US Culture and Society Since 9/11 Andrew J. Perrin - SOCI 101 September 12, 2017 Andrew J. Perrin - SOCI 101 US Culture and Society Since 9/11 September 12, 2017 1 / 1
What are Americans Like? Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America American Exceptionalism Individualistic “A Nation of Joiners” Americans’ “habits of the heart” American culture appeared democratic and egalitarian Andrew J. Perrin - SOCI 101 US Culture and Society Since 9/11 September 12, 2017 2 / 1
Persistent Trends Americans remain more likely than others to. . . Go to church Volunteer in social services agencies Mistrust government Resent taxation Believe wealth is distributed fairly Have opinions Andrew J. Perrin - SOCI 101 US Culture and Society Since 9/11 September 12, 2017 3 / 1
Culture “What are Americans Like” is an invitation to discuss American culture What do we mean by culture? Andrew J. Perrin - SOCI 101 US Culture and Society Since 9/11 September 12, 2017 4 / 1
Culture (cont.) Andrew J. Perrin - SOCI 101 US Culture and Society Since 9/11 September 12, 2017 5 / 1
Culture (cont.) Andrew J. Perrin - SOCI 101 US Culture and Society Since 9/11 September 12, 2017 6 / 1
Culture (cont.) Andrew J. Perrin - SOCI 101 US Culture and Society Since 9/11 September 12, 2017 7 / 1
Culture (cont.) Andrew J. Perrin - SOCI 101 US Culture and Society Since 9/11 September 12, 2017 8 / 1
The Sociology of Culture Older conception: the Values of a population Example: Americans value freedom, success, wealth, opportunity Problems: Nobody was ever able to measure these values 1 Very little variation 2 Andrew J. Perrin - SOCI 101 US Culture and Society Since 9/11 September 12, 2017 9 / 1
The Sociology of Culture (cont.) • New conception: Repertoire of Interpretive Strategies Repertoire: A list of dramas, operas, pieces, parts, etc., which a company or a person has rehearsed and is prepared to perform Interpret: To explain or tell the meaning of; to expound; to translate orally into intelligible or familiar language or terms; to decipher; to define; to apprehend and represent by means of art; to show by illustrative representation; as, an actor interprets the character of Hamlet; a musician interprets a sonata; an artist interprets a landscape Strategy: an elaborate and systematic plan of action Andrew J. Perrin - SOCI 101 US Culture and Society Since 9/11 September 12, 2017 10 / 1
The Sociology of Culture (Cont.) Ann Swidler (1986): “Culture in Action” Drawing on Tocqueville: Styles, Skills, Habits Culture as Toolbox Andrew J. Perrin - SOCI 101 US Culture and Society Since 9/11 September 12, 2017 11 / 1
The Sociology of Culture (cont.) Cultures are cross-cutting and overlapping Cultural membership can be partial Cultures “produce” their members Cultures provide members with the ways they understand their lives and the tools they choose to apply to problems Culture is both constraining and enabling People know more culture than they use (Vaisey) Andrew J. Perrin - SOCI 101 US Culture and Society Since 9/11 September 12, 2017 12 / 1
Culture: A Sociological View Repertoire of Interpretive Strategies Shared tools people use to understand new things Common experience ⇒ Common belief Common experience ⇒ Polarized beliefs Andrew J. Perrin - SOCI 101 US Culture and Society Since 9/11 September 12, 2017 13 / 1
What Happened on 9/11? https://www.pollev.com/andrewperrin Andrew J. Perrin - SOCI 101 US Culture and Society Since 9/11 September 12, 2017 14 / 1
The Unbuilt Environment Perrin, Perrin, Caren, Skinner Does physical environment affect obesity risk? Andrew J. Perrin - SOCI 101 US Culture and Society Since 9/11 September 12, 2017 15 / 1
Robert Putnam, Bowling Alone (2000) Andrew J. Perrin - SOCI 101 US Culture and Society Since 9/11 September 12, 2017 16 / 1
Bowling Alone Social Capital Participation down Individualism up Civility down Andrew J. Perrin - SOCI 101 US Culture and Society Since 9/11 September 12, 2017 17 / 1
Social Capital Putnam: moral obligations and norms, social values (especially trust) and social networks (especially voluntary associations) Sociological: Returns to Sociability, Value of Social Networks Note that social capital may be held by regions (Putnam) or by individuals within networks (Sociological). Andrew J. Perrin - SOCI 101 US Culture and Society Since 9/11 September 12, 2017 18 / 1
