Introduction
The 2018 documentary “R.B.G.” focuses on the life, career, and legacy of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. However, the documentary focuses not only on Ginsburg’s personality but also functions as an interesting object for sociological study. It offers a compelling insight into the changes brought about by her thirty-year tenure on the Court. A sociological analysis of “R.B.G.” illustrates the concepts of gender stratification, functionalism, and metamodernism.
Gender Stratification
A key aspect of “R.B.G.” and Ginsburg’s legacy today is her fight against gender stratification. In sociology, gender stratification is defined as a process that perpetuates inequality by limiting women’s access to basic yet valuable social resources (Conerly et al. 344). For example, women in the United States have historically been barred from pursuing education, voting, abortion, and property ownership (Conerly et al. 345). Ginsburg was the second female Justice and an important figure in abolishing several forms of gender inequality that the all-male Supreme Court ignored. She is credited with authoring the legislation allowing female cadets to enter the all-male Virginia Military Institute (R.B.G. 01:01:34-01:04:44). Therefore, “R.B.G.” shows how education and unequal division of labor contribute to gender stratification and women’s subordination to men.
Functionalism
Ginsberg’s ability to affect social inequality through her authority as a Supreme Court Justice aligns with the functionalist theory of government. According to functionalism, the purpose of government is to regulate conflict and enforce norms that meet social needs (Conerly et al. 509). The documentary argues that Ginsberg was able to lessen the social gap between men and women through judicial reform. This change is directly attributed to Ginsberg and represents the functionalist belief that governmental reform is capable of enacting social change. The basis of functionalism is the institutional dialogue between the state and civil society, which has several functions, including axiological, conflictological, and civil control. The axiological function consists of the joint search and definition of politically and socially significant values for both the authorities and civil society. The conflictological function allows, based on political dialogue, to fix conflict situations and take the necessary measures on time to resolve them. The function of civil control over the activities of power allows you to fight against such negative phenomena in power as bureaucracy, indifference, protectionism, formalism, bribery, and the use of official positions for personal gain.
Metamodernism
Another topic explored in the documentary is Ginsburg’s status as a pop culture icon. It started with the meme-ification of Ginsburg on the social media website Tumblr as “Notorious R.B.G.,” a wordplay on the nickname of rap artist Notorious B.I.G. (R.B.G. 00:43:30). Viral memes have been recognized as powerful communicators in digital culture that create meaning and shape macro societal structures (Meyer 2). Furthermore, they have been highlighted as a medium for fostering community in a world that vacillates between detachment and sincerity, termed metamodernism in 1975 (Couture 4). Metamodernism combines enlightened naivety, pragmatic idealism, moderate bigotry, and a fine line between irony and sincerity. It suggests that it is possible to connect irony and seriousness simultaneously, with one not necessarily oppressing the other. Memes perfectly fit these characteristics, and fit into the concept of metamodernism. While there is an ironic presentation of Ginsberg as a governmental counterpart to Notorious R.B.G., there is a sincere belief in her integrity as a women’s rights champion in these memes. Ginsberg’s place in pop culture is indicative of the metamodernist phenomena of memes.
Conclusion
In conclusion, “R.B.G.” is a valuable documentary about Ruth Bader Ginsburg that illustrates many key concepts from sociology. Firstly, it depicts the struggle for women’s rights and shows how gender stratification is perpetuated in society by limiting access to fundamental necessities. Secondly, it exemplifies a functionalist approach that credits Ginsberg for fighting gender inequality using her authority as a U.S. Supreme Court Justice. Thirdly, it demonstrates how a figure can become meme-fied and a part of metamodernist, popular youth culture. Sociological analysis is necessary to understand the biased perspective presented by various media, even seemingly factual documentaries.
Works Cited
Conerly, Tonja R., et al. Introduction to Sociology 3e. OpenStax, 2021.
Couture, Epiphanie. Memes and Metamodernism: An Analysis of a Medium. Western Washington University, Senior Project. Web.
Meyer, Melissa. “Thus Spoke the Internet: Social Media Sociologists and the Importance of Memeing In Making Meaning.”Irish Journal of Sociology, vol. 0, no. 0, 2020, pp. 1-6. Web.
R.B.G. Directed by Betsy West and Julie Cohen, Magnolia Pictures, 2018.