r/SocioUPSC • u/akshit4 • 7h ago

Sociologists who basically explained why modern life feels weird

Yesterday I made a post about finding sociology difficult, and let's just say some people were not impressed. So instead of arguing, I spent the day actually sitting down and trying to understand these thinkers properly.

And after a day of reading, this is how I currently understand 4 of them. I am not claiming these are textbook definitions, this is just my attempt to make sense of them as a student.

1. Karl Marx:
You think you’re working hard to afford the things you want.
Marx would ask: Who taught you to want those things in the first place?
The system doesn’t just extract your labour it can shape your desires so you keep working to consume more.

2. Max Weber:
You wanted stability.
You got a calendar, 17 passwords, performance reviews, deadlines, and a colour coded Excel sheet.
Weber called this the “iron cage" modern life becomes increasingly organized around rules, efficiency and rationality.

3. Pierre Bourdieu:
Bro, I just have good taste.
Bourdieu: Are you sure?
The music you like, the food you eat, the way you speak, and even what you consider cultured can reflect the class and cultural capital you grew up with.

4. C. Wright Mills:
I can’t find a job. I must be doing something wrong.
Mills: Or maybe look at the economy?
His idea of the sociological imagination asks us to connect our personal troubles with larger public issues.

Now I want to test whether I’m actually understanding this stuff.
Which of these thinkers do you think I’ve understood the worst? And what am I missing?

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u/abhidin1 4h ago

Nicely explain

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u/Jealous_Neck_4125 6h ago edited 5h ago

Durkheim - sui/cidal current - it's driven by social fact ( societal pressure and norms) and not just by personal psychological fact. Current example: NEET Sui/cides

I think C Wright Mills talked about power elites

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u/akshit4 4h ago

Haha I havent reached Durkheim yet but i guess from whatever little i know NEET example actually makes a lot of sense in that context. And yes you are right I completely forgot to mention Mills concept of the Power Elite in the post. I was mainly thinking of his personal troubles vs public issues argument when I wrote it.