Declining Sociality in Contemporary Times

R Kumaran

Learner and Learners’ Assistant

• Dr Geetha

• Dr Rajagopal

• Dr. SriDevi

• Dr Balakrishann Vergal

• Dr Meena

What it means to be Social?

• We often say man is a social animal

• What is social here?

• Orientation to others – moral, political and cultural connectedness

Moral

• Taking moral responsibility for our actions and others welfare

• My welfare is the function of others welfare which I have to actively seek.

• Assuring one another that we all live in secure moral universe that I actively create as you do

Political

• That my actions can positively or negatively influence the power that flows in interpersonal relationship and in the wider society. It can make someone powerful or powerless and can increase or decrease freedoms of myself and others

Cultural

• We all occupy same symbolic and semantic environment in which my actions can contribute to shared meaning, so that we can conduct our social transactions securely and reflexively.

FACE-TO-FACE CONNECTED

•Having social consciousness, being socially responsible means BEING ACTIVELY connected and related with others, NOT JUST MENTALLY BUT FACE TO FACE

THERE ARE 3 CHOICES FOR LIVING SOCIAL

• Outer(-to-Inner) directed life/relationship – Consumerism, Corruption, Developmentalism

• Inward-Directed life/Relationship – Fundamentalism/Casteism, Clictivsm, Delusionalism

• Inner(-to- Outer) Directed life/Relationship - Activism/ service to others

Outer (Or Other)-directed

• Outer(-to-Inner) directed life/relationship

• Consumerism,

• Corruption,

• Developmentalism

Inward-Directed

• Inward-Directed life/Relationship

• Fundamentalism/Casteism,

• Clictivsm,

• Delusionalism

Inner-Directed

• Inner(-to- Outer) Directed life/Relationship -

• Activism

• Inclusivism

• Environmentalism

Outer-Directed: Consumerism

• “I CONSUME THEREFORE I AM”

• My “wants” and “Desires” are more important than others “needs”

• I am empty and sick inside me, only things I buy can fill me give me completeness

• Aloneness (I should have that which no one lese has) is more beautiful than togetherness (being one with others)

• Aggressive Individualism: Don’t feel connected. Community Life is BAD

• “Having More” in more important than “being more”

Outer-Directed: Developmentalism

• MATERIALISM AS DEVELOPMENT

• Development means having more (not being more), India, and me have to have more – More money, more houses, gadgets, and cars, things and property

• “Have more” at the cost of peace, respect, security, freedom, honesty, self-respect

• We want India to be at least Singapore, China or at best USA – Living under surveillance, no privacy etc.

• END (Having More) IS MORE IMPORTANT MEANS (BEING RIGHT)

Outer-Directed: Corruption

• Immoral or Practical?

• Smart?

• Go with the crowd? Other-Directedness

• Way of Life

• High-Value but Low-Risk

Outer-Directed: Corruption …. Contd.

• Make it a high risk activity.

• Unfortunately Inter-caste marriage, Rationalism, Social activism are high-risk activity,

• But being corrupt is not only low-risk BUT HIGH VALUE-ADDING, EVEN HEROIC - corrupt father, son-in-law and others bringing more money are better father and son-in-law.

Inward-Directed: Fundamentalism/Casteism

• Refusing to learn from others, not willing to share space with others,

• I love myself (Narcissism) so much that anything and anyone that does not look like me I hate them

• Creating sameness and feeling threatened and insecure with difference/other.

• Measuring everything in term of my moral/religious/caste frameworks.

• IT MEANS MORE TIME SPENT IT ELIMINATING ‘OTHER’: PRAYER IS REPLACED BY OUT-SHOUTING, (Example Vante Mataram)

• TALLNESS COMES OUT OF CUTTING OTHERS SHORT OR OUTRIGHT ELIMINATION. Intolerance takes the place of inner dialogue.

Inward-Directed: CLICTIVSM AND SELFIESM- ASOCIAL MEDIA

• More time is spent with celebrating self-centredness– Sefie

• Reporting self – Facebook and WhatsApp

• Selective presentation of self.

• Virtual, in place of face-to-face to relationship – I shop, bank, work, study and visit places online.

Inward-Directed: CLICTIVSM AND SELFIESM

• Today, thanks to internet, it is possible to spend weeks without having to meet anyone face to face.

• Moral and Political accountability for others and their welfare is thrown to winds.

• We express our anger, sadness and protest virtually.

• Political commitment is all about Clicking, forwarding and sharing messages

Inward-Directed: Clictivism

Tourist Mentality

•Pilgrims to Tourists

Inner-Directed: Activism/Inclusivism/Environmentalis

m/ • Taking responsibility for others happiness, welfare and need-

fulfilment

• Not just humanism, but Inclusivism Choosing to only those actions that seek welfare of others humans, flora and fauna first. (Environmentalism)

Sociological Imagination

• Historical and Biological Inter-Connectedness

• Seeing Personal Troubles as Social Problems

All of us can have sociological imagination

Thank You