Society in This

In a documentary on past Prime Ministers broadcast on BBC Radio 4 during the first year of his Prime Ministership David Cameron quoted William Gladstone, the Victorian Prime Minister "It is the duty of government to make it difficult to do wrong, easy to do right." Mr Cameron believed that that was a useful maxim under which to govern. During half term the government was rocked by the media reaction to the actions of advisor Dominic Cummings and his journey to Durham and his movements once there which seemed to contradict the 'instruction' sent to every household regarding the lock down. Mr Cummings defended himself by finding a clause in the instructions about protecting children (actually about domestic abuse) and saying it was what any parent would have done. The week that followed saw exceptionally good weather and lots of people heading to the beaches and various other tourist spots around Britain.  The Prime Minister then announced  an easing of the lockdown, up to six people could meet outside. The British public could enjoy barbeques again. Immediately, it seemed a taxi pulled up outside my house and two lads got out, then a drug dealer turned up and my neighbour's lad and the aforementioned lads got stoned in a shed. On social media people shared their stories of beauty spots being visited by 'boy racers' and huge amounts of litter being left behind. Indeed on my morning walks I've seen smashed bottles, huge dumps of laughing gas and balloons lying in heaps. It does seem that the lockdown is over. For some people.

How does sociology explain this? As it happens Gladstone may have been onto something. Post modernist Baudrillard talked about people making an understanding of information by using simulcra. Basically signs that they understand. They make up their own interpretations of the mass of information that post modern media saturated society delivers. It could then be argued that people took Mr Cummings' actions as a sign that they could then break some of the lock down rules. This has been happening since the lock down started but an important figure such as the Prime Minister's chief advisor could be a spur to further relax the rules. My neighbours have been slavishly obeying the rules until now. Perhaps Mr Cummings acts as a simulcra? He is the sign that we can relax or interpret the rules in our own way.  Therefore the government has made it easy to 'do wrong'.

There are other explanations. Society is a complex beast, made of many different types of individuals, cultures and generations. In the sociology of media there is an old term called the 'two step flow' model. This means that we all receive the same messages but look to others to help us understand them. This can be office workers meeting around a kettle or water cooler discussing a drama they have watched or Love island (remember that). One social actor may seem more clued up than the others and they will accept their interpretation of the show they've all watched. This person would be the opinion leader. The opinion leader could be a parent, a religious leader, a dominant figure in a peer group. Their interpretation of lockdown rules and what they have read on mainstream media or social media could then influence other people. In a varied society such as ours this means that lots of messages and interpretations go out into various social groups and they are not the same. So people behave differently. What is interesting is that areas such as Settle (one friend of mine is particularly angry about the litter and the dangerous driving which occurred last weekend) are often visited by 'outsiders' but do not have as much destruction nor as bad behaviour on the scale witnessed recently. Maybe because the vast majority of people who would normally visit some sights are still rigidly following the lockdown rules. Whereas people who would normally not visit such sites are. They maybe flouting the rules because they feel cooped up in their homes. It is easier to obey the rules if you have a spacious living area. So, if you are not a frequent visitor to such areas you may not be aware of the norms and values of visiting.  Behaviour is learned according to sociology.

Functionalist sociologists argue that we need shared value consensus, people need to learn the same norms and values for society to exist. It could then be argued that a high profile government figure breaking these norms and values can lead to a societal malfunction. There is a danger that if people start creating their own norms and values then society may have serious issues.

Marxist sociologists would see the government's easing of the restrictions of lockdown as being purely economical. Capitalism is in crisis. There is a danger of a recession or even a depression. Schools must open to allow workers back to work free of childcare whislt private schools such as Eton stay closed. Marxists would see Mr Cummings as part of the elite who make rules but do not abide by them.

However there are socially scientific reasons to lift some of the restrictions. Functionalists such as Parsons would argue that schools are valuable socialisation agents, they can help children feel less isolated, they need social interaction with others. This leads to sociologists who believe that social interaction is incredibly important. People need people to understand the world around them. Perhaps it could be argued that with more social interaction (or more people around) then people may have more respect for others, the environment and perhaps drive more carefully. Rules are easier to enforce if there are people who openly obey them and when in masses people tend to as a survival instinct.

However there is still the worry about the virus. The government information is that the virus infections are declining, so if we are alert and sensible in our interactions then we are fairly safe. However the simulcra comes into play again. Even SAGE has different factions saying different things. Science has closed and open wings, conflicting views.  Qualitative data can be interpreted in various ways. Opinion leaders can influence people's views.  Mr Cummings's actions may, to some, seem the reasonable actions of a parent (in an affluent lifestyle they may well be reasonable) but they are not helpful to a government trying to make it easy for an incredibly diverse society to do right.