Following the rule
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You got the idea, I am a good student, good employee and good citizen.
I dare say
that I have been benefited from it for myself as much as towards others. It is
really to your own advantage to follow rules.
Be kind to others is in fact be kind to yourself. There are many areas in our life which share
the same principle, which fits in the old Chinese saying “To loss is to gain.”
We are
living in society, and being with others means that we need rules, regulations,
and institutional systems to run our society smoothly and efficiently.
Before one can follow rule, there must be a
system
I have been
to certain part of China,
where the sight of traffic was terrifying. There is just simply no rules, or no
one respects rules. The fundamental sound rules are essential for efficiently
and orderly operation in any area of social life, e.g. family, school, company,
government and country.
The rules ought to be respected and followed
not only for the benefit of collectivity but also for individuals
It is quite
obviously, if you don’t follow the rule on the road, you might run into
accident, not only endanger your own life but other users of road. The traffic
rules are really for the benefits of all road users.
However,
the rules are often broken by people, which sociologists call “Deviance
behavior”, why do some people just don’t follow the rules even it is seemingly
to their own benefits?
Though held the basic functionalist thinking, but unlike Parson,Merton recognized the possibility of dysfunction of any given systems, and or institutions. He did not assume the legitimation of existing systems as status quo, but suggested that there may be the alternative functions which would do the same or better jobs.
To Merton, deviance behavior happens when there is discrepancy between one's cultural goal and institutionalized norms. He uses anomie a major independent variable, his definition of anomie is somewhat different from Durkheim's. Anomie, for Merton, is a discontinuity between cultural goals and the legitimate means available for reaching them. In depicting his model graphically Merton chose to use a + sign to indicate acceptance of the goal or means to achieve the goal and a - to indicate the rejection or unavailability of the goal or means to it. He thus arrives at five modes of adaption, or types of deviance.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Cultural Goals Institutionalized Means Modes of Adaptation
+ + Conformity
+ - Innovation
- + Ritualism
- - Retreatism
+/- +/- Rebellion
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Rebellion is a combination of a rejection of goals and means and substitution with other goals and means.
Deviance
behavior creates disturbance to a system, sometimes, even break down. At the
same time, such behaviors might be a challenge to an unsound rules or unsound
system.
“Whenever there is oppression, there is rebellion” was the famous of word of Mao Zhe Dong. It is so true that when rules of any given system are not sound, it will be soon or later be challenged. Deviance behavior in that sense brings forth some positive changes to societal development.
So to obey
a rule is good, sometimes, to disobey a rule is even better. Any rule broker is subject to negative
sanction from collective of society. One
must have strong determination and clear vision to be able to stand by for the
pressure from his/her world. That is
what we often say “Fine produce fine steel.”
What I
would say to you, my dear friends,
1) To learn the rules of game
2) Respect and follow them
3) However, don’t just follow them blindly.
Finally, you need to identify the true rules you ought to obey. There is one, I would suggest, to know and be known by God, who sets all rules in the world.
Robinlim
