The society influences an individual to do what it expects them to do. Societal rules and regulations are to be followed by an individual irrespective of his or her social status. It is not surprising that each category of individuals have specific mode of dressing, roles to play, ways of behaving and certain expectations. The society imposes stricter sanctions to non-conformers, which include discrimination and banishment.
Such rules are usually enforced by the society through various agencies such as Criminal Justice systems, which include the police, court system and correction institutions. Non-conformers are punished according to the severity of offenses. Youths are expected to be hardworking in order to achieve their dreams while women are supposed to learn the ideals of motherhood since childhood.
From a personal perspective, the society demands too much from individuals without caring about their welfares. The society is much concerned about the welfare of all members. This implies that individuals are just parts that make up the whole. The society derives its rules and principles from religious writings. This implies that philosophies differ from one society to another.
It is therefore true that Islamic societies differ from Christian dominated societies. For instance, religion decries that the only acceptable form of marriage is between a man and a woman. It follows naturally that all religions have some similarities, although differences exist.
Through creation theory, religion establishes that man represent masculinity while a woman connotes femininity. Gender determines the position and role of an individual in society. It is unacceptable for a woman to disguise as a man while the reverse is also true.
Through movies, that is Fire, boys do not cry, is it a boy or girl and Guess who is coming finer, it is established that the society is still traditional. Some people claim that we live in a post-modern society but that is not true. Movies reveal that the society is still conservative meaning that we assign roles based on gender. It is evident that each generation has some form of gender disparity.
What changes is only the form. This implies that the society is not ready to embrace gender equality. Men still subjugate and oppress women. Political and economic power is concentrated in the hands of men. Women are awarded degrading roles such as secretary and motherhood. Domination and suppression of women have changed its form from the chains of iron to the chains of Gold.
Economically, women are likened to the proletariat, who produce goods they that they do not consume. Women cannot liberate themselves because they do not have the means and power. They are only allowed to participate in activities that do not contradict the interests and wishes of men.
Hobbes argued that an individual gave up his right to a common authority in order to restore constancy and normalcy in society. Life was short lived and brutal. People could solve conflicts through fighting because the situation could not allow peaceful resolution of conflicts. Hobbes argued that men decided to surrender their sovereignty to a universal entity referred to as a Leviathan.
The Leviathan could ensure that each person’s interests and wishes are taken care of. All forms of injustices characterized the state of nature. The common authority could guarantee peace. This implies that an individual must obey societal rules and regulations if he/she is to avoid previous conditions found in the state of nature.
The rules control strong individuals from injuring the weaker in society. Rousseau observed that the rules are very important in safeguarding societal peace. Without the rules, the society could lose its meaning.
Martin Luther king had an issue with the social contract’s postulations claiming that obeying such rules depended on the nature of existing laws. Rules are only observed if they add value to human life.
Oppressive rules and regulations should be avoided at all costs meaning that individuals are only encouraged to subscribe to regulations that add value to their lives. Laws isolating people based on sexual orientation and race should not exist. All people are the same and are supposed to exist freely in society. Skin color and physical appearance should never be used to discriminate some members of society.
Charles Mills refuses to endorse the findings of the social contract, terming it a racial contract because it discriminates people of color. He views the theory as an avenue used by the whites and the rich to dominate others in society. John Stuart Mill describes freedom as independence from the tyranny of the majority.
He views collectivity as a tyranny of the multitude. In this regard, each person has the right to do what he/she desires. In his view, the society only intervenes to protect the weak but not to impose rules to everyone. Devlin reviewed the works of Mill by noting that every society should have its own morality. This is because morality unifies people. People sharing a culture can easily reach at Consensus pertaining to thorny issues.