During the pandemic, sociological thinking is a tool that allows ensuring comprehensive protection of the population due to citizens’ responsibility to one another. Individual precautions are important, but if the community does not promote general safety measures, for instance, ignore threats to the most vulnerable segments of the population, the effectiveness of preventive measures will be low. Klinenberg (2020) examines the concept of social solidarity and evaluates it as a mechanism promoting public health when people depend on one another. Therefore, sociological thinking is a form of collective security in the current pandemic.
Despite the relevance of social solidarity, individual beliefs in American culture can make it difficult for people to understand the significance of this concept in the context of social distancing. Klinenberg (2020) mentions citizens’ distrust in the information disseminated by the authorities, the contradictions in views on the degree of threat among supporters of different political movements, and the self-centeredness of culture. Despite concerns for family members and friends, residents tend to take care of themselves first, which prevents creating a sustainable background for social solidarity as a crucial prerequisite for collective security.
During the pandemic, I have seen examples of social solidarity. For example, I have witnessed young people organizing volunteer squads to help older people buy food. Some citizens today interact with medical facilities and provide all possible assistance related to the transportation of goods and psychological assistance to the population. Such examples are not a confirmation of collective solidarity in society. However, they prove that individual citizens’ concern for the safety of others is a positive trend that enhances the effectiveness of the fight against the pandemic from a community perspective
Reference
Klinenberg, E. (2020). We need social solidarity, not just social distancing. The New York Times. Web.