalists have the power to compel bribes in exchange for favourable coverage. D. Journalists have the power to decide what to cover and how to cover it. Answer: D 64. Sociologists commonly argue that bias in the media stems from __________. A. hidden political agendas B. media framing C. corporate corruption D. journalists' ideological orientations Answer: B 65. Of the following, which is NOT a trend in the U.S. media landscape? A. conglomeration B. scarcity C. consolidation D. hyper commercialism Answer: B Scenario Multiple Choice 1. Jacinta's daughter has been preparing for a spelling bee by studying several hours a day and her son has been working on his science fair project. Jacinta feels that by encouraging this behavior, she is instilling a sense of competition in her children. Competition is an example of an American _________. A. symbol B. value C. norm D. habitus Answer: B 2. You are fascinated with Bourdieu's concept of habitus. Which of the following subjects could lead to a project that might add to the theoretical research surrounding habitus? A. the differences in table manners at family dinners across classes B. the growth of immigrants in recent decades C. the decrease in arson in urban Chicago D. the levels of posttraumatic dress disorder in recent war zones Answer: A 3. Vincent is an anthropologist who has studied multiple cultures all over the world. He has found members of all the cultures that he has observed engage in sports and play music. Sports and music are examples of __________. A. cultural tool kits B. symbols C. cultural universals D. nonmaterial culture Answer: C 4. You want to study people on both sides of the digital divide. Of the following sets of test subjects, which would make the most suitable interview subjects to capture both sides of the divide? A. infants and toddlers B. teenagers and senior citizens C. Australians and Americans D. bus drivers and electrical workers Answer: B 5. You are a corporate advertising executive. You want your message to get out to as many mainstream Americans as possible. Which of the following approaches would best accomplish this goal? A. Create a Facebook page and gather as many "likes" as possible. B. Come up with a clever ad for the Super Bowl. C. Donate money to Occupy Wall Street. D. Sponsor a tattoo and body-piercing convention. Answer: B 6. Polygamists believe that monogamy is not a natural state for human beings. They feel that people should have multiple spouses at the same time rather than just one spouse. Although polygamy is illegal in the United States, there are many people around the world who engage in this practice, including some who do so in the United States, despite the legal restrictions. Polygamists who live in the United States are an example of a(n) __________. A. subculture B. mainstream culture C. hegemony D. counterculture Answer: D 7. Following the terrorist attacks on American soil on September 11, 2001, President Bush stated, "Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists." Bush's statement captures the essence of __________. A. nationalism B. cultural relativism C. ethnocentrism D. hegemony Answer: A 8. You are a successful sociologist and you have recently written a new book on ethnography. You are about to enter a party where an important executive at a publishing company is in attendance. You are talking to one of your colleagues about how to impress this individual. She advises, "Just be sure to use your cultural capital!" If you were to follow this advice, which of the following actions might you take? A. Walk up to the executive and slip a $20 bill into her hand when you mention your book. B. Walk up to the executive and strike up a conversation on classical music. C. Walk up to the executive and talk about how America is superior to all other countries in the world. D. Go to the party, but avoid interacting with the executive in any way. Answer: B 9. Lucy attended an exclusive Ivy League university. She likes horseback riding and snow skiing and dislikes reality television shows. How would a sociologist describe Lucy in cultural terms? A. Lucy is a cultural omnivore. B. Lucy's education and preferences represent her cultural capital. C. Lucy represents the culture industry. D. Lucy has an ethnocentric mindset. Answer: B 10. You want to study a subordinated subculture that constitutes its own counter public. Which of the following groups should you study? A. Twitter followers of a prominent public figure B. the network of black churches that formed the backbone of the civil rights movement C. country music fans D. the subculture of gourmet chefs Answer: B Short Answer 1. How do the social lives of individuals who live alone differ from those of people who live with others? Answer: Living alone can make it easier to be social because single people have more free time, absent family obligations, to engage in social and cultural activities. 2. How can we interpret collective cultural symbols to understand the values of a group of people? Answer: By using ethnography and studying common cultural rituals that demonstrate widespread values or judgments about what is intrinsically important or meaningful, we can come to understand a culture's values. An example of such a ritual is the Super Bowl in that, by observing it, we observe the American values of patriotism, competitiveness, and consumerism. 3. What is the relationship between communication and culture? Answer: Both culture as a system and culture as practice describe forms of communication, which is the sharing of meaningful information between people. One way this process occurs is through language. 4. What does it mean to say that language is a cultural universal? Answer: At a basic level, language is a cultural universal, a cultural trait common to all humans. As far as we know, all human groups throughout history have used language to communicate with each other. 