Sociological imagination refers to the ability to consider a broader social context and its impact on individual challenges and problems. It is based on the idea that social factors can affect certain groups of people in similar ways, impacting common behaviors and beliefs, creating specific patterns, and contributing to existing issues. In other words, sociological imagination focuses on exploring systems and their role in shaping society rather than studying personal problems.
The practice of sociological imagination involves abstract thinking and allows for looking at a problem from a different perspective. For example, people often view financial struggles as a personal issue of a particular individual or household. However, by applying the method of sociological imagination, one can see that the problem is caused by global social issues affecting many people, such as structural poverty and economic inequality.
The video about an Asian male model, Kevin Kreider, revealed the difficulties he experienced with online dating. By using sociological imagination, one can conclude that this is a bigger social issue rather than a personal problem. The interviewee mentioned that he grew up wanting to be treated as a white person, which emphasizes the role of society and stereotypes in a negative perception of Asians in the United States (HuffPost, 2018). When Kevin used dating applications, he experienced discrimination against his ethnicity before people even had a chance to know him as a person.
A common belief cultivated in society portrays Asian men as unattractive compared to their white counterparts. As a result, they have difficulty dating in an environment dominated by Whites. Kevin’s experience confirmed the existence of this problem, which emphasizes the importance of recognizing the connection between individual issues and a broader social structure. It can be concluded that such social factors as anti-Asian discrimination, white supremacy, and stereotypes in the media and pop culture are responsible for producing this phenomenon.
Reference
HuffPost. (2018). Kevin Kreider on dating while Asian | Perspectives [Video]. YouTube. Web.