Although we aren't always mindful of random passersby and their lives, we are in constant presence of these different people, and most of us don't take the time to think about them. We are often so caught up in our own complicated lives. I recently went to Trader Joe's to do some light grocery shopping. On my walk over there, a man stopped me to ask when my birthday is, what my sign is, etc. and after I uttered my sign and tried to walk away, he continued to ramble on about zodiac signs and horoscopes, walking with me. As I walked faster, he kept up with my pace. At the time, all I thought was that he was just some random homeless man. He insisted that I take his phone number as I was waiting to cross the street, so I reluctantly took out my phone, holding it as tightly as I could, and pretended to enter the number he gave me. As I continued on my way, he yelled, "My name's Cat; my friends call me Cat; call me Cat!" Now that I recall this short incident, I can't help but wonder what Cat's life is all about. I was so quick to judge, and I think that we are all guilty of judgement when encountering new and/or random people.
Robert E. Park, an American urban sociologist, stated that "The City is a mosaic of little worlds which touch but do not interpenetrate." I think this rings true in our society to a certain extent. However, I do believe that on occasion, these 'little worlds' do interpenetrate, just like my interaction with Cat.
While I would like to visit numerous cities all over the world, this blog will revolve around the LA area with regard to social difference. In any society, we are bound to have differences with one another, and those differences may include a wide array of things including ethnicity, political and religious beliefs, class, gender, sexuality, and education. With difference, comes inequality, and with inequality, comes conflict. The important thing to remember is that we are all unique individuals. It's hard to determine how to deal with these social differences, and thus conflict. In the Dictionary of Sociology, it is stated that "The differences between society and living organisms are well rehearsed, but it is the ability to handle the problems of social conflict and the limits beyond which the plasticity of society cannot go." Social difference in societies will always be inevitable, and that's a good thing because without diversity, life would monotonous. The difficult element about this is how to deal with the conflict that social difference brings about, which is a precisely what I am eager to explore in the LA metropolitan region.
