Social and Person Responsibility.
How do you define social and
personal responsibility? Webster’s dictionary defines the word social as "of or relating
to human society, the interaction of the individual and the group, or the
welfare of human beings as members of society." They define personal as "belonging or relating to a particular person".
When each of these words is combined with the word responsibility it takes on a
completely different meaning. Social turns into social responsibility, which is
a person’s obligation to the community to act in a way that would benefit the
society as a whole. While personal becomes personal responsibility, which
although it can be defined many different ways based on the individual in general, it means an individual duty to ensure that the way that you are perceived by
society is in line with your personal moral code.
When looked at under a postmodern lens, the definitions of personal and social responsibility become slightly skewed from the definitions given above. According to the postmodern belief there should be no sense of personal responsibility. This is because there is no longer a sense of individualism. Individualism was a modern idea that focused on the individual and the moral worth of the character. Although this was a strong part of the modern ideology, postmodern philosophers in turn denied individualism. This is what eventually led to the downplay of interest in personal responsibility, because the characters in the novels have no sense of individuality; they have give up their desire to aspire to any level of personal responsibility.
Instead of having a strong personal responsibility, the characters in works of postmodern feel a sense of social responsibility. This is because the postmodern attitude leans toward promoting a sense of democracy. Where everyone must contribute in order for the society to progress as a whole. When individualism is lost so the society comes more to the forefront.
This shift from personal to social responsibility is one that is evident in both Invisible Man and Do The Right Thing. In Invisible Man the main character displays a postmodern viewpoint on responsibility throughout most of the novel, but there remains a sense of social responsibility in the back of the characters mind. This comes from the words of the Invisible Man grandfather, telling him “I want you to overcome 'em with yeses, undermine 'em with grins, agree 'em to death and destruction”. In other words he has to take control of his life and take a sense of personal responsibility for the way that his life plays out.
When looked at under a postmodern lens, the definitions of personal and social responsibility become slightly skewed from the definitions given above. According to the postmodern belief there should be no sense of personal responsibility. This is because there is no longer a sense of individualism. Individualism was a modern idea that focused on the individual and the moral worth of the character. Although this was a strong part of the modern ideology, postmodern philosophers in turn denied individualism. This is what eventually led to the downplay of interest in personal responsibility, because the characters in the novels have no sense of individuality; they have give up their desire to aspire to any level of personal responsibility.
Instead of having a strong personal responsibility, the characters in works of postmodern feel a sense of social responsibility. This is because the postmodern attitude leans toward promoting a sense of democracy. Where everyone must contribute in order for the society to progress as a whole. When individualism is lost so the society comes more to the forefront.
This shift from personal to social responsibility is one that is evident in both Invisible Man and Do The Right Thing. In Invisible Man the main character displays a postmodern viewpoint on responsibility throughout most of the novel, but there remains a sense of social responsibility in the back of the characters mind. This comes from the words of the Invisible Man grandfather, telling him “I want you to overcome 'em with yeses, undermine 'em with grins, agree 'em to death and destruction”. In other words he has to take control of his life and take a sense of personal responsibility for the way that his life plays out.
Above is a clip from Do The Right Thing, and it is a montage of the riot scene in the film where Mookie makes a stand for postmodernism by beginning the destruction of the pizza place.
The main character in Do The Right Thing on the other hand has trouble balancing the modern and postmodern principals. He does not know which is more important to him: his social or personal responsibility. For example, in the scene when Sal’s Pizza is being burned, Mookie, the main character, struggles between protecting his personal responsibility, Sal’s Pizza, and his social responsibility, his community. As you can see, Mookie is overcome by his obligation to his community when he throws the trashcan through the window. It is evident that he has an obligation to his social responsibility because, by breaking the window, he is focusing the anger of the community toward the building, and away from each other so no one got hurt.
The main character in Do The Right Thing on the other hand has trouble balancing the modern and postmodern principals. He does not know which is more important to him: his social or personal responsibility. For example, in the scene when Sal’s Pizza is being burned, Mookie, the main character, struggles between protecting his personal responsibility, Sal’s Pizza, and his social responsibility, his community. As you can see, Mookie is overcome by his obligation to his community when he throws the trashcan through the window. It is evident that he has an obligation to his social responsibility because, by breaking the window, he is focusing the anger of the community toward the building, and away from each other so no one got hurt.
