Have you been institutionalized? Unless you live in a cave somewhere all by your lonesome, surviving off the land like some kind of Survivor reject, you have been. Socialization is by its very nature a form of institutionalization.
Sure, it's necessary to adhere to certain social expectations in order to get along in society, but not all socialization is to your ultimate benefit. Sometimes socialization leads to institutionalized thinking that is more a product of common misconceptions than informed analysis. When we learn how to recognize and counter unhelpful forms of institutionalized thinking, we have the advantage of selecting the best of both worlds - individualism and social acceptance - when we need them most.
RE-CONCEPTUALIZE YOUR WORLD
You can "break away" from The Asylum by seeking exposure to ideas and narratives which approach common social constructs from alternative points of view - and have a little fun while you're at it! Here is a list of recommended works in popular culture that we believe will both entertain you and help you challenge some of society's most widely institutionalized concepts:
FAIR.org - FAIR (Fairness and Accuracy In Reporting) is a media watchdog group that comments on the skewed or biased nature of corporate media. To understand why we recommend this site, read our post on the rapid disintegration of independent media in the U.S.
feministing.com - If you automatically cringe at the word "feminist" you are not alone. There are certainly many valid criticisms of the social movement known as feminism. However, the fact that it focuses on the perceived disenfranchisement of a group that is actually in the majority - not a minority like most other social movements - makes feminist theory a highly illustrative example of the power and subtlety of socialization, and therefore merits attention regardless of whether or not it fits with your personal politics. In other words, you don't have to be a "feminist" to get something of value from the feminist dialogue. (And if you think men can't be feminists, check out Hugo Schwyzer.)
Media Education Foundation - "The Media Education Foundation produces and distributes documentary films and other educational resources to inspire critical reflection on the social, political, and cultural impact of American mass media." Also check out The Sociological Cinema, a website created by graduate students teaching sociology through the medium of film and video. These sites are highly recommended for teachers, students, and film buffs alike.
Mother Jones - About as independent as journalism gets these days, Mother Jones is the website for a 501(c)(3) non-profit news organization which derives about 2/3 of its budget from reader donations. In a society where virtually all of our information comes from only 6 companies, independent news is truly a thing of value.
Open Secrets - The website for the Center for Responsive Politics, a non-partisan, non-profit research organization that tracks money in politics (think campaign contributions and lobbying) and its potential effect on public policy.
TED.com - The TED Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to spreading the word about new and potentially world-altering ideas. Originally targeted to professionals in the fields of technology, entertainment, and design, TED has grown in both scope and format to include some of the top minds in nearly every field imaginable.
BOOKS
Non-Fiction:
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle - If you shop in grocery stores, eat in restaurants, or are concerned about biodiversity, then this book was written for you. In it, recommended author Barbara Kingsolver documents her family's year-long, true life experiment to eat nothing that they could not either produce personally on their own farm or purchase from immediately local farmers. Kingsolver tackles issues of morality, convenience, and plain-old food cravings with her characteristic openness and concern for social and environmental parity.
Blaming The Victim - Sociologist William Ryan's formative work on the concept of victim blame, which set the stage for the future of social equality movements in the U.S. Described as "...the first book to identify these truisms as part of the system of denial that even the best-intentioned Americans have constructed around the unpalatable realities of race and class. Originally published in 1970, William Ryan's groundbreaking and exhaustively researched work challenges both liberal and conservative assumptions, serving up a devastating critique of the mindset that causes us to blame the poor for their poverty and the powerless for their powerlessness. More than twenty years later, it is even more meaningful for its diagnosis of the psychic underpinnings of racial and social injustice."
Ever Since Darwin - Think of this as the ultimate science book for non-science majors. Paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould takes readers on a tour through the fields of natural history and biology, otherwise known as the "study of life." One cannot fully understand or appreciate the impetus to adhere to social norms without understanding the biological drive behind it, and for that reason we recommend this book.
The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat - If you want a really mind-bending experience, this set of clinical tales gives readers a peek at the extraordinary capacities and limitations of the human brain. Columbia University neurologist Oliver Sacks (best know for his work Awakenings which also became an Oscar nominated film) describes with extraordinary compassion and heart the experiences of patients with unique and bizarre neurological conditions which alter their entire experience of the world. (Sachs himself suffers from "propagnosia," a neurological condition characterized by the inability to recognize human faces.) This book takes the practice of seeking a different perspective on life to a whole new level, and while we recommend all of Sachs' works, this is definitely the book that will really shake up your understanding of the human mind.
