Last week in Sociology I learned about a sociological theory called "The Functionalist Perspective". The theory basically states that each aspect of society is interdependent and contributes to society's functioning as a whole. In other words, each person plays some role in society. The first thing that came to my mind were doctors. For obvious reasons doctors are needed in society, and they play a crucial role in keeping people healthy. The next thing that came to my mind were police officers. They keep people safe, and they enforce the law. Within a few minutes I was able to rattle off more jobs and the specific role they play in society. Then the shrill of the bell shook me out of my thoughts and I was off to my next class.
Two hours later I walked into Humanities and found my seat nestled in the corner beneath the art posters that lined the walls. I still could not shake the idea of everyone playing a specific role in society. As we began our discussion in class I thought to myself "are artists really necessary in society?" It's not like they are curing diseases like scientists, or educating people like teachers, do they really have an important role in society? I know artists are important, but I wasn't sure exactly why, and what they really did for the greater good of the society.
Then it hit me; what would the classroom look like with nothing on the walls? What would our lives be like without music, literature, film, poetry or any other form of art? Personally I don't think I would be able to handle it. I remember on the first day hearing Mr. Allen say "Life is about seeing as much beauty as possible on this earth", and that would be extremely difficult if our society didn't have artists.
I guess what I'm getting at is while doctors, scientists, teachers (etc...), are necessary in society, artists are unique in that they are not only necessary, but they have the ability to create beauty and share it with the world.
I like this post a lot Vanessa! I like how you defined artists role in the world and incorporated "The Functionalist Perspective" into humanities class. I completely agree with you that without artists the world would be a very sad and boring place. Being an artist isn't the most well-paying career in the world, but i believe it could be the most important jobs out there. This post made me begin to think about the importance of art in my life, and appreciate it more.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your post. I agree that when you name the most importants roles needed in society, artists are not the the first thing that comes up to mind. If I was given the same question, I would have said the same things you thought. I liked how you mentioned that without artists, the walls would be empty and there will be no beauty in the world. Your post changed my mind about artists' roles in society and that their roles are as important.
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