SOCI 202 Chapter Notes - Chapter 3: Individualism, Family Values, Main Source
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Audience carrying capacity: claims-makers must convince the audience members that a social problem is important enough to take up time, worry, and maybe money that would otherwise be spent on personal concerns of daily life. Public arenas: social problems compete with other institutions in our everyday lives such as the government, mass media, and the courts. Each of these institutions also has a carrying capacity. Social problems compete with everything in a public arena. Competitions among social problems: at any given time, there could be countless social problems, but only a limited number can be subject to get attention. Social problems compete amongst themselves in order to make it in to lives before carrying capacity is reached. Competitions within social problems: claims-makers compete even though they might be concerned with the same condition but construct very different claims. Example: counter-movements or defining morality can differ around the same subject. Important to be aware and acknowledge all diversities in this world.