Afghanistan and Cultural Gaffes

Greetings!

The Vos family is safely back, for those of you who kept up with our sister blog (If you're curious about their adventures in China, go to vosimportshiskids.blogspot.com to read all about it. It'll be up for a little while longer).

Today's post derives from a recent article in the Washington Post. If you keep up with international news at all, you may have heard that the number of deaths of American soldiers in Afghanistan has been spiking recently. What you may not be aware of is the fact that the majority of these deaths have not been at the hands of the Taliban or other extremist groups. Rather, the majority of these incidents have been caused by Afghan police and security forces, the people that the US Army is training to handle the situation once the US combat forces largely withdraw (hopefully sometime in the next decade).

While this may seem distressing and confusing to many of you, it is important that you understand why this has been happening (which apparently the US Army doesn't). Put simply: it's because the NATO troops and their Afghani counterparts don't understand each other or their habits. The article I referenced from the Washington Post, which you can find here, states that most of these killings have happened because the Afghani soldiers felt deeply insulted by the Americans. Consequently, the Afghan government has recently published a booklet to educate its soldiers about the habits of the NATO troops that they might find insulting, which they do out of ignorance rather than a desire to deliberately insult a soldier or his family.

If you read the article, some of these things may seem a bit ridiculous to you. Things like burping in public or propping your feet up on the table are seen as insulting in Middle Eastern, Central Asian culture. Even something as commonplace in the West as asking about the health of female relatives can be seen as creepy or suggestive in this culture. 

While these killings may be an extreme reaction, it is important to remember that it is not ridiculous that the Afghan soldiers feel this way. It is simply a product of their culture. To put this into perspective, many Americans may find it creepy if a male you didn't know were to walk up and kiss you, then your sister, on the cheek after you just met. But in Latin America and other parts of the world, this is commonplace, and it borders on rude to not do so if you know someone at all.

Many of you may find it distressing (as I did) that this kind of cultural training is only just now happening, nearly 11 years after the war began.

The moral of the story is this: if you are going to be visiting a foreign culture, you should spend some time preparing for the journey. And by preparing, I mean less figuring out which shorts to take (not a good idea in some places) and more figuring out how not to radically offend most everyone you meet. Googling it, like I did here, is simple enough. While I doubt anything will actually happen to you, as most people can be rather forgiving about ignorance, it will still make your transition a bit smoother.

Also, if you're planning on fighting a war against an insurgent group in the mountains of Afghanistan for over a decade, you may want to brush up on your Dari or Arabic or something.

Also also, sorry I didn't put any pictures on this one.

If you have an idea for an article you'd like to see posted, feel free to email us at sociologyws@gmail.com. If you're trying to sell us more bottles of hedgehog antivenom, just don't.

We're back! And we brought Big Macs!

Greetings everyone! Sorry we kind of dropped off the face of the earth there. We have another blog that we started and have been maintaining, which I believe we referenced in the last post. You should check it out, by the way, if you're interested in how the process of international adoption works. The link is here.

Anyhow, with that sister blog winding down, we can get back to posting on this one more. So to kick things off all proper like, here's a recent article from the Covenant College student newspaper, The Bagpipe. It was written by Austin Shelton, who also conveniently happens to be writing this. I'm so vain.

No seriously guys, put them away.

So anyways, the article I wrote is about some recent changes in the establishment we all know: McDonalds. For your viewing pleasure:

McDonalds is an interesting phenomenon. It’s one of the largest companies in the world, spanning nations and cultures like nobody’s business, ranking right up there with companies like Shell and Walmart for having the most fingers in the most pies. The McDonalds model is the envy of smaller companies, and the effect of McDonalds on the world is something that sociologists love to write and talk about (even going so far as to coin the word “McDonaldization”).

Love it or hate it, one of the things that makes McDonalds great is its ability to adapt. McDonalds doesn’t sell Big Macs and fries worldwide. In Indonesia you get rice with your meal, while in the Middle East you could get falafel or something equivalent to a gyro, and in India there’s an all-vegetarian McDonalds. Also, you should look up the McDonalds Bubur Ayum. It’s great. Point is, McDonalds adapts to its customers, and isn’t afraid to try radical things.

Which brings me to my point: McDonalds is adapting to the new needs of the American consumer. A few days ago I read an article in the Washington Post about how McDonalds is going to start posting the calorie count for its menu items nationwide, so now you’ll finally be able to see the unforeseen consequences of 20 McNuggets for $5. McDonalds is doing this voluntarily, mind you, and not due to a federal mandate.

But why? Well, because it looks good for them to do it, and will probably get the health-food mafia off their back for a few weeks. They’re doing it for the same reason that they opened up the confusing juxtaposition that is “McCafe”. Think of how much we as Americans love to go to Starbucks and string as many coffee/drink related words together and then pay for the Harry Potter-esque concoction that comes out. How could they not get in on that action? That’s the same reason they’ve started providing free Wi-Fi at most locations. It’s also why most McDonalds restaurants have somehow undergone the transformation from a whitewashed and tiled building that stinks of disinfectant, cooking oil and dirty children to a hip café with mood lighting and flat screens tuned in to CNN. I can’t even find a not-hip McDonalds where I live anymore, and believe me, I’ve tried. 

