Summary: Sociological Imagination

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C. Wright Mills termed the phrase “sociological imagination” as the intersection between private and public issues, both of which have profoundly impacts on each other (Mills, 1959). This can be seen in the case of adultery, whereby the personal troubles can be escalated into various public issues with morality and religious concerns. Furthermore, these personal troubles are also deeply impacted by public issues such as the monotony of work, which will be explored in my essay. Just last year, the Singapore society was shaken by the pending launch of an extramarital dating portal, Ashley Madison, which was swiftly blocked by the Media Development Authority (MDA) and condemned by political and religious leaders alike. It has also received strong opposition and disapproval …show more content…

Interestingly, some people may even argue that the ban of the Ashley Madison site in Singapore will drive more people to “challenge the rules” and to either bypass the site or to seek infidelity through other means (Yahoo News Singapore, 2013). This is also seen in other countries with rigid societal structures as well, like Japan, which has a flourishing prostitution industry throughout the years (Stanley, 1978). In Asian societies in particular, men often have heavy responsibilities from being the breadwinner of the family due to the deeply-entrenched traditional mindsets of gender roles. Thus, due to the high societal pressure placed on them and the drudgery of work in general, this may drive them to seek the thrill and excitement of adultery. On the other hand, women nowadays, with increasingly higher education and socio-economic power, are no longer dependent on men for financial support and they may too, seek pleasures that were once unthought-of as a means to obtain “love” outside of their

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