Page 212 - Sociology and You

182 Unit 2 Culture and Social Structures
A group of demonstrators, their hands painted in white to symbolize their opposition to violence, march through downtown Genoa, Italy, to protest against the 2001 Group of Eight summit. What was one possible societal benefit of this demonstration?
Student Web Activity
Visit the Sociology and
You Web site at soc.glencoe.com and click on Chapter 6—Student Web Activities for an activity on conflict resolution.
disruptive form of interaction. A cooperative, peaceful society is assumed to be better than one in conflict. Conflict can be socially beneficial, however.
According to sociologist Georg Simmel (1858–1918), one of the major benefits of conflict is the promotion of cooperation and unity within oppos- ing groups. The Revolutionary War drew many American colonists together, even though it brought them into conflict with the British. Similarly, a labor union often becomes more united during the process of collective bargain- ing. A neighborhood bully can unite (at least temporarily) even the most ar- gumentative of brothers.
Another positive effect of conflict is the attention it draws to social in- equities. Norms and values are reexamined when crises and conflicts erupt. Civil rights activists in the early 1960s, for instance, jarred the American Congress into passing laws that ensure basic rights and freedoms to all people.
Conflict may also be beneficial when it changes norms, beliefs, and val- ues. Student protests in the late 1960s and early ’70s (many of which were violent) resulted in changes to previously accepted norms and behaviors within universities. University administrations became more sensitive to di- verse student needs, and more emphasis was placed on teaching.