Basically, McDonalds is trying to follow the Starbucks model. I doubt it’ll work anytime soon, as it was only a few short years ago that they were suffering the backlash from Super Size Me and the countless spin-offs and angry Youtube videos it spawned. And they have yet to get into the world of slacktivism by offering free-range chicken McNuggets and coffee never touched by underpaid workers’ hands. But the point is, McDonalds sees that while we may buy pseudo-food to shove in our faces, we want to do it in style. We want to feel like we’re eating that sandwich in a place with class, rather than a droll establishment made of tile and plastic seats.

 So there you have it. While this is obviously just an opinion article written by an undergraduate sociology student, it does have some connections to actual sociological theory. In particular, the concept of "McDonaldization" is a big thing right now, explored most extensively by George Ritzer. Here's a link to the Wikipedia page for McDonaldization, and another link to a lecture outline on the subject from the University of Missouri at St. Louis. If you're that interested.

If you really feel motivated to contact Austin, you can email him at habitualbe@gmail.com. If you have an idea for an article or topic you want researched, feel free to email the owners of this blog at sociologyws@gmail.com. Thanks!

 

A Vos of Grace: Update

Earlier this year we posted a short essay written by a student here about our very own Dr. Vos. As you may remember, the paper talked about the Vos family's adopted children, and their plans to adopt a third child, a young boy from China.

Wu Ming, soon to be Alec Vos.

Originally, the Vos' were going to fly to China over the summer, and pick up the child, currently named Wu Ming. But due to a communication error and other uncertainties that come with international adoption, they were unable to leave as soon as they thought. However, they found out a few weeks ago that they would be able to pick him up in September. As such, the Dr. Vos,his wife Joan, and their two daughters are leaving next week for China! They will be gone for just over two weeks, returning on the 26th of September with one more person than they left with.

Please keep the Vos family in your prayers, as this is only the beginning of their relationship with this little boy, whom they are going to rename Alec once he is here safely.

 If you have an idea for a post or something you would like to see researched, feel free to email us at sociologyws@gmail.com.

ACTS 2012

Greetings to all you loyal followers, Covenant College students, and others who have somehow or other stumbled upon this post!

After a brief (not really) hiatus, classes are back in full swing here on the mountain. Students going to class, chatting on the lawns, sitting 3+ to a hammock designed for one 5'3 person max...it's a weird, beautiful sight.

However, one thing you may NOT be aware of is what happened over the summer. While there are many camps, meetings, and conferences hosted on campus while most of the students are away, this year our campus played host to a meeting of special significance. 

The Association of Christians Teaching Sociology, or ACTS, chose to meet at Covenant this year. Started in 1976 by Russell Heddendorf, a mentor and friend of our own Dr. Matthew Vos and a professor at Geneva College, ACTS seeks to provide a community and a place of dialogue for Christians teaching in the social sciences. They meet annually at a college where a member teaches, spending a few days each summer reconnecting with friends and colleagues, discussing current issues in the field, and seeing some of the host college's local area (this year they went to the Chattanooga Aquarium).

You can learn more about ACTS, including their purpose, history, and upcoming events at their website, which you can reach by clicking here.

Below are some photos from this year's meeting. Enjoy!

At the Vos' home in Chickamauga.

From the overlook pavilion on Covenant's campus.

Diversity vs. Attendance

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said that Sunday morning was the most segregated time in America. While the amount of progress we have made since the 50s and 60s is arguable, it is undeniable that there are certainly many religious groups in America (Christian and otherwise) seeking to amend the wrongs pointed out by King and other Civil Rights leaders over the years.*

While weeding out things like racism from the church seems like a noble idea, anyone who thinks that it is a clean, painless process is sadly mistaken. Take, for example, a recent article tweeted by Patrolmag discusses some of the negative side effects of a conscious effort to diversify the church. The article, which can be found here, details some of the struggles of the Episcopal Church when it comes to diversity.


While the Episcopal Church may be somewhat controversial among Protestant Christians for its stance on things like female ordination and homosexual marriage, it is hard to deny that it has not been more active than most other denominations in combating racial discrimination in the church and society. As such, it is recognized by some to be one of the most diverse denominations in the United States. However, its aggressive stance on diversity seems to be driving many of its members away, which is sad but interesting. If you missed the link earlier, you can read the full story here. It is an opinion article, but a good entry into such a complicated issue.

Also, here's a picture of the arms of the Episcopal Church.
Yes that's right, this church has a coat of arms.

If you want to read more about the Episcopal Church in America, click here and here. The first link is to the Wikipedia page if you're into freefalling (look it up), and the second is to the homepage of the Episcopal Church, which has links to all of their official statements and histories. Check it.

