The American Red Cross A Socio-cultural Perspective essays

The American Red Cross A Socio-cultural Perspective essays Human societies of different nations and culture contain people (also social members and actors) that constantly interact with social institutions and organizations, primarily because these institutions achieve a common goal that is desirable and agreeable to an individual or group. The American Red Cross is an example of such organization, which is a humanitarian organization centering on volunteerism, and provides "relief of victims of disasters and help people prevent, prepare for, and respond to emergencies." This non-profit and independent organization offers humanitarian services such as blood donations, financial/monetary donation and funding, tissue donation, volunteerism, planned giving, and donation of As an independent humanitarian organization, the American Red Cross elicited help not only from concerned individuals in the society, but the help of other institutions and organizations as well. The American Red Cross is constantly in touch with the government and other non-profit organizations. Because it seeks to help individuals and groups in times of emergency, the ARC is considered one of the bastions of goodwill in However, despite the functional role that ARC plays in American society, some people and organization do not share the same cultural view that ARC and its supporters cultivatesthat is, the tradition of altruism, defined as the "devotion to the welfare of others" (Microsoft Encarta 2002). Coined by Auguste Comte, this term illustrates conduct that seeks goodness for the welfare of others, an act that is considered as moral. Using sociological theories of culture, three theories/perspectives discuss how people are prevented from sharing the ARC culture of altruism: hegemony, critical theory, and social distinction. Hegemony is a concept formulated by Antonio Gramsci, which represents ...