CH 18 REVIEW QUIZ
Why might the Occupy Wall Street movement be considered a revolutionary social movement?
It advocated the radical reorganization of American society to better benefit "the 99 percent." - FEEDBACK: The Occupy Wall Street movement grew out of dissatisfaction around inequality and the disparities in income and wealth. It was a social movement because it comprised collective behavior that was institutionalized: The protestors had well-honed methods of setting up, keeping in touch, assigning tasks and so forth. How purposeful and organized the movement was, however, is debated.
Which of the following is a criticism of contagion theory?
It downplays individual agency. - FEEDBACK: Contagion theory suggests that collective action because of our tendency to conform, and this theory helps explain how collective action spreads. It does overlook individual agency, and sometimes seems to treat individuals as though they were sheep.
Why is NARAL Pro-Choice America representative of a social movement organization?
It has a full-time leadership staff and a large membership base.
How might the rise of online associations be affecting the tradition of volunteerism in the United States?
People may be joining more organizations, but their participation may be more passive, involving less hands-on work and face-to-face interactions. - FEEDBACK: America has long been considered a land of joiners. However, the percentage of people showing up to do the work in person has declined. Some research suggests that the greater number of Americans joining associations are visiting websites and writing checks rather than involving themselves in face-to-face interactions. We may be joining (and organizing) more and showing up less because the Internet makes it easy to form new groups whenever we feel the need.
What major factor in the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa and the civil rights movement in the United States runs counter to the idea in resource mobilization theory that the elite are the most likely to initiate a social movement?
The people with the most at stake are most likely to create success. - FEEDBACK: The stakes matter, and we can see that in both the examples. Apartheid had brutally repressed a majority for a long time in South Africa. In the United States, civil rights had been denied through brutal treatment of African Americans since the end of the Civil War. Neither group had significant resources, yet both succeeded.
What is ironic about how we define ourselves as individuals?
We generally define our individuality in terms of our association with various groups. - FEEDBACK: We tend to define our individuality in terms of our associations with groups. Thus, the lines between our multiple identities are often ambiguous and poorly defined.
Which of the following is an example of mass collective action?
a boycott of a clothing manufacturer that has factories overseas where child labor is used - FEEDBACK: Recall that mass collective action is collective action in which close physical proximity is not necessary. During the other type of collective action, crowd collective action, you must be face to face with other members of your group.
Residents of a small city learn that a big-box retailer is considering opening a new store in their community. Advocates on each side of the issue mobilize to hang banners and signs around town, write letters to local officials, speak at community meetings, and research how such stores have impacted similar communities. All this is an example of which type of social movement organization?
a grassroots organization - FEEDBACK: Grassroots organizations rely heavily on high levels of membership participation in working to promote social change. Most such organizations lack a clear hierarchical structure and most work through or with existing political structures.
Which of the following is an example of a reformative social movement?
a movement that promotes a switch from standard incandescent light bulbs to energy-saving compact fluorescent bulbs in all American households - FEEDBACK: Reformative social movements advocate for limited social change across an entire society.
In response to rising crime perpetrated by teenagers, local residents band together to create more opportunities for recreational activities, jobs, and leadership training for young people. This is an example of what type of social movement?
alterative social movement - FEEDBACK: Alternative social movements seeks limited societal change, usually targeting a narrow group of people.
Fluidity around who you are as you interact with different subcultures, particularly when it is facilitated by social media spaces such as fan pages and private groups, is representative of your
dynamic identity. - FEEDBACK: A dynamic identity changes depending on the context; it is contrasted with a static identity, which remains stable.
In his interview with Dalton Conley, Doug McAdam explains that the Internet makes it easy for new social movements to disseminate information broadly. However, he also notes some drawbacks, including the fact that
electronically based movements may not be able to take advantage of existing interpersonal relationships to mobilize behavioral change. - FEEDBACK: While the advent of the Internet has brought many positive changes for social movements, face-to-face interaction may facilitate much of the power behind social movements.
In the model of premodern societies, Georg Simmel suggests that they are characterized by concentric circles of social affiliation. At the center of this circle of affiliation is
me. - FEEDBACK: Simmel was attempting to understand and explain the social positions of individuals in a premodern society, and theorized the concept of concentric circles of affiliations. At the center is "me": the individual whose social position we seek to define.
Everyone in attendance at a midnight screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show was dressed in skimpy, revealing clothing, while a sign in the theater lobby mandated a dress code of "appropriate, everyday attire." Could this be seen as an example of collective action?
no, because social norms at the screening did not diverge among those who were present - FEEDBACK: Collective action takes place in groups and diverges from the social norms of the situation. A protest or petition drive is one form. Here, we have what appear to be violations of social norms (the different dress and the theatre dress code being ignored), but everyone is doing it, so the actions' context is consistent.
Modern social organization began to replace premodern social relations with the rise of
scientific knowledge and the concept of rationality. - FEEDBACK: Modernity replaced premodernity with the rise of scientific knowledge and the concept of rationality. Hence, modernity involves social relations that are characterized by rationality, bureaucratization, and objectivity, as well as individuality created by nonconcentric, overlapping group affiliations.
What is the primary difference between a participatory movement organization and a professional movement organization?
the level of involvement of rank-and-file members - FEEDBACK: A professional movement organization has a large member base that plays a minor role in the organization. In a participatory movement organization, the rank-and-file members are directly involved.
Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram give us instant access to the smallest details of others' lives. We need no personal connection to those we follow, nor knowledge of their culture or history. For the postmodernist, this embodies the idea that
we should question whether there is a history. - FEEDBACK: Postmodernity has emerged partly because of the changes that have taken place in the past 100 years. The "grand struggles" of communism and capitalism, the rejection of history and the embrace of the image as icon representing reality are all part of postmodern thought.
What are two factors that are used to distinguish between different types of social movements?
whose behavior they seek to change; whether the change sought is limited or radical - FEEDBACK: While there are many differences between social movements, they are typically distinguished by the people whose behavior they seek to change and the extent to which they seek to change society.
The annual World Naked Bike Ride protests oil use and attracts millions of people. Riders gather, disrobe, and then ride through a busy part of town, while they are watched and reacted to by nonriders. Is this consistent with the idea behind convergence theory?
yes, because all participants have the same idea - FEEDBACK: Convergence theory tells us that collective action happens when people with similar ideas and tendencies gather in the same place, but cannot explain inconsistency in group action. In the naked bike ride, participants share a single sense of purpose, even though we may not be able to tease out individual differences in meaning.