Introduction
The social problem under focus is obesity originating from Latino food norms. Much of the Latin cuisine has nostalgic value to Hispanic cultures. Consumption of traditional Latino food inspires the feeling of comfort to Latino people. Yet, at the same time, much of the food is saturated in fats, which causes obesity. As my family is directly affected by this problem, it is essential to apply sociological perspectives to the problem of obesity in my household.
Symbolic Interactionism
Symbolic Interactionism describes society through the lenses of interactions. According to Cody-Rydzewski, Strayer, and Griffiths (2017), “humans interact with things based on meanings ascribed to those things”, while “the ascribed meaning of things comes from our interactions with others and society” (p. 18, 2nd paragraph). In my case, I have acquired the meaning of comfort food from my household, the members of which endorse Latino food as tasty and traditional.
It had not been a problem for me until I listened to a doctor’s opinion who blamed Latino food for causing obesity. Sydney Brown (2013) argues that “people change based on their interactions with object, events, ideas, other people, and they assign meaning to things in order to decide how to act” (0:40). When the doctor underscored the excessive amount of fat, I changed my opinion regarding Latino food. Unfortunately, it also created a rift with my household, which did not attach the same meaning to it as I did.
Conflict Theory
Although classic Marx’s view of competition for resources is not applicable to the conflict that arises between my family and me, one particular expansion of conflict theory – critical theory – can. Cody-Rydzewski, Strayer, and Griffiths (2017) write that critical theory “must explain what’s wrong in current social reality” (p. 17, 3rd paragraph). In relation to my family, the adherence to comfort food was a destructive factor.
The crux of the conflict was that my family did not want to change their food preferences. As khanacademymedicine (2013a) argues, “the existing generally accepted state of thesis of a society would cause the formation of a reaction or antithesis that opposed the accepted state” (1:40). When applied to my family, the thesis was that they were content with food and oblivious to health risks, while the antithesis was my desire to change food preferences and manage obesity.
Functionalism
Functionalism explains a predicament that my son found himself in. It was customary to meet with our friends, who were also Hispanic. Each time our families met, we would cook and eat Latino food. My son was always invited because there was a socializing opportunity for him. Unfortunately, the more he would visit his friends, the more obese he would become until it finally started to create physical inconvenience for him.
The aforementioned situation can be explained by the interjection of latent functions and dysfunctions. Manifest functions are specifically desired, while latent functions are unintended consequences of a social process (Cody-Rydzewski, Strayer, & Griffiths, 2017 p. 15, 4th paragraph; khanacademymedicine, 2013b, 2:38). My son’s socialization was a manifest function, but the habit of sharing Latino meals was a latent function. When the consumption became excessive, sharing meals with friends was now a dysfunction.
Conclusion
Altogether, it should be evident that the problem of obesity in my family is the direct result of adherence to social norms. According to the theory of symbolic interactionism, I started to attach the meaning of comfort to Latino food because the Hispanic culture values it. As an expansion of conflict theory, critical theory explains the emergence of conflict between me promoting healthy eating and my family. Finally, my son’s health issues were an unintended consequence of his time spent with friends. Overall, sociological perspectives give a clear picture of why obesity is a problem for the household.
References
Cody-Rydzewski, S., Strayer, E., & Griffiths, H. (2017). Introduction to Sociology 2e. 12th Media Services.
khanacademymedicine. (2013a). Conflict theory | Society and Culture | MCAT | Khan Academy [Video]. YouTube. Web.
khanacademymedicine. (2013b). Functionalism | Society and Culture | MCAT | Khan Academy [Video]. YouTube. Web.
Sydney Brown. (2013). Symbolic Interactionism [Video]. YouTube. Web.