Social Capital: Operationalization Song L. Social Networks 34:12 (2012) I am going to ask some general questions about jobs some people you know may now have. These people include your relatives, friends, and acquaintances (acquaintances are people who know each other by face and name). If there are several people you know who have that kind of job, please tell me the one that occurs to you first. Andrew J. Perrin - SOCI 101 US Culture and Society Since 9/11 September 12, 2017 19 / 1
Social Capital: Ego Networks Andrew J. Perrin - SOCI 101 US Culture and Society Since 9/11 September 12, 2017 20 / 1
Social Capital: Effect of Child-Rearing Song L. Social Networks 34:12 (2012) Effect of children on social capital Men and Married Women: + Unmarried Women: − Andrew J. Perrin - SOCI 101 US Culture and Society Since 9/11 September 12, 2017 21 / 1
Social Capital: Why the Differences? https://www.pollev.com/andrewperrin Andrew J. Perrin - SOCI 101 US Culture and Society Since 9/11 September 12, 2017 22 / 1
Bowling Alone Social capital “would be eased by a palpable national crisis, like war or depression or natural disaster, but for better and for worse, America at the dawn of the new century faces no such galvanizing crisis.” Andrew J. Perrin - SOCI 101 US Culture and Society Since 9/11 September 12, 2017 23 / 1
Experiencing 9/11 Twitter and Facebook didn’t exist Internet news was web-based At UNC, people gathered in the Union to watch CNN Nationally, nearly everyone had heard within a few hours Unsettled times ⇒ cultural growth Andrew J. Perrin - SOCI 101 US Culture and Society Since 9/11 September 12, 2017 24 / 1
Trust in Government https://www.pollev.com/andrewperrin Andrew J. Perrin - SOCI 101 US Culture and Society Since 9/11 September 12, 2017 25 / 1
Trust in Government, 1973–2013 Andrew J. Perrin - SOCI 101 US Culture and Society Since 9/11 September 12, 2017 26 / 1
9/11 and Trust in Government Perrin and Smolek, SSR 38:1 (2009) Andrew J. Perrin - SOCI 101 NLSAH (AddHealth) Wave III, 2001 US Culture and Society Since 9/11 September 12, 2017 27 / 1
Increased vs Decreased Trust Perrin and Smolek, SSR 38:1 (2009) Rally Anti-rally Ratio All 44.83 25.61 1.75 White male 51.14 21.04 2.43 Black male 33.77 25.31 1.33 White female 51.01 26.13 1.95 Black female 38.80 24.26 1.6 Andrew J. Perrin - SOCI 101 US Culture and Society Since 9/11 September 12, 2017 28 / 1
Changes Since 9/11 https://www.pollev.com/andrewperrin Andrew J. Perrin - SOCI 101 US Culture and Society Since 9/11 September 12, 2017 29 / 1
Public Discourse After 9/11 Perrin, Political Psychology 26:2 (2005) Culture produces discourse Where do people talk about matters of concern? Letters to the editor (544 pre-9/11, 556 post-9/11, 17 newspapers) Authoritarian and Anti-Authoritarian Messages Andrew J. Perrin - SOCI 101 US Culture and Society Since 9/11 September 12, 2017 30 / 1
Public Discourse After 9/11 Watching the carnage in New York, I cant in my mind understand how a group of people can have such rage against the United States, let alone the people. It brings to mind another time in the 1940s when another land sneaked up on our back and caused great harm and damage. Then we were brought out of our isolation into the 20th century. This act of barbarism has no place in a civilized world. This act has stolen the innocents [sic] from this country, and its people will never again be what we were on Sept. 10. Now we will have to live in a much more brutal world with people that have no regard for life. We will also need to place a great deal of faith in God, for He will see us through. Chattanooga Times/Free Press, 9/23/01 Andrew J. Perrin - SOCI 101 US Culture and Society Since 9/11 September 12, 2017 31 / 1
Public Discourse After 9/11 Authoritarian Pro-Auth Anti-Auth Salience F Scale .272* .645*** .370*** 1.006*** RWA .216*** .289*** .071* .359*** Andrew J. Perrin - SOCI 101 US Culture and Society Since 9/11 September 12, 2017 32 / 1
Public Discourse After 9/11 Pro-Authoritarianism Andrew J. Perrin - SOCI 101 US Culture and Society Since 9/11 September 12, 2017 33 / 1
Public Discourse After 9/11 Anti-Authoritarianism Andrew J. Perrin - SOCI 101 US Culture and Society Since 9/11 September 12, 2017 34 / 1
Public Discourse After 9/11 Authoritarian Sum Andrew J. Perrin - SOCI 101 US Culture and Society Since 9/11 September 12, 2017 35 / 1
Public Discourse After 9/11 Authoritarian Valence Andrew J. Perrin - SOCI 101 US Culture and Society Since 9/11 September 12, 2017 36 / 1
Public Discourse After 9/11 Why this effect? Andrew J. Perrin - SOCI 101 US Culture and Society Since 9/11 September 12, 2017 37 / 1
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