habitus

docx

School

University of Missouri, Columbia *

*We aren’t endorsed by this school

Course

1000

Subject

Philosophy

Date

Oct 30, 2023

Type

docx

Pages

Uploaded by MasterMorning11681

In this sketch you see what is supposed to be Obama having a meet and greet. Throughout the various people he meets, his demeanor changes drastically depending on the person he is greeting. The people with the same racial background as him get hugged and embraced in a happy manner while the other white people just get a professional quick handshake. Habitus revolves around the idea of social class. Our dispositions and practical sense are all common to members of the same social class as a result of socialization. Because of this, social hierarchy is reproduced and it difficult to change out your class. One way social order is maintained is through one’s preferences and tastes. It has been seen that people from the same social class tend to have similar tastes. According to Craig Martin in A Critical Introduction to the Study of Religion , “people tend to make a virtue out of a necessity”. This means that when people are forced into certain circumstances, they justify what they are choosing by making it into something they actually want. With this thought process, people are continuously reinforcing their preferences because that is what they can get so it starts to become what they are accustomed to and prefer. So, there is no ‘normal’ because everyone has a different meaning of what is normal to them. For example, a middle-class family may claim they prefer a smaller house because it is all they need while a wealthy upper-class family may claim they prefer a larger house. This separates the two and creates the difference between the two families that makes it hard for the other to ever feel like they could become the other. Furthermore, Craig Martin states “everything to do with internalization of expectations for members of their class.” This further reiterates the idea that because of one’s background they may have different ideas of what is expected of them, and they agree with those ideas and continue to follow them because that is how they were raised. The sketch shows a clear example of how habitus functions in society. Obama’s manner is seen to significantly change within people of the same habitus as him versus his reserved manner around people who clearly were of a different habitus. This happens because the white people are obviously different than him and he reacts to them how he believes is the normal way. When he is met with people of his race, he knows that they all generally share similar background, taste, beliefs, etc. He knows how to appropriately interact with them because he is a part of their habitus. Also, the people he is meeting are not other presidents or people of high authority so he may feel like he can be more relaxed around them because he knows they are also going to be more relaxed. Additionally, with the black mother and children he is seen to be gentler and softer. We can infer this is because within his habitus he knows that is how he would typically greet them and how he was raised to approach them. In conclusion, we can see that even though ‘Obama’ is president and now probably around more white people he still has the same habitus and reacts a certain way towards people of the same habitus.

Discover more documents: Sign up today!

Unlock a world of knowledge! Explore tailored content for a richer learning experience. Here's what you'll get: