Social Groups

Social groups have existed throughout time. We know that small social groups have existed in the form of families throughout the history of human kind. Adam and Eve are said to have been the first social group. Social groups are defined as having two or more people interact and identify with one another. Some social groups include but are not limited to; the handicap, the homeless, the poor, the wealthy, the powerful, different religious groups, different races and even sexual orientation. There are several reasons why people join social groups. Most people join social groups because there are many benefits for belonging to a group. People like to feel connected and feel that they can relate to others. People tend to belong to groups and in these groups the dominant personality tends to decide what is right and wrong and what the groups shared beliefs are. We are all free to decide who or what we like or agree with, but we also feel the need to belong to groups and as such, sometimes give up some of what we believe or feel in order to belong to the group. Attitudes towards social groups tend to be fostered through experiences and beliefs passed down from parents and peers.

As such extremes develop between groups, one set of people may feel fine towards one social group yet despise another one. The world of today has changed in many ways towards individual social groups, and we find ourselves reading in the newspaper and listening and seeing on television, all the different attitudes towards social groups. Society as a whole must bear the full responsibility for all the different attitudes. We do not work together as a community but rather as individuals. We are only concerned about what is good for ourselves. No society is perfect nor any person or institute, but for us to succeed, we must all work together for the better of mankind.

There are many attitudes towards social groups and they come in many ways. The question we ask ourselves is “What causes this?”, and “What can we do to erase these attitudes?” We still find, even today, bad attitudes towards African Americans. Granted, we have come a long way, but there are still many people who are a long way from changing their attitudes towards them.

“On March 3, 1991, Rodney King was the driver of a car in Los Angeles, California. The driver didn't stop when signaled by a police car behind him, but increased his speed. When police finally stopped the car, they delivered 56 baton blows and six kicks to King, in a period of two minutes, producing 11 skull fractures, brain damage, and kidney damage. Unaware that the incident had been videotaped, the police officers filed inaccurate reports, not mentioning the fact that Rodney King was left with head wounds. On March 15, 1991, four police officers were arraigned on charges of assault with a deadly weapon and use of excessive force” (Mike Lepore).

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