Blog 12 Social Institution of Economy

The definition of economy can be described as the process or system by which goods and services are produced, sold and bought in a country or region (merriam-webster.com). Emile Durkheim presented social institutions as a way of showing people the sociological theory of functionalism. Through functionalism he believed that the world revolves around providing society with the basic needs to fulfill people's lives. Social institutions are very significant in our everyday lives because we use each and every one of them everyday. With the social institution of economy it allows people to produce and distribute goods and services through a network of credit unions, banks, credit card companies, and buying clubs (Henslin 101). Without the use of economy making money, paying bills on time and producing an efficient way to maximize profits and control the rise and fall of currency values. Just think about it everyday you use money whether it's for food, wants , or needs. Without money people would not be able function, you would not be able to buy and sell goods for the need of your family. This is the reason without economy as a social institution the world would not revolve. So next time you use money think about how much it really means, and how much balance it really does provide everyday.

Henslin, James M. Sociology: A Down-to-earth Approach. 12th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, 2011. Print.

"Economy-Definition of Economy." Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2015.

URL: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/economy

Blog 11 Free Writing "Social Institution of Mass Media"

A huge problem in our world today is Media. The problem with media is they put stories out to get the American people to believe everything they see. The problem with that is it isn't always the real story. Much like the shootings this year in Missouri, sometimes the media decides to tell you only one side of the story because no boring story sells, they want the baddest, bloodiest story they can find. Mass media was never meant to be presented as a social institution the prime use for media was to make money (sagepub.com). Because we know consider media as a social institution it means without it it would cause a dramatic turn in society and potentially chaos. The basic need of social media in our life is to disseminate information, report events, and mold the public opinion. Most of these media institutions revolve around TV networks, radio stations, publishers, and the association of bloggers. Statuses that the media hold are journalists, newscasters, authors, editors, publishers, and bloggers (Henslin 101). With media as a social institution it can also cause a lot of controversy in society because of the way the media presents it.

Silverblatt, Art. "Media as a Social Institution." American Behavioral Scientists. Webster University, n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2015.

URL: http://abs.sagepub.com/content/48/1/35.abstract

Henslin, James M. Sociology: A Down-to-earth Approach. 12th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, 2011. Print.

Blog 10 Religion as a social Institution

Religion obviously plays a huge part in American life everyday, and with many different types of belief systems it makes all of us different in our own way. Emile Durkheim presented social institutions as a way to introduce the sociological theory of functionalism. He believed that without all these social institutions life would become chaos. Religion is an important social institution, it provides a belief in something we cannot see. It provides patterns of beliefs and behavior that helps a society meet its basic needs (lardbucket.org). Religion is defined as an organized system of beliefs, ceremonies, and rules used to worship a god or group of gods (merriam-webster.com). Religion to me is very important, my parents took me to our Methodist hometown church since I was a little girl. I went to Sunday School, was acolyte, participated in Bible school in the summer, and I was confirmed in that same church. I have seen many pastors pass through that church and many people as well. Religion to me is a way to talk to someone about problems that no one else can understand. It's a way of silently helping someone who may not even know you exist. Finally it's a way believe in something beyond your power. If you know religion you know exactly what this feels like, to believe beyond a higher power gives you something to live for.

"Religion as a Social Institution." Religion as a Social Institution. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2015.

URL: http://2012books.lardbucket.org/books/sociology-comprehensive-edition/s20-01-religion-as-a-social-instituti.html

"Religion-Definition of Religion." Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2015.

URL: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/religion

Blog 9: Free writing

The economy is described as a system of producing and distributing goods and services (Henslin 2014). A person would never guess that a company like Wal-Mart could take over an economy and ruin it, but that's just what this multinational company has done. They accomplish this task by importing cheap goods from overseas, and in turn they sell them for a larger profit than if they were to buy from their own country (The United States). I love how Americans are fully against child labor and abusing children, but we buy our products from countries where that type of thing is fine. That fact amazes me Wal-Mart is tearing our country to pieces, we often find ourselves there because of convenience, I mean they have everything in one place. Did you know for every Wal-Mart or Super-center built it takes out two small town businesses? Walmart began in the 70's when American's demanded for bargain shopping, but all we did was commit suicide on that. They told everyone it's "American Made" and even advertised that way, soon enough they dropped most American products and began selling products from overseas. Their goal was to create more jobs, but all they did is take jobs away (popularresistance.org). When they open up and two stores have to shut down and they can only guarantee so many jobs that puts people into unemployment, it's outrageous. I encourage people to shop locally especially if they want to keep their small town stores around.

Henslin, James. "Chapter 1: Origins of Sociology." Sociology: A Down to Earth Approach. 12th ed. New Jersey: Upper Saddle River, 2014. 10. Print.

"New Report: Wal-Mart Destroys Local Economy." PopularResistanceOrg. N.p., 14 Aug. 2013. Web. 05 Dec. 2015.