Nickle and Dimed - This book and other works by Barbara Ehrenreich will change the way you view society forever. In it, Ehrenreich documents her own social experiment as she attempts to support herself entirely by working minimum wage jobs. Throughout 3 years of graduate school in psychology and sociology, I don't think any other single work has affected me more deeply or permanently than this book. If you pick only one work off of our list to read, this should be the one.
The Power of Myth - Joseph Campbell's enduring analysis of the importance of narrative and myth in shaping our society's history and world view. Pay particular attention to his discussion of myth as an illustration of themes, rather than a literal description of events. Also available in video interview format.
Reviving Ophelia - Berkeley psychologist Mary Pipher examines the social institutionalization of girls in Western culture. This book tackles the many subtle ways girls are encouraged to internalize and meet social expectations that tend to create problems such as depression, low self-esteem, and eating disorders. Reviving Ophelia is required reading for anyone attempting to raise a happy, healthy girl in modern society.
The Power of Myth - Joseph Campbell's enduring analysis of the importance of narrative and myth in shaping our society's history and world view. Pay particular attention to his discussion of myth as an illustration of themes, rather than a literal description of events. Also available in video interview format.
Reviving Ophelia - Berkeley psychologist Mary Pipher examines the social institutionalization of girls in Western culture. This book tackles the many subtle ways girls are encouraged to internalize and meet social expectations that tend to create problems such as depression, low self-esteem, and eating disorders. Reviving Ophelia is required reading for anyone attempting to raise a happy, healthy girl in modern society.
Fiction:
The Constant Gardner - A murder mystery with global implications set in Kenya, this is a fictionalized illustration of the frighteningly real politics and practices of the pharmaceutical industry. We recommend both the book and the film.
The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy - We must pay homage here to Douglas Adams' seminal work, and the inspiration for this website. No other author revels in the absurdity of our overdeveloped sense of self-importance with quite same the wit and eloquence Adams manages. Roundly considered by all the right people to be the funniest series ever written, if you enjoy this first book you will want to continue with The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, Life the Universe and Everything, and So Long and Thanks For All The Fish. The series continues with Mostly Harmless, but I don't actually tend to recommend that last book, as it was written during a darker time in Adams' life and I feel that it detracts somewhat from the genius of the first four books in this, er, trilogy.
Ishmael - Difficult to describe, this book invites the audience to share in a Socratic, philosophical discussion between a man and, well, a gorilla. Sounds strange, reads stranger, but it is simply the finest deconstruction of the institutionalized anthropocentric tendencies of our society in print today.
The Mists of Avalon - A re-imagining of the Arthurian legend as told through the eyes of the story's women. Bradley 's masterpiece takes the reader on a parallel journey through the dominance of the Celtic region's pre-Christian religions, Camelot's rise in power, and the fate which ultimately neither could avoid.
The Poisonwood Bible - Recommended author Barbara Kingsolver's epic tale of a White, upper-middle class missionary family that relocates to the Belgian Congo. The book parallels this African region's post-clonial struggles, as the girls in the family learn to re-evaluate virtually everything they learned as children growing up in the American south.
Ishmael - Difficult to describe, this book invites the audience to share in a Socratic, philosophical discussion between a man and, well, a gorilla. Sounds strange, reads stranger, but it is simply the finest deconstruction of the institutionalized anthropocentric tendencies of our society in print today.
The Mists of Avalon - A re-imagining of the Arthurian legend as told through the eyes of the story's women. Bradley 's masterpiece takes the reader on a parallel journey through the dominance of the Celtic region's pre-Christian religions, Camelot's rise in power, and the fate which ultimately neither could avoid.
The Poisonwood Bible - Recommended author Barbara Kingsolver's epic tale of a White, upper-middle class missionary family that relocates to the Belgian Congo. The book parallels this African region's post-clonial struggles, as the girls in the family learn to re-evaluate virtually everything they learned as children growing up in the American south.
