NAME : JUHI PHAGIWALA

ROLL NO. : 21011900

CLASS: BCOM LLB SEC-A

Section I

1)
In social science, social structure is the patterned social arrangements in a society where
individuals interact with each other and live together. Society is categorised into different groups
based on different functions, beliefs, purpose, thinking and feelings. Some examples of social
structure are races, class, caste, law, family, economy, religion and educational institutions. It is
considered the foundation of society. “The term social structure refers to regularities in social
life, its application is inconsistent.”1
According to Karl Marx, the basic structure of society is economic, or material and this structure
influences the rest of social life, which is defined as nonmaterial, spiritual, or ideological. Social
structure is made up of social institutions and patterns of institutionalized relationships. It is the
social network and interaction that is part of our daily lives.
Structure realities have been persisting in society for a long, and even today it growing wider and
wider, especially in extremely diverse places like India. As we saw in the documentary ‘India
Untouched’ in India, the cast is one of the major structural realities that exist. It doesn’t exist in
any one particular religion but almost all religions such as Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism,
Christianity etc. Also, it is not that it exists in a certain region or part of India but unfortunately,
even after so many years of independence, it exists in nearly every corner of India. So many
beliefs and practices have been going on for generations and are still prevalent in today’s
contemporary society. Untouchability, not letting lower cast people enter certain places or use
public services and considering them as their slaves are some of the practices that still prevails in
India, and that too in villages as well as metro cities.2

2)
Egalitarianism is the school of thought within political philosophy that builds from the concept
of social equality prioritising it for all people. its principles are generally characterised by the
idea that all humans are equal in fundamental birth or moral status it is based on the concept all
the citizens of the state should be accorded exactly equal rights. Karl Marx used egalitarianism
as a starting point in the creation of Marxist philosophy3.

1
https://www.britannica.com/topic/social-structure

2
India Untouched https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvke6ycgkL4

3
Will Kenton, Egalitarianism, (October 09, 2021) https://www.investopedia.com/terms/e/egalitarianism.asp
Principles of Egalitarianism are4:
Basic Needs: every person has the right to the satisfaction of his or her basic needs. It proposes a
society in which everyone has not just a bearable but a satisfying and fulfilling life it strongly
opposes a society in which some live in luxury and others are deprived of basic needs.
Equal Respect: Egalitarianism strives for the development of society in which everyone has
equal social status and oppose any form of social or economic hierarchy which creates
inequality.
Economic Inequality: Egalitarian societies oppose huge differences of income within the country
and between various countries. It seeks equality involving democratic control of the economy
and of the workplace ensuring safe, dignified, useful and engaging work assignments.
Political Inequality: It does not merely mean the right to vote or stand for office. Egalitarians
defend civil rights like free speech and free assembly, and they also demand for institutions that
give formal freedom real bite and ensure equal power to members through the extension of
democratic participation in every field.
Sexual, Racial, Ethnic and Religious Equality: Egalitarians oppose the discriminative treatment
of people based on their sex or sexual preferences colour culture or religion they reject sexism
racism and intolerance which leads to systematic differences of power wealth and status any kind
of discrimination is opposed by them.

Section II

2)
All of us are part of some or other kind of social relation or institution and everybody gets a
direct experience of social standards and values. However, these experiences are often
understood by people from a commonsensical approach.
Common sense is an indispensable social institution as it creates the base or foundation of social
structure. It pre-establishes certain judgments and opinions of people that the society is valued
lesser. We can understand common sense by seeing the world with a different perspective such
from a viewpoint of people or groups from a different part of the world than ours. Therefore, one
can examine a type of common sense by consciously placing oneself within another kind.
People usually believe that common sense is a concept that is pretty easy and obvious. But in
contrast, it is a very intense phenomenon. In the ordinary world, we consider it as knowledge or
skill which one obtains naturally by themselves or without being taught by anyone. This may be
true in the physical world, but there are no untaught skills in the social world, where society
teaches us everything we know, except that, sometimes it also erases the signs of its teaching.
No one can that to live in society means to live in common sense.
Laying out of sociology as a critique of common sense we may begin to think of common sense
as something fallacious. It is just that it expresses our unexamined and often unconscious
beliefs. What is questionable here is not the content of views and faiths, but how they are arrived
at because they are generally a result of unconscious opinions and assumptions. Common sense
4
John Baker, Arguing for Equality, 4, (3rd edition 1996)
is not the same in all times and places or for all people. Every epoch, social group or specific
context produces its own sense of what is right or wrong.
The goal of critique is to transform ‘pre-judice’ to ‘post-judice’.5