*Random: did you know they were planning to cut a chunk of the MLK Memorial in D.C. out to fix a phrase they didn't like? Yes, they really are. Seriously guys wasn't it just put in, like, a year ago?

If you have a suggestion for an article, please feel free to send it to sociologyws@gmail.com. Someone (me) should respond fairly quickly. If you want to learn more about what the author of this post has to say (no pressure) feel free to follow him (pressure) on Twitter. Or Google+. Or Pinterest. Or even LinkedIn. But please, not Facebook. He's never on there anymore.

Defending Social Research

If you're anything like me, meaning that you're a student, you sometimes want to feel that the choices you're making are the right ones, especially when it comes to your studies. I'd imagine that every student serious about their studies goes through this at some point; the need to feel validated is something that all humans need at some point.

While all students may go through this at some point, or even frequently, it seems that there are some areas of study that must be more rigorously defended than others. The social sciences, for example, seem to come under attack more so than others, like here in this New York Times opinion article.

At first, the reasons for this seem intuitive. For better or worse, we largely go to college in order to increase our chances of success in the job market, and even those of us who are in it for the pure thrill of learning (#nerdalert) cannot help but keep the practical applications of our studies in the back of our minds. That being said, it is not very hard to think of applications for a degree in, say, computer science, chemistry, or health services. The demand for tech jobs, jobs in the "hard" sciences, and jobs in health departments is expected to continue increasing (as predicted here, here, and here).

But what about the social sciences? Like English degrees, is there any hope for someone with a degree in the social sciences to do anything other than teach or be a professional in whichever field (i.e. literary critic, writer, professional sociologist, etc.)?

Picture is mostly unrelated.

Well luckily for you, the applications and benefits of the social sciences are many, even if they are (granted) a bit harder to find sometimes. Our own Dr. Vos has a few podcasts (like this one here) where he talks about some of the career paths that sociology students have found after graduating. In fact, the Sociology department recently hosted a career night, to inform soon-to-be graduates about options they have for their degrees.

But this kind of support is not coming from just the professors, who are perhaps a bit biased towards their students' success. To finally reference the article that was the inspiration for this post, support for the social sciences and its worth to society can be found all over the place, if you know where to look.

This article, written in the Harvard Business Review by Duncan Watts, was very encouraging to me, the author of this post. Mr. Watts addressed certain things that I have thought of on my own in reference to public opinion towards social research.

I won't quote the whole article, but the main thrust of Mr. Watts' article is that the results of social research are not always as "tangible" as some might like, particularly when it comes to those in the government funding such research. And part of the reason the benefits don't seem tangible is that oftentimes it seems like the results of social research are merely common sense. To quote Mr. Watts: 

In brief, we don't have any experience being ants or atoms, so if I tell you something about them that you didn't know, it sounds exotic and non-obvious. It sounds like science. But everyone has experience being human, and so the vast majority of findings in social science coincide with something that we have either experienced or can imagine experiencing. The result is that social science all too often seems like common sense.

Nevermind that common sense, as Mr. Watts points out in another article linked to the one above, is a problematic concept in itself, something that social science researchers have pointed out several times. I feel like it should be pointed out that while Mr. Watts is an advocate for social science, he has a physics degree, and works for Microsoft at the moment.

So in short, go sociology.

If you have any ideas for articles or topics, feel free to send us ideas at sociologyws@gmail.com. If you're really interested, you can follow the author of this post on Twitter, and even Pinterest and Google+ if you're that motivated. He tries to say interesting stuff.

Racialiciosity

Greetings!

Apologies for (another) delayed absence. Hopefully after this week the posts will be more regular. This particular rant post is not so much my own musing as it is links to other articles. With that said, enjoy!

The first article, which I found while perusing Twitter, comes from a website called Townhall.com, written by a man named Derek Hunter. The post, entitled "Race Matters...To Racists," explores how (in the author's opinion) the political "left" are simultaneously the ones who blow the whistles about mistreatment of minorities, and the ones who perpetuate most of this oppression, through practices like. Click here to read it. I will warn you, it is a bit inflammatory.

Seriously guys, you should read by
Bagpipe article about inflammatory speech.
Click here to find that.

The next article comes from the blog Racialicious, which is still one of the coolest titles I have yet heard for a blog. The article, which you can find here, is about how young adult literature, and young adult books specifically, need to diversify the perception of female beauty they portray on their covers away from the stereotypical skinny white girl.

While these may seem largely unrelated, they do present both sides of this perceived argument,and touch on a few important points in the general debate about race, like is colorblindness the best way to deal with this, or would something like affirmative action be better?

Hopefully the next post will not be so far off. Going back to Townhall.com, perhaps the next post will be about the kind of imagery different news agencies try to convey with their titles, depending on their particular political or religious leaning.

If you have an idea for an interesting article or topic you would like us to research, or a post you already have cooked up (that would be great), please feel free to send it to us at sociologyws@gmail.com. We'll give you credit and everything. If you would like to follow the author of this particular post on Twitter, you can find him @Habitualbe. He's also on Google+ and Pinterest if you're that motivated.