5. How have social media altered the way people communicate with each other? Answer: Social media have altered the way children, adults, and the elderly engage with each other, both online and in person, permitting them to communicate at distances like they never have before. Social media also have changed the way corporations and anticorporate activists communicate on a mass scale. The Internet represents both the large-scale and ever-present nature of the mass media and the individualized content of interpersonal communication. 6. Why is the melting pot ideal now generally recognized as problematic by sociologists? Answer: The United States has been historically described as a melting pot, where immigrants from diverse cultural backgrounds are gradually assimilated into American society. This ideal is problematic because it emphasizes a specific notion of what it means to be American—white, English-speaking, middle- and upper-class. This notion is at odds with the multicultural landscape of the United States, where 40 percent of Americans are non white and 30 percent do not speak English in their homes. 7. What are multiculturalism and cultural relativism? How do these concepts differ from ethnocentrism? Answer: Multiculturalism is a belief or policy promoting equal accommodation of different ethnic or cultural groups within a society. Cultural relativism is the principle that cultural meanings and practices must be evaluated in their own social contexts. Cultural relativism is the opposite of ethnocentrism, which is an inability to understand or accept cultural practices different from one's own. 8. What does it mean to say that some cultural events and products have become globally homogenous? Give an example of such a product or event. Answer: An event or product is globally homogenous when it is distributed to or impacts in a unified way anyone who encounters it, regardless of the individual's own culture. McDonald's and Coca-Cola have become globally homogenous products. 9. What role do preschools play in forming cultural identities, according to one set of researchers? Answer: According to Tobin, Wu, and Davidson (1989), U.S. preschools put heavy emphasis on creativity and respect for children as individuals. By contrast, Chinese preschools emphasize order and discipline in children. And in Japan, educators left children to their own devices to a much greater degree than in the other two cases, forcing them to learn to get along respectfully with others. 10. What role does culture play in setting class distinctions? Answer: Although we normally think about social class in economic terms, taste—which refers to our cultural preferences—plays a crucial role in setting and maintaining class distinctions. We can often tell if people are wealthy and powerful by the way they dress, how they speak, the sports they play, the music they like, and their interests. 11. What is cultural capital? How do people demonstrate their cultural capital? Answer: Cultural capital is an individual's education, attitudes, and preferences. The value of our cultural capital is determined by how valued the cultural elements in question are by other members of our society. We use our cultural capital all the time in daily interactions, often without even realizing it. By expressing our tastes and distastes (such as what types of films we like to watch), we help maintain status boundaries between groups. 12. Name three important symbolic boundaries. How do they impact our everyday interactions? Answer: Personal taste, socioeconomic status, and morality are all important symbolic boundaries in our society, which we use to determine how we interact with people and with whom we choose to interact. 13. Why is the public sphere of critical importance in a modern democracy? Answer: The public sphere includes the public interactions of individuals in society. Newspapers, public squares, and Internet social media are all aspects of the public sphere. Through these interactions, public discourse develops and both individuals and groups are able to debate and express their opinions on issues important to our modern democracy. 14. What do sociologists mean when they say that media are biased? Does this bias necessarily have a political basis? Answer: When sociologists say media are biased, they are not referring to political bias. In this context, sociologists are referring to the fact that different media convey the same concepts differently. For example, a concept may be communicated differently via Twitter than on radio. 15. When studying media, what is framing? How does framing contribute to media bias? Answer: Framing is the act of presenting crafted forms of speech or writing that portray a particular side of an issue, which the author (such as a politician or political activist) tries to convince the audience is correct. Framing contributes to media bias by dictating which stories and perspectives are covered and how they are portrayed. Essay 1. What is a cultural tool kit? How do people use their cultural tool kit when they are introduced to someone new? Answer: A cultural tool kit is a set of symbolic skills or devices that we learn through the cultural environment we inhabit and apply to practical situations in our own lives. When you are introduced to someone new, you would draw on different sets of cultural tools if you are single and interested in flirting than if you are just trying to be polite. 2. What is the digital divide? How could it contribute to already existing social hierarchies? Answer: The digital divide is the social, economic, and cultural gap between those with effective access to information technology and those without such access. It can include differences between generations or be based on regional or economic disparities. The digital divide could contribute to already existing social hierarchies by giving the powerful yet another advantage over the less privileged. For example, children in higher economic classes are more likely to have access to better technology, granting wealthier children an educational advantage over their less wealth peers. 