Social Contradictions and

Tensions
Social, cultural, and political
change are often positively seen as
a mark of human progress.
However, societal changes do not
always start and ascend smoothly
and peacefully.
Revolutions are sometimes waged
to create a just society. There are
also instances that changes in the
social political landscape will
discuss some forms of social
contradictions and tensions that
are related to armed conflict,
terrorism, protest, and gender
inequality.
Inter-ethnic Conflicts
The cultural features of a specific group of people is called ethnicity.
From a sociological viewpoint, an ethnic group is people who share
cultural heritage, and regarded as socially distinct.
Therefore, ethnic differences are culturally learned and not inherited as
opposed to race. No ethnic group has any inborn cultural traits.
For instance, the native Japanese in Japan and Americas of Japanese
ancestry share the same genetic ancestry or race, yet they display many
different cultural norms and values, which qualify them as ethnic
groups
Inter-ethnic Conflicts
In the modern world, societies operate like a mosaic of heterogeneous
groups. The groups whose physical appearance or cultural practices are
unlike those of the dominant group are called minorities.
Often minorities are subjected to different forms of unequal treatment
by the dominant group. The dominant group may deny the minority
equal access to wealth, power, and prestige that its own members
enjoy.
If this happens, social stratification along racial or ethnic lines may
result.
Inter-ethnic Conflicts
Social inequalities often result to tensions and even conflicts, which can
appear in the form of ethnocentrism, the tendency to judge other
cultures by the standards of ones own or antagonism between the
dominant group and the minority.
Class Struggle
Tensions and contradictions
significantly operate in a class
system, which is an open form
of stratification based primarily
on economic statuses, which
can be subject to change. The
individual status often depends
on the occupation and income
of the breadwinner. (Robertson,
1987: 255)
Class membership, then, is an achieved status, one that depends to
some extent on characteristics over which the individual has some
control.
In agricultural societies there are often two existing classes, the wealthy
class of land owners, and the poor class of peasants. In industrialized
societies, on the other hand, there are often three classes, the small and
wealthy upper-class; the large middle-class composed of professionals
and white-collar workers; and the large working class of less skilled blue-
collar workers.
In both social ecosystems, class struggles centers on the access and
control of resources. According to Karl Marx, stratification and conflicts
exist because some groups become rich and powerful, and the preserve
and enhance their own interest at the expense (and exploitation) of
other classes.
In the Philippines, class struggle is still waged by poor and displaced
farmers urging the government to implement a comprehensive land
reform program. Similarly, the increasing gap between the haves and
have nots is attributed to the continuing class struggle between the rich
in the upper stratum of Philippine society and the poor who are living
along the margins.
Armed Conflicts
Friction and tensions among conflicting individuals in groups in society
frequently result to hostilities like armed conflicts. The formation of
armed groups is attributed to failure of two opposing parties to settle
disputes amicably; thus, causing tensions to further escalate.

Armed conflicts happens in many parts of the world because of

attempts to settle through violence disputes over political power,
territorial and ethnic issues, and societal stresses such as injustice and
poverty. According to Holdstock & Jarquin.
Conflicts
Conflicts are caused by ethnicity or religion; political, economic and social
inequalities; poverty, economic stagnation, poor government services, high
unemployment, environmental degradation (ex. Water scarcity, land
disputes), and individual (economic) incentives to fight.

According to the late senator Jose w. Diokno, armed conflict in the

Philippines is caused by the following factors: poverty and inequality and
privilege, power, and wealth; issues of sovereignty as a country is still
dependent of the aid from the US on security; regional division due to
different ethnic group and languages in the country as well as lack of
opportunities for the poor (Ocampo, 2014).
Terrorism
Attention or movement that resorts to the use of violence against
civilians targets for the purpose of intimidation to achieve political or
ideological ends is called terrorism (According to Robertson, 1987:558)
Jonathan Matsusitz states that people create acts of terrorism due to
the following causes:
• Religious fanaticism
• Oppression (especially by the government)
• Violations of international law such has genocide and unlawful dispossession
of local inhabitants
• Poverty
• Hatred towards the global economic hegemony
• Financial gain (earning money from ransom)
• Racism
• Mortality salience or martyrdom
• Narcisism
• Sensation seeking
• Failure of conventional channels of expressions and communication
Protest
The simplest form of expressing disgust, contradiction and tension through a collective
manner.
Smelser (1962) argued that collective behavior will occur only if six conditions are met:
• Structural conduciveness
• Structural strains
• Generalized beliefs
• Precipitating factors
• Mobilization for actions
• Failure of social control
Thus, there are two vital elements in staging a protest: public opinion and propaganda.
Public Opinion
Is the sum of the decisions of the members of the public on a particular
issue since people may constantly change their views, opinion in many
issues is often flexible. Therefore, an assessment of public opinion is
only valid for the time and place in which it was made.
Propaganda
Are information and viewpoints that are presented with the deliberate
intention of persuading the audience to adopt a particular opinion. But
it may be true or false, but its objective is always the same; to influence
the public opinion towards a specific conclusion (Roberston, 1987;550).
A protest can be expressed and written, verbal or non-verbally. A
protest may range from the peaceful street protest of a group to a
more contagion crowd behavior, such as loss of individuality resulting
from infectious spread of emotions, mob attack, panics, and mass
hysteria.
Mob
An emotional aroused crowd intent on violence or destructive action.
Although mobs often have leaders and impose strong conformity on
their members, they have limited objectives and carry a particular
unstable form of collective behavior.
Panic
A form of collective behavior that occurs when people are faced with
an immediate threat and reacts in a fearful, spontaneous, and
uncoordinated way.
Mass Hysteria
A form of collective behavior involving widespread anxiety, caused by
some unfounded belief.
In the Philippines, reports of panic and mas hysteria were attributed to
the supposed apparition of the Virgin Mary, threats of tsunamis and
storm surges, and news regarding the end of the world.
Gender Inequality
Often the primary causes of tensions and conflicts. Gender is defined as
the culturally learned differences between men and women as opposed
to sex which is the biological distinction.