One of the main themes in the movie A Bronx Tale is the social construction of reality. The city that Calogero lives in is clearly separated into distinct neighborhoods. When Calogero’s dad drops Jane off at her bus stop you could tell that the bridge was the dividing line between the city and the “black neighborhood.” There is also the separate Italian neighborhood. The distinction between the two neighborhoods is clear because Italians shouldn’t enter the black neighborhood, and vice versa. If this unwritten rule is broken, the “trespasser” will get beaten up. I believe that this unwritten rule was created through an extreme in racist ideas. The Italians don’t like the black people, because the black people aren’t Italian. The black people have the same belief towards the Italians. Therefore, they have a mutual belief that they should not interact with each other in any way.
The community and I face social construction of reality on a daily basis when we watch TV because it has a different meaning towards people with different backgrounds. Depending on the person’s past experiences they will interpret the news or commercials differently. If the news talks about the increase in unemployment and poverty, my younger sister and I will view this news differently. I might receive this information in a negative way; thinking about this will decrease my chances to find a job. My sister might see positively by looking forward to a way to increase her community service hours at a homeless shelter.
I liked your post about the movie we watched in class. I think it gave us key elements important to sociology to think about.
ReplyDeleteyou make a great point on how the news influences opinions both negatively and positively among different people. People might view each other with the same amount of hate but not realize their attentions on why they do such as the Italians and the blacks described in the Bronx movie.
ReplyDeleteYes! We will talk more about the news and media in unit3. Insightful!
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