Tony Soprano and reflexive socialisation in late modernity

Posted By Mark Carrigan

Watching the Sopranos, I was struck by what a good example this was of what Margaret Archer argues are the consequences of the intensification of social change for intergenerational socialisation: the decreasing likelihood that children will encounter occupational roles familiar to their parents will tend to increase the degree of reflexivity with which the parents orientate themselves to the lives of their children. If they don't feel they understand the occupation world their children are entering tha[e]n what might have otherwise be a transmission of normative guidance is more likely to become a generalised expression of support as they make their own choices.

It seems that Margaret Archer's reflexivity builds upon dubious conception of self-other relationship.

To orientate one to particular others' lives does not seem to be increase of reflexivity, in my view. It rather appear to be one's self-serving assumption that one can appropriately sufficiently imagine such particular others' lives. In other words, if reflexivity refers to one's capacity to imagine certain others' lives setting aside one's own, it should orientate one towards one's own, rather than such others', experiences. While it may sound quite the contrary, it is actually not. Just remember: Can any of us assert that s/he even sufficiently appropriately manages to imagine any other's lives? The answer is definitely 'No'. Then, so assuming is quite the opposite to the increase of reflexivity thus decrease of it. The increase of reflexivity should lead one to be reflexive to the degree that one comes to know of the impossibility to imagine even sufficiently appropriately lives of as intimate others as one's children.

Then, the argument of Archer and/or the episode from the Sopranos that the author refers to rather explicate the consequences of the intensification of social change as exacerbation of the conventional (modernist/positivist) assumption that we can understand anything objectively, regardless of material artifacts or human beings. Because modernists assume that they can orientate themselves to particular others' lives without regard to the intricacy inherent in assuming others' whereabouts, they tend to believe that they are sufficiently reflexive only if they refrain from prescribing certain normative guidance, which they believe builds upon their own experiences, and instead, give such others 'if-I-were-you' statements. The flaw of modernist/positivist conception about self-other relationship resides in these shallow assumptions that one can, even if only imaginatively, take others' roles/positions; ideas/opinions established by putting one in others' shoes can exempt one from prescription of self-serving and/or anecdotal normative guidance; and 'if-I-were-you' statements, typically if they are supportive of particular others, can demonstrate one's compassion towards such others as a means to exempt one from bearing responsibility for such others' whereabouts and future basing such exemption on their admittance of utter differences between one's own and such others' experiences.

This appears trivial and too critical, but is actually significant for construction and management of social reality. First, mere admittance of differences in experiences between different actors never exempts anyone from bearing responsibility for her/his own sense of moral/evaluative appropriateness. That each actor has uniquely her/his own experiences is a presumption. Second, even if each of us is an independent individual, none of us is capable of going about everyday life without entrusting others to speak for one's being. Hence, rendering others support in tangible forms can never exhaust further possible support. On the contrary, believing that tangible support is an exclusive means to render support to others is irresponsible or unethical in the sense that such a belief is actually meant exclusively for concluding contracts that falsely draw boundaries of moral responsibilities, often by the more powerful's taking advantage of power imbalances. Third, unless conceptualizing self and others to be never conclusively separable, actors are fated to continue to be unaware that the only means to be ethical is to read others' moral sentiments, which can rarely be observed directly; thus, they continue to be complacent about their own assumptions about reality without regard to negative effects of their actions and/or words on the more vulnerable /less powerful. Regardless of being self-serving or empathetic, taking actions, including expressing words/voices, are felicitous events. Besides, no observable action can be made without excluding other possible reality. In other words, it is both theoretically and practically impossible for anybody to be exempted from bearing moral responsibility for such inevitable negative impacts on others. The only means to compensate for this inescapable moral dilemma is to act in ways that enhance others' taking actions.

Such is, however, not possible merely by offering guidance or supportive comments. Rather, actors ought to attempt to encourage others to tell their own stories in their own ways. To do so, first and foremost, one needs to contemplate one's own moral sentiments; then, proceed to proposing ways of mimicking one's ways by which to come about one's moral sentiments. By so doing, others are expected to imagine their own moral sentiments by reference to actions/words presented to them. We need to renew our understandings about mundane interactions with other actors in ways that put what is not observable on the center of interactions. Ideally, we communicate with each other's moral sentiments by means of plot, which consists of five constitutive elements: acts, actors, scenes, purposes and agencies, and which operates along the triadic logic of imagination, apprehension and consensual validation.

Like this:

Coping with AccelerationFebruary 21, 2015In "Higher Education"
Social Theory and Intellectual TranslationMay 19, 2014In "Outflanking Platitudes"
Time and ReflexivityNovember 30, 2014In "Outflanking Platitudes"

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Não Progressista Inevitavelmente

Sunday, June 7, 2015