Yang Zhang

Professor Coleman
Sociology 1
14 June 2015
Project 1: Video/DVD Analysis
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfccrwUlROU
The video is called Jafar and its a short film. The video only takes few minutes, but the
message really comes powerful. In the video, a man was sat outside the doctors offices, and a
little girl with her parents was appeared and then sat next to him. However, the parents were
keeps changing seat and skip one seat to avoid sit next to the man. Because of his skin is darker,
the family members keep and gave him strange sort of look. Later on, the nurse asked both of
them come into doctors office. The family was sat in front of the doctor, but the man was
standing near the door. In the end, the parents finally realized that the man was their daughters
bone marrow donor.
In Auguste Comtes opinion, he thinks that society should be studied as a whole rather
than the parts. Theres no social fact should be introduced as isolated phenomenon into to
science. Comte developed the positivism to which being positive about knowing. His law of
three stages explains the social development and mental development. Theyre theological stage,
metaphysical stage, and positive stage. In theological stage, people accepted the belief that
everything is Gods will as the man accepted what the parents did to him switch seat to avoid
sit next to him. In metaphysical stage, peoples belief is being shape by the rationalism. The man
was smiling to the little girl after they sat down, but her mother was stopping their interaction.
Therefore, the mans face turned serious and gave up on show friendly toward them. In positive

stage, people are able to govern themselves and become rational. The man could felt the unequal
through the parents attitude and behavior toward him, but he didnt choose to leave. He still
decided to help the girl and willing to donate his bone marrow to her.
Karl Marx believed that the society as a competition which people compete for limited
resources, and Marx see the class conflict between bourgeoisie and proletariat. The rich and
powerful people use their power to keep more resources, such as gain benefit on education, law
and politics to help them achieve their position and values in society. The weak and poor people
cant get enough social resources, such as lack of education might led them cannot achieve some
specific job skill and kind of financial as well. Therefore, there is social conflict/inequality exists.
Because of the social inequality, conflict will occurs between social classes and then it might
require social change. As you see, in the video, the family was sat in front of the doctor, but the
man was standing far away from them. Marx would probably see the family as bourgeoisie
which occupy high status and the man as proletariat which force to occupy low status in society.
Emile Durkheims view focus on society is harmony and held together by shared
sentiments and specialization. He believed that social inequality is inevitable and each individual
plays a specific role for society to function. Durkheim might views the response of the family
toward the man is normal and necessary occurrence in society. Theyre not deviant because many
people stereotype the people of color in society. The reaction of society as an external force
influence individuals behavior. However, discrimination might lead to reaction from the society
and also social change later. These reactions held values led to boundaries for the society and
motivate society to develop. Durkheim focuses on social facts like norms and values that serve
different functions in society.

The conflict paradigm is the most represented in the video which explains the social
inequality. In the video, the man was like minorities in society, and they are more likely to be
treated differently by dominant individuals. These minorities are being treated different for no
reason than they are minorities. There is inequality among society. The dominant individuals
have such attitude of privilege, but they dont expect minorities to have such attitude of privilege.
They force maintaining a system of inequality in order to keep their position of power in society,
such as create laws that is benefiting them. Over time, this ideology of inequality will keep
passed through by family, just like the mother act differently toward the man in front of her
daughter. Therefore, the conflict between the dominant individuals and minorities will keep exist
in society.