It is currently 12:14 AM and I cannot sleep. I have a doctor appointment tomorrow that I’m slightly anxious about, so despite my best attempts, I cannot sleep to save my life. It’s also been a hot minute since I’ve done any “publishable” writing. So, when you combine insomnia and a love for words, you get, well, this… I could write about the books I’ve been reading or the podcast I’ve been listening to, but instead I’m going to tell you a story. As much as I’d love to say this is a bedtime story, it’s not. I’m going to take you back in time to January of this year (goodness, that feels like forever ago) when my sociological endeavors began (no, I haven’t let go of sociology yet, and I’m really starting to think I never will).
So January… It’s the start of a new semester, nothing crazy, right? Ha, wrong. My mind had zero clue how much was about to shake it around. I think one of the most impactful questions I’ve been asked is whether I’m a conflict theorist or a functionalist. Let’s recap: Functionalism teaches that there are set roles for everyone and everything in society. Further, these set roles help society run decently. This includes things like poverty, crime, etc. Conflict theory is relatively opposite of this. Conflict theory identifies the many issues prevalent in society with an emphasis on social structures, politics, and reform/revolution/the call for change. Emile Durkheim (still talking about my homeboy) is perhaps the most famous functionalist, and Karl Marx is easily the most famous conflict theorist. So what am I? The title gives it away, but I’m going to take the scenic route anyways.
My professor started by explaining functionalism, and my internal response was “I mean I guess I could try and fit in there”. I thought there might be a chance I’m a functionalist. That is, until she started explaining conflict theory. Then, my only thought was “oh sh!t I’m a conflict theorist…” At first, I’ll be honest, I resisted this idea. Largely due to my lack of knowledge (and previous experiences with other conflict theorists), I automatically associated conflict theory with aggression, rage, and, well, conflict. That is the exact opposite of me. I loathe conflict. I’m a people pleaser. Don’t get me wrong, I’m also an advocate and willing debater, but in the quietest ways (It’s like one big juxtaposing oxymoron, I know). I’d rather work diligently behind the scenes than plaster my opinions all over the place. At least, that’s how I used to be. Then my poor brain had this moment of fearful realization. In the same moment I recognized my alignment with conflict theory, I in a way recognized all of the issues I saw with society. In a matter of a few minutes, I worked through the resistance of this alignment and the subsequent shock of accepting it (my brain works in undeniably and bizarrely weird ways, get used to it if you haven’t already). Then, the three most repeated words you’d hear in my sociology class: “turn and discuss”.
My group remained relatively consistent throughout the semester. I worked with one male classmate and one female. My female counterpart and I both recognized ourselves as conflict theorists, but our male counterpart didn’t… Folx, we had a live functionalist on our hands and oh was I excited. I remember asking him the following: “So just because we aren’t running around killing each other, society is operating just fine?” With a simple nod, he gave me a quick “yup”. Oh buddy, “yup” was just enough ammunition to really get my inner conflict theorist going… “And what if I told you we are running around killing each other?” then proceeded to list of the slew of recent examples of man killing man, on both the singular and mass levels. The poor kid can consider himself “saved by the bell” because our professor called our attention back up front.
As the class period continued, I had one recurring thought that I couldn’t shake. I wish I could be a functionalist. Now, there is a distinction I’d like to make. I do believe it is possible to have some functionalist ideologies and still be a conflict theorist. Personally, I believe that most elements of society have a given role (more on that later), but I also believe that when there is an unexplainable issue, it isn’t anomie, it’s a societal flaw that needs changing. Does that make any sense? All of this being said, I wish my functionalist opinions outweighed my conflict theorist ones. Could you imagine living with the belief that society is actually pretty satisfactory? Could you imagine living with a worldview that let you justify the need for poverty? I have no words. (Ok, I have a lot of words but no order to put them in)
What I find most ironic about this is the reality that I do have some functionalist ideologies mixed in with my conflict theorist ones. And like the true conflict theorist that I am, I call this “intersectionality”, which functionalists are not a fan of. In all honesty, I find this laughable. The very part of me that resonates with functionalism creates the exact concept that functionalism is resistant towards. I’m gradually becoming less and less of a functionalist the more I write.
Let’s back up a bit and talk about everyone/everything in society having a given role, because while that is a functionalist ideology, I take a very conflict theorist approach (here I go again with the juxtaposing oxymorons) to the idea. Allow me to explain. Do I believe that capitalist structures have a role to serve in our society? Yes, but I believe that our society has made it this way. I don’t believe this is an innate part of the American social structure. It is an innately American phenomena, yes, but not innately present or necessary. That’s where the split happens. I’m starting to believe none of this is making sense. Oh well. I could say the same about poverty. Does poverty fill a role in society? Yes, but I believe that is because of the way humanity has shaped our society. I also believe that a lot of our society could be changed to at least minimize certain flaws.
So have I made it clear that I’m a conflict theorist?
Yet it’s moments like these, at (now) 1AM when I can’t sleep that I wish most to align with functionalism. I wish I could have walked out of that classroom in Warner Hall with my functionalist peer and gone on our merry way. I agree with half of functionalism, the half that talks about everyone having a purpose, but I disagree with the half that doesn’t recognize the severe need for change in many of our macro structures. I think we all internally wish we could see the world as a perfectly happy place. I wish it were unicorns, rainbows, and kittens all the time. But alas, here we are. Sitting in the dark in the wee hours of the morning contemplating everything and anything to avoid the anxiety of an appointment.
That’s what I’ve got for you at this ungodly hour, dear internet void. I have to be at work in less than seven hours, and the doc says that you need a full eight hours of sleep a night, so I’m off to a real great start for this Tuesday. I’m going to head to sleep now and try not to ponder the problematic flaws of American society.
In the words of Porky Pig, “that’s all, folx!”
G’night (or g’morning… I guess)
Humble Chutzpah 