Mining McMinden: Digging Up Sociological Concepts in a Modern American Community
The town of McMinden is nothing short of a living laboratory for the curious social scientist. In
the experiences of the seven interviewees, sociological concepts defined by the greats, from Marx to
Weber to Durkheim, are all interwoven and just waiting to be untangled.
Beginning linearly, one early passage of note is the very first sentence, introducing the reporter:
the reporter's presence hints at the sociological imagination (coined by Mills) necessary to view patterns
of human interactions at enough distance to analyze them. Next, the passage regarding the
demographic composition of McMinden is related to the concept of homogeneity (meaning a group
composed of similar members, such as whites, or professionals or English speakers), which is being
challenged by a recent influx of Hispanics. As the narrative continues, particularly when picked up by
Father O'Connell, it is clear the immigrants are marginalized and taken advantage of due to their race
and immigrant status.: social stratification, the hierarchical organization of individuals based on different
social characteristics (wealth, power, class, etc.), has occurred. One theorist, Parsons is particularly
notable for believing stratification is necessary to social functioning, while Marx, the founder of classical
conflict theory, believed that eliminating stratification was necessary. Stratification based on social
status and income is also mentioned by the reporter, beginning with the sentence "The richest part of
the town is a subdivision built around Lake Elmo. Most of the owners in the Lake Elmo district are
bankers, business owners and professional people."
Given the stratification in the community, the current state of flux of the community, and
internal and external pressures (social forces), it is unsurprising that the next passage, where Junior
Meyer's youngest son is said to be unable to "pick one thing and just stick to it" deals with the concept
of anomie. Anomie, a concept introduced by Durkheim to explain a sense of insecurity or aimlessness
based on degrading social norms, is quite relevant to the youth of McMinden who are faced with an
unstable community thanks to an influx of diverse cultural and economic influences. Indeed, given an
environment in flux, where drugs are prevalent, it makes sense that social solidarity might most easily
be achieved through drug use. As Officer Mendoza states in the the final paragraph, the "drug abuse
cuts across racial, ethnic, and class lines." Social solidarity (either mechanical, born of homogeneity, or
organic, born of interdependence) is associated with Durkheim and refers to behaviors performed to
build a sense of community.
It is clear that McMinden is 'suffering' from modernity. Structural functions are changing:
McMinden has departed from its agrarian roots, and is dealing with population and opportunity losses
thanks to industrialization which is causing urbanization. The first mention of this is the statement
"adjoining areas have lost population," then Jenny Rodriguez's plan to blow town because the area is
behind the times, the mention of thinning population in the wake of mechanization by Sam Votapka,
who says there is nothing in McMinden for the young. Marx is well known for promoting the view that
capitalism leads to this type of alienation, where individuals cannot function in traditional roles and
become sequestered from fulfilling work. Further, in these responses, the responses of those who work
in the various businesses of McMinden and the response of other citizens who use drugs, it is clear how
environmental factors (political, economic, cultural, etc.) can shape an individual's choices.
Other noteworthy concepts, such as the deviance of using drugs, the stereotyping evident in
Suzanne Diedrich's quest to make her sons proper, tough men, and the "second shift" work relegated to
Letisha Jones, fill out the narrative. All these concepts are clearly related: the change in professional
opportunities due to industrialization influences the movement of populations (urbanization), which
influences (and is influenced by) the stratification and relative level of alienation of different
populations. Stratification is further reinforced by income, gender roles, race, class and educational
attainment. To the extent that individuals are alienated by the system or suffer anomie, it is not
surprising they do not successfully integrate into the system, but rather may end up deviating, such as
through drug use.
Though McMinden is fictional, each of the concepts is relevant to my experience in my own city
and to the nation at large. Stratification is evident among women and men, professionals and blue collar
workers, immigrants and established residents and minorities and majorities. The wage gap, lack of
educational attainment for minorities and lack of opportunities for rural dwellers all demonstrate this
stratification. Anomie and alienation are evident in the growth of gangs, lack of connection and stability
among the young and the cynicism and skepticism of many. Certainly, industrialization is inherently
relevant to everyday society and indeed the fact that we are increasingly service oriented rather than
production oriented suggests we are in the late stage of this modern world. But, to end on a high note, it
is also clear that by developing the sociological imagination evidenced by the reporter at the start of the
narrative, we can, as a society increase our understanding and therefore our control of social
functioning to the benefit of all.