Introduction to Sociology Project
Fiona Press
Introduction to Sociology
SOCL1100
M. Biggar
November 18, 2013
1. Film
The film watched was A Few Good Men, directed by Rob Reiner and released in 1992.
The subculture that will be focused on is that of the military, as interpreted in the film.
2. Subculture or Counterculture?
The military culture in the film places emphasis on the idea that the military, and more
specifically, the Marine Corps, should ideally revolve around putting the unit and the country
before one’s self, and honouring those in command. This is supported by the “code” that marines
Dawson and Downey reveal to Kaffee, their lawyer; “Unit. Corps. God. Country.” Both Dawson
and Downey said they were to train Santiago to “respect the code.” As a result, Santiago was
killed, and Dawson and Downey were put on trial. Dawson and Downey, however, claimed to be
following their orders, which put the values of the Marine Corps opposite those of the dominant
culture of the United States.
The group represented in the film is that of a subculture because their values are alike
those of the dominant culture of the United States population, but to a more extreme and
militaristic extent. Their values do not oppose that of the majority, but have different
expectations and actualities.
A subculture consists of a group of people with values and beliefs that differ from the
dominant culture pattern. Unlike a counterculture, a subculture can share many similar values,
but they may not value completely separate ideals and outcomes of a society.
Some distinctive markers that the military culture is set apart from the dominant culture
of the film would be the comparison of the military in the Washington Navy Yard and the
military in Guantanamo Bay. The military operations that both lawyers Kaffee and Galloway are
a part of consist mostly of research, internal affairs, paperwork and trial information regarding
the military and are stationed in Washington D.C. They are immersed in the culture of the
general population of the United States, while still a part of the military subculture. The military
operations in Guantanamo Bay are isolated from dominant culture of the general population, and
are more surrounded by that of the military subculture and Dawson, Downey and Jessup live by
the code of the marines. By being less exposed to the dominant culture of their society, their
values and beliefs are highly influenced by the military culture that is amplified by their isolation
within it.
3. Analysis
I) Norms:
The concept of norms is the expectations and ideals that a person must follow to be
accepted by society. In the film the concept of military norms is illustrated by the actions of
Dawson, Santiago and Kaffee. Dawson is specifically affected by the mores of the general
culture of the United States rather than of the military. He feeds a soldier who has been given the
punishment of no food for seven days, and he decided that morally to him it was a torturous way
to be treated. Unfortunately, Dawson’s mores went against that of the military culture he was so
deeply involved with and is punished himself. The next time he faces a moral dilemma, he
focuses on the norms of his position in the military, rather than those of the dominant culture.
Santiago fails to acknowledge the norm of the Marine Corps when he requests to be taken off the
base. This was a violation because he did not go through the process of asking his high ranking
officer, but instead broke command and sent a letter to someone off base and of a different
position. Because of this, he suffers a consequence which leads to his death. Lastly, Kaffee is
aware of the military folkways, but refuses to follow them. Instead of following the routine to
guide his interaction with his fellow and superior officers, he chooses to ignore them which
results in people reacting negatively toward him. His action has no consequence when he is in
Washington, other than displeasure from others. However; when he visits Guantanamo Bay his
actions are noticed and corrected by Jessup in a threatening and intimidating manor which
emphasizes how much more important military norms and folkways are when you are isolated
from the dominant culture.
II) Values:
Values are the standards that dictate what a culture considers the wrong thing, the right
thing, what goals the society should strive toward and what should be appreciated. The military’s
main value as shown in the film is their loyalty to their careers and to their fellow officers. They
are to value each other working together more than they value themselves. Santiago once again
failed in the eyes of his fellow officers and high ranking officials. When Kaffee questions
Dawson and Downey about this, Dawson claims the Code Red harassment was to “train him to
think of his unit before himself. Train him to respect the code” (the code being: “Unit. Corps.
God. Country”). On the other hand, Galloway cherishes the values of the military. She respects
those who work hard and above all values the justice that is associated with her career. This
explains her anger toward Kaffee since he does not care about justice; he cares about the law and
is rewarded for offering quick solutions to cases.
III) Sanctions:
A sanction is a punishment or a penalty for disobeying the norms and values of a certain
culture one is in. In the film, Santiago was given a sanction that is not a policy, but rather and
norm that takes place. This penalty was a Code Red which could consist of anything from
excessive punching to a seven day fast. In Santiago’s case, his hands were tied and a rag was
shoved in his throat by Dawson and Downey. He then died because of a chemical reaction from
the rag. Dawson and Downey also received formal sanctions for the death of Santiago. Both
were dishonorably discharged due to “conduct unbecoming of a United States Marine”. This was
the worst possible outcome for them because of their love for the Marine Corps. Dawson then
realized that the norms of Guantanamo Bay were not accepted as the norms of the military: “We
were supposed to fight for people who couldn’t fight for themselves. We were supposed to fight
for [Santiago]”.
IV) Socialization:
The film focuses on the idea of resocialization; the redevelopment of an individual’s
identity by controlling their culture and environment to craft potential. The military is a total
institution that takes a person and changes their values to create a machine that works as a unit.
In the film, Santiago is said to be a “below average marine”. Because of this, the Code Red is
ordered by Jessup to mortify him and reconstruct him to be a better marine and follow orders.
Jessup states that Santiago was a “weak link” and his death saved lives. Jessup tells Kendrick:
“transferring Santiago, while expeditious, and certainly painless, might not be in a manner of
speaking, the American way. Santiago stays where he is. We're going to train the lad”. Jessup
orders Kendrick to give the Code Red in order to train Santiago that he must change his way of
thinking and behaving in order to stay a part of the military total institution. By transferring him,
they would be breaking the norms of their culture.
V) Beliefs:
Beliefs are ideas that a person considers to be true, despite the lack of evidence that it is
true. In the film the concept of belief is mainly the belief that an order from a higher ranking
officer is to be followed with no questions asked. This concept is the framework of military
culture. Kaffee states to the court:
“Let me say that again: It's because it was what they were ordered to do. Now, out in the
real world, that means nothing. And here at the Washington Navy Yard, it doesn't mean
a whole lot more. But if you're a marine assigned to Rifle Security Company Windward,
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and you're given an order, you follow it or you pack your bags.
Make no mistake about it; Harold Dawson and Louden Downey are sitting before you in
judgement today because they did their job.”
Dawson and Downey had respect for their Corporal Jessup and they were resocialized to believe
that his orders were all the authority they had needed. Even in the dominant culture of the United
States one is taught to believe that orders from authority will go without consequence and one is
correct in following everyone else.
4. Critical Assessment of the Film
This film, though fictional, offers a moderately accurate image of the military subculture.
In the modern world, people hear of military leaders who have given invalid orders and resulted
in injustices committed. Many times, the soldiers involved are following orders and were unable
to decide for themselves if the actions they were taking part in were morally wrong or not.
Involvement in war can have negative effects on many soldiers. Veterans from World War II
struggle with remembering the horrid orders they had to obey. When ordered to do something by
an authority figure with control over many things including the outcome of your life or career,
the likeliness of one disobeying is bleak. This film looks at the blurred lines of military culture,
while still polishing the film with the Hollywood gleam.
It is hard to judge if this film is giving an accurate depiction at military culture because
many people are unaware of what being in the military consists of. This film focuses on the more
negative aspects of the military and the things that the public would not be aware of. In the
words of the military trial lawyer Daniel Kaffee, “It doesn’t matter what I believe, it matters
what I can prove.”