Still Life With Woodpecker - A scamp. A scoundrel. A man with total disdain for social norms, little patience, and even less reverence. And that's just the author. Tom Robbins is one of the most creative and provocative fiction writers of our day, and we recommend all of his works not just for the fun of the stories, but also to share a cerebral adventure with a mind that, as Ishmael author Daniel Quinn might put it, thinks sideways. They all have merit, but if you only read one Robbins novel, we think Still Life is the way to go.
Watchmen - You don't have to be a comic book aficionado to appreciate Alan Moore's meta-analysis of the comic book hero genre, but it doesn't hurt. Set in an alternate future after superheros helped the U.S. win the Vietnam War, heroism has now been outlawed, leaving regular citizens to grapple with the nuclear tensions of the 20th century. Watchmen is the only graphic novel to appear on Time Magazine's list of the 100 Greatest Novels. Go for the book over the film, which just doesn't pack the same powerful punch.
MOVIES
American History X - Not for the faint of heart, this volatile film doesn't shy away from the dangerous depths of hero-worship in a White supremacist family living in suburban Los Angeles. The film carries its audience through the development and deconstruction of inherited racism by its main character, the younger brother of a former Neo-Nazi gang leader now working with the Los Angeles police to combat racial warfare. Having spent several years as a social worker in Los Angeles, I can't point to another film that captures the tension of the city's post-riot race relations more effectively than this one.
Blood Diamond - The title refers to precious stones that are commonly mined within war zones in Africa and sold to finance continued conflicts. It also brushes on the fact that many precious stones, including diamonds, are not actually rare, but the product of a market which is ultimately controlled by a few large companies engaged in price fixing. You will never look at a store full of engagement rings the same way after seeing this film - and you'll begin to notice just how obscenely large this market really is...large enough to finance unending conflict in war-torn Africa.
Boyz N the Hood - Director John Singleton won the Oscar for best original screenplay for this, his debut film, at the ripe old age of 23. Another film shining a spotlight on the racial disparity prevalent in Los Angeles neighborhoods, Boyz shies away from the morality play aspects of most similar movies and moves instead toward describing the type of social intervention necessary to give children growing up in impoverished, inner-city neighborhoods a better option than gang life.
Boyz N the Hood - Director John Singleton won the Oscar for best original screenplay for this, his debut film, at the ripe old age of 23. Another film shining a spotlight on the racial disparity prevalent in Los Angeles neighborhoods, Boyz shies away from the morality play aspects of most similar movies and moves instead toward describing the type of social intervention necessary to give children growing up in impoverished, inner-city neighborhoods a better option than gang life.
Dead Poets Society - Since there is now a whole generation on the internet young enough to have missed this film the first time around, we're including it as an example of the main philosophical conflict in formal education; should education focus on creative individualism, or adherence to established social constructs? It also provides a vivid illustration of one enduring facet of counter-socialization; people will not often thank you for shedding light on an unpopular truth. This theme comes around about every 10 years in a new version, but for my money you can't beat a collaboration between Peter Weir and Robin Williams for truly impactful movie-making.
The Doctor - Based on the true life account of Dr. Edward Rosenbaum, this film follows a physician-turned-patient in his quest to navigate the modern medical complex after he is diagnosed with cancer. The title of his autobiography A Taste Of My Own Medicine really says it all. The book (written in 1988) and subsequent film were both ahead of their time in relation to the modern patient advocacy movement, and remain especially relevant in the context of today's universal health care controversy.
Exam - Eight applicants for a highly sought-after but undisclosed corporate job must navigate social dynamics while solving the riddle of their final test in the interview process. This psychologically suspenseful independent film will challenge your skills in both critical thinking and social perception.
Oleanna - This is the movie version of David Mamet's tour-de-force play about the subjective nature of social interaction. Written during the Anita Hill/Clarence Thomas controversy, the play follows the relationship between an idealistic college student and her somewhat pedantic professor, which slowly devolves from an academic relationship into a quagmire of social misjudgment. Told strictly third person, it places the audience in the position of a jury left to determine the intent of both characters as we process their dialogue through our own subjective social filters. Watch this film with a group of other people and be prepared afterward to find that others may have seen a completely different story from the one you saw.
The Social Network - From recommended writer Aaron Sorkin, think of this film as Generation Y's version of Wall Street. The audience gets a sneak peak into the kind of innovation vs. corporation battle that created, and ultimately doomed, the dot com bubble.
Have a recommendation for our list? Write to us at WeAreInstitutionalized@gmail.com