3. Explain Max Weber's findings on the rise of capitalism? How can Weber's findings be linked to globalization? Answer: Sociologist Max Weber attempted to explain the rise of capitalism as the consequence of a large-scale cultural and religious transformation. He observed that Calvinism (a variant of Protestantism) preached that an individual's salvation or damnation was predestined by God, and thus people couldn't directly affect their chances to go to heaven through prayer or good deeds, as Catholics believed. At the same time, Calvinists were anxious to look for signs of whether God had chosen them for salvation, and they came to believe that practicing hard work and thrift was such a sign. Weber argued that this Protestant work ethic, when applied to an emerging money economy such as eighteenth-century America, encouraged savings and investment instead of luxury and thus had the unexpected consequence of launching the capitalist cycle of investment, production, and reinvestment. When capitalism subsequently spread around the world, in other words, it was not just an economic system that spread but a cultural one as well. 4. Explain how print capitalism brought about national communities. Answer: Print capitalism was the mass production of books and then newspapers written in local languages for simultaneous mass consumption. It enabled those who were already reading newspapers to read them in their own language, which contributed to nationalism by confirming their membership in their shared national culture. 5. What does it mean that the American elite are increasingly becoming cultural omnivores? Answer: Recent research has suggested that American elites are becoming less snobbish and are increasingly behaving as cultural omnivores. Cultural omnivores demonstrate their high status through a broad range of cultural consumption, including consumption of high-status culture, such as ballet, and consumption of low-status culture, such as country music. American elites today are more likely than average Americans to consume not only high culture but popular culture as well. It is a sign of distinction to have wide-ranging tastes. 6. How do the childrearing habits of middle-class and working-class families differ? How might this impact the child's choices as an adult and contribute to class reproduction? Answer: Middle-class parents follow an approach of concerted cultivation, actively fostering their children's talents and intervening on their behalf, thereby instilling a sense of entitlement. Working-class parents, by contrast, follow an approach of accomplishment of natural growth, caring for their children but leaving them to fend for themselves socially, thereby instilling a sense of constraint. The middle-class children's sense of entitlement will make it more likely that they push to succeed socioeconomically when they are older, while the reverse is true of the working-class children's sense of constraint, making it more likely that as they get older the children will stay in the class they were born into. The implication for class reproduction is this: class is reproduced not only through the money you have but through the culture you practice. 7. What is the relationship between countercultures and counter publics? Answer: Countercultures are grouping whose ideas, attitudes, and behaviours are in direct conflict with mainstream culture, whereas counter publics are alternative public organizations created by disadvantaged social groups. 8. What was sociologist Theodor Adorno talking about when he referred to the culture industry? Answer: German sociologist and philosopher Theodor Adorno argued that the popular culture that dominates the public sphere encourages a passive, conservative public. He was referring to popular music, movies, and other types of mass culture, all of which he labelled the culture industry. His chief complaint was that popular culture encourages audiences to passively consume what they are watching, reading, or listening to rather than participating or engaging creatively with the work. The kind of culture that the culture industry produces is standardized, commoditized, and does not challenge the status quo; at the end of the day, it is advertising rather than art. 9. Many arguments persist in our society about whether the media is biased to the left or to the right. According to sociologists, is either of these biases actually indicative of the media? Answer: In short, social scientists state that media is biased, but it is neither left-wing nor right-wing. Herman and Chomsky argue that the role of media is to inform, entertain, and ingrain citizens with national values and to suppress opposition. Media will sustain attention to stories that are useful to powerful institutions and pay very little attention to stories that are not. It should be noted that reporters cover diverse topics, but they tend to do so through certain existing storylines and narratives. If a story does not fit into one of these storylines, it may not be covered. 10. How do corporations contribute to the framing of media? Answer: Fewer and fewer corporations own a larger and larger portion of media outlets. As corporations control increasing portions of the market, they will suppress stories that are either not helpful to their objectives or those that simply do not contribute to profit. In this way, the process of framing, in which media is filtered through existing narratives and storylines, is further exaggerated by the agenda of big business. Test Bank for The Sociology Project : Introducing the Sociological Imagination Jeff Manza, Richard Arum, Lynne Haney 9780205949601, 9780205093823, 9780133792249
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