A video titled “India’s Broken People –The Dahlit” describes the lives of people, and a society which is separated by classes. Structural–Functional, Social Conflict and Symbolic Interaction social theories will be closely examined to determine an alignment with the Indian society and its norms.
In the Structural-Functional Theory, “the structures can be compared to organs or parts of a body”. This is especially true when looking at the people of India. Those who are on the “bottom” are forgotten, and their social status does not matter. There is abuse and hard work, just as for human legs that take most pressure and carry the weight of the body.
The geographical location or more specifically the physical environment that people live in and work, have a great impact on the financial status and have many influences on the reasons people live in poverty. This can be compared to a place of illness or pathology, as people are unable to get better without the help of the rest of the organism, which is the higher society. “The functions can be compared with the purposes of these structures”. This relates to the different divisions of society where each has a particular and important role.
The community affects the needs of the people, and the collective of people determines the relationship towards such community by the near districts. It is evident that businesses and companies that want to develop and prosper will not set up a location in an area that has low standards of living and high crime because of poverty rates. It is aligned with the support system of the social life because in case the society loses its base or “legs” it will not be able to “walk” towards progress and human rights, it becomes unreliable.
It is not a small portion of the population but the majority that feels repressed and violated. It is as if the legs have been injured, they must either be fixed or cut off. In this case, the poor have been simply “removed”, which did not resolve anything, on the contrary, worsened already deteriorated conditions. “A social system is composed of many interrelated and interdependent parts or structures”.
The society is like a single organism. Indian people are oppressed and this takes the whole system of society down. The “high” society needs people for labour or economy, social support and welfare of the nation. The inability to provide the medical assistance, leads to people being sent away. This shows that there is a significant disorganization with the healthcare system, and the country must change its practices and processes. People are getting ill, and this separates the classes even more.
Social Conflict Theory relates to the “exploitation of one class of people by another class”. This is particularly clear from the video because people are born into poverty. They are unable to move further up the ladder, as they are already “marked” by social “rules”. The conflict itself has deep roots within individual needs of people, social conflict and unique culture.
The only response that people have received were violent put downs of peaceful protests, brutal and unjust treatment. “Society consists of two classes: those who own the means of production (Bourgeoisie) and those who provide the labor (Proletariat)”. In this case, the rich get richer, as all the resources go to the elite of society. The rulers use the working class for one thing only, to get richer with lowest possible costs. One of the most important aspects of any national and working class movement is the organization.
The population must be educated on the current issues and unite with the common goal. The community affects the needs of the people and the collective of people determines the relationship towards such community by the nearby districts. It is evident that businesses and companies that want to develop and prosper will not set up a location in an area that has low standards of living, high crime and poverty rates. “Society is best understood and analyzed in terms of conflict and power”.
Here, the conflict is between those who are forced to the bottom and segregated, and those who hold all the power. Power gives strength which is used to regulate policies and laws, leading to low salaries for workers and abuse of the judicial system. The working class is forced to exist down below, as they have no voice and ability to spring to power. This type of life was existent before and is still continuing. People are very much limited by their resources and ability to voice an opinion that will be heard.
Symbolic Interaction Theory states that “society exists within every socialized individual”. From the video, it is possible to see that even those who are born into poverty know about the connection between people in their social class. They depend on each other to create a community of mutual understanding and help. The unfortunate fact is that while the majority of society is fighting for human rights there is violence and denial of just treatment within the society itself, from citizens towards other citizens.
Everyone wants to create their own society, aligned to their needs and wants. The theory also proposes that “we internalize social expectations, a specific language, and social values. We learn to share meanings and communicate symbolically through words and gestures”. This relates to the dialects that exist between different groups and classes, as well as the expectations of the high society for others to be of proper “symbolic” position in the society.
It is evident that the techniques that were used by the government could in no way establish communication or cooperation from citizens, but only led to further separation between people and politicians. This had become a symbol of the rich and poor India, as the communication is cut off, and officials believe that the problem will dissipate by itself. “From this we learn what is proper or improper, whether we are “good” or “bad”, who is important, and so forth”.
From birth, the people of India are hurt with a sad truth that they are “bad” and there is no place in society for them. Their living conditions and absence of opportunity grimly remind of their place in society. Discrimination has become an accepted negative symbol for the higher society, and segregation draws a line between those with full social advantages and those who are belittled and stereotyped, which in turn leads to people being outcast and forced to live in poor conditions.
The battle for human rights and between different classes has been prevalent for a long time. The conflict is between the government which has all the resources, power and control, and the social class that struggles to make ends meet and support the order and proper ways of life. The reality shows that there are many people who possess much more than is needed for the necessities of life, so social regulations must work to exclude such division.