DescriptionOne of the many gas pumps around Regina.
Sociological Interpretation
Gas prices are almost unanimously agreed to be too high, leading to much anxiety at the pumps. However, the reason for these unusually high prices is never really addressed. Through the sociological imagination, it can be established that these high prices may not be solely caused by the greed of oil companies (although this may be a factor as well), but by many complex social issues.
The first of these social issues is the increasing use of automobiles in our society. This is not just because many people are lazy, but is a direct result of the environment. For example, in Regina, the public transportation system is somewhat lacking, given the fact that Regina is hit by extremely cold winters every year. Expecting people to wait for the bus when it is -50 degrees Celsius outside is unimaginable, as there are no indoor bus shelters in Regina. Because of this, it may be more effective to buy a car instead. Also, in the considerably long winters, many people choose to let their car idle before they drive it, leading to, as a society, a larger consumption of gas which in turn leads to gas prices increasing due to increasing demand.
A second social property that may influence gas prices is the population density in both Saskatchewan, and Canada as a whole. As a society, the population density is one of the lowest in the world, meaning the population is very widely spread out, even in urban areas. Due to this wide distribution of the population, walking to one’s destinations may be impractical, as the destinations are too far away from each other. This too could lead to an increase in the number of cars being sold, and in turn lead to a hike in gas prices.
Higher gas prices are not only a result of ‘greedy oil companies’, but are also driven by the multifaceted social issues of the consumers themselves. In finding a balance between practicality and convenience, the North American consumer plays a large part in driving gas prices ever higher, due to the high value North Americans place on comfort.
In my Anthropology 100 class we were talking about gas prices as well. Our professor asked "raise your hand if you think the government increases gas prices" and almost everyone in the class raised their hand. We then learned that this is a common misconception and the government actually does its best to have a gas price people can afford (although it is still relatively high, if the government didn't step in we would be paying closer to $4 a litre, yikes!).
ReplyDeleteErica Sims
Gas prices are too high!
ReplyDeleteJeremy LeClair
Bring on the fuel efficient cars? I think so! Very educated article!:)
ReplyDeleteSara Stochmal
The order, content, and flow of your post have been rigorously thought out, and there is a precise style and structure.
ReplyDeleteYou obviously had an original thought and wrote a critical and analytical explanation, but you have not used sociological terminology.
For your next assignment you can use the same photo, and based on the dissuasion of class and power theory paradigms, write about the people who suffer from the lack of public transport and high gas prices and those who benefit from it?
Good job!
Kosar
I agree with this post completely. We often do not stop to think that we are the ones that are causing the hike in gas prices. Not only in day to day life do we use our cars, but increasingly people have started traveling for vacations, and this also leads to an increase in both the demand and price of fuel.
ReplyDeleteNicole Paslawski