SOCIOLOGY COMMON SENSE

The outlook of are built on diligent research
and analysis, and can be verified. The
research can be either wide ranging
quantitative research or thorough qualitative
research.
It is based on evidence and can be proved as it
is an outcome of product theory and
development.
It objects and challenges status quo and
demands social changes
It diligently opposes stereotypical and
conservative thinking.
Sociological knowledge and understanding
has more credibility, integrity and reliability.
Sociological views are based on analytical
and measurable data which are highly viable
and qualitative are highly credible
The outlook of common sense is based on
immediate and narrow experiences of an
individuals and falsify the reality
It doesn’t have evidence as it is based on
assumption and stereotype.
It exhibits and influence our tradition, culture,
customs and conventions. It strengthens our
esteem and therefore repel social change
common sense also perceive to be ethnically
and culturally specific and are frequently
based on conservative and standardized
thinking. (Women are restricted from going to
school, also have no access to education.)
Common sense sights lack of credibility and
integrity

Section III

2)
Most Bollywood movies are commercial and are of the rom-com genre but PINK was a movie
that was a social reform needed for our society. “Pink is a powerful statement on the existing
feudal mindset of a majority of India, where men and women are judged by a different
yardstick”6. It not only depicted women's rights and feminism but also many social stereotypes
and opinions that exist in our society. It emphasised the issues and obstacles faced by women in
today’s world. It depicted women empowerment and delivered the message that women can fight
for themselves. This movie questions the societies mindset were we think girls with short

5
Satish Dhande, ‘Squinting at Society’, Contemporary India, ch-1,
6
Meena Iyer, Pink Movie Rating, TIMES OF INDIA ( Jan 23, 2017)
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/movie-reviews/pink/movie-review/54325066.cms
hemlines and those enjoy drinks with men are low on morals7. Some scenes and dialogues caught
my eye.
During the court proceedings, Amitabh Bachchan observed and laid down certain rules that
stereotypical society expects females to follow.
Rule no.1: Girls should not go to the washroom or anywhere else alone along with boys.
Rule no.2: Girls should not talk to boys with smiling gestures.
Rule no.3: Time decides the character of the girl i.e. girls shouldn't roam around late at night.
Rule no.4: Girls should not drink with boys. Drinking for girls judges her character. If she can
drink with boys she can also sleep with them.
Some other rules that he mentioned were that the venue decides her personality, and girls of
reputed families don't go to parties.
Corruption is still a huge problem in India where Politicians bribe and threaten police officers to
get their work done. Just because the culprit was a nephew of a politician he got a lot of favours
from the police. Even the female police officer who should have understood women’s situation,
supported the culprits.
It represented that we may pretend to be modern but in today's contemporary world, it is still a
challenge for women to be independent.
As a law student, I got a hang of how court proceedings work. I also got to know that women and
minors can get bail even for non-bailable offences.
It explained that sexual harassment not only results in defamation of the girl and her family but
furthermore it leads to their mental breakdown. Some egregious statements were made by the
culprit, such as ‘Aisi ladkiyo ke saath aisa hi hona chahiye(This is what should happen to such
girls)’ and ‘ladkiyo ko apni jagah pata hona chahiye(Girls should know their place and where
they belong)’. Such statements and words make me question what sort of values and ethics their
parents and society inculcate in them. It makes me wonder that do we still live in a society where
such orthodox psychology prevails.
It has an extremely strong message of consent, a concept which seems to go over our heads. It
emphasised the power of NO. A no means a no. It is not just a word but a whole statement in
itself. And if someone says NO one must stop. It doesn’t matter whether it is said by a friend,
girlfriend, sex worker or one’s wife. And hereby, it raises an important issue of marital rape
which is not much talked about in our society.
The movie concludes that we should save our boys to save our girls.

7
id