Question

make a responce on the following paragragh (explian):

A master status is "a status that has special importance for social identity, often shaping a person's entire life" (Macionis 157). This type of status can come in the form of occupation, ethnicity, education, family reputation, gender, and in some cases, health status. In a sense, I think I do have a little bit of personal experience with this. When I was 7, I was diagnosed with cancer and underwent chemotherapy for 2 years in order to enter into remission. There is no doubt that this changed the course of my life and, for that period, very much defined who I was in the eyes of my peers, teachers, and family members. Even though I no longer see this is a large part of my identity, I think there are still some relevant points to be drawn from it. In regards to the synopsis on page 156 on how physical disability can act as a master status, I think it is very true that people feel the need to adapt their behavior around people who are sick or disabled. In recent generations, there seems to have been a push for us to try to look beyond those obstacles that keep those individuals from being "normal" but frankly it would be strange if we did not try to adjust our behavior around those people in an attempt to let them take part in daily life with us. Given that some master statuses drastically affect the way that we interact with the world and see/present ourselves, is it really fair to expect that that will not be reflected back to us in the way that others treat us? Part of connecting with those individuals on a personal level is recognizing the limitations placed on them by their conditions and acting accordingly instead of trying to pretend that they aren't there. For some, there is certainly a level of ostracization that they experience because some may not know how to respond to their condition, so they avoid the situation all together. Perhaps a more positive example of treating someone differently is that my friends, instead of asking me to go outside and play (which I often could not do with a weakened immune system) would ask to watch movies or have game nights instead. In this sense, done tactfully, I am not sure that treating someone differently is such a bad thing.

Answer 1

I agree that one’s master status impacts not only an individual’s self-concept but also how they are perceived by others. Individuals who posses traits and characteristics that are distinct from what is otherwise observed regularly tend to be defined based on those features. Since a healthy individual is considered to be “normal”, the physical environment of our society is structured more or less in line with their needs. I would imagine that given the distinct identity status of sick or disabled individuals along with the awareness of the shortage of amenities for their needs would lead individuals to behave differentially. With the right intent, however, I feel that it cannot be called a bag thing. As described in the author’s passage above, it may actually be an empathetic and considerate act.