Dogs vs people: symbolic interactionism

Symbolic interactionism, one of the three major ways sociologists explained and understood society, is how an object, an issue, a person, a situation or anything is interpreted and related to a specific society at a given period of time. For instance, let’s consider dogs and Americans in the early 1900’s and today. In the 1900’s Dogs were friends with men; men fed dogs and dogs protected men. But the main purpose of dogs was protection protecting hunters who went deep in the forest. Dogs were a part of a family. Unlike today, the relationship between men and dogs has moved several inches higher. Dogs are not just a part of a family but members of that family.

Today dogs are treated as humans or even more. Dogs have taken places of so many people; dogs have become wives or husbands to the divorced, kids to the childless and friends to the isolated. Dogs are given medical attention more than humans are, given good food cloths and shelter. From CBS news, Americans spend more on dog food then they do on babies’ food. The symbol of dogs has changed tremendously; when you see a dog you see a friend, brother, sister or even a son.

This change has brought about conflict; whether dogs should get such kind of treatments: better healthcare, better food, and better shelter than most of the low income earners can afford let alone the homeless, hungry people. Do Americans really need dogs in their lives when there are several homeless people? Dogs have taken men’s positions. Today men talk to dogs, walk with dogs while there are some people who are isolated and need someone to talk to. Some Americans also complain about the economy, they are not able to care for their family but they can’t let of their dogs, they have become part of them. One would wonder if these low income earners really facing hardship.