The Sociological Perspective - Essay Example

Accordingly, the role imagination plays from the sociological perspective is that it must be employed as a tool to comprehend the experiences of others and, consequently, their social understanding of the world. Of course, social imagination is an imperfect tool. I come from a lower-middle-class background but was raised in an upper-middle-class neighborhood. As such, it was always difficult for me to fully comprehend the nature of the drug culture and the situation of those living in the underclass of American society.

My closest exposure to this social perspective was simply coming into contact with heroin and cocaine addicts and dealers while walking down the street. From this point of view, it was difficult to understand how confined and oppressive their situation was; the exclamation of many work-a-day citizens toward such people – “get a job!” – almost made sense to me. However, this was until I came into contact with David Simon’s book, The Corner, in which he immersed himself in the drug culture of Baltimore.

Simon brings this experience right to the audience and with profound effect. Because of my experience with this book, I believe I have developed a vastly more accurate social imagination regarding those caught-up not just in drug addiction but also in the culture surrounding its sale. Naturally, where it not for Simon’s experiences and his communicative ability, this social perspective would still be completely foreign to me; and my imagination would not be nearly as complete.