Sociological Perspective of the Blind Side

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The topic of drug legalization tends to come up often and this may be both a good thing and a bad thing. If drugs were legalized, the incarceration rate would decrease significantly because there is many people convicted for the possession of drugs, and "80-90 percent constitute of blacks" (Leon-Guerrero,2013,p. 328). This is problematic because you can question whether that should be held to the same standard as a murder. Also imprisoning these people for drug possession does not improve the problem, it only makes it worse because there are no rehabilitation programs to help these 'criminals' stop taking drugs (Weisheit and Johnson, p. 329). The government does not care enough because they would realize that this is an ongoing problem, which is why prisons are overpopulated. Drug enforcement tends to target those in less fortunate areas. When people of lower class use drugs, they are immediately labeled as criminals. If it were someone of a higher social status such as the Tuohy's it would be seen as a personal crisis (Leon-Guerrero, p. 327). Referring back to "The Blind Side" there were many federal programs that Michaels mother could have joined such as the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP). All these programs would have been able to help Michaels mother in order for her to make a better life for not only herself but also her children. All three of these programs are federally funded and play as a place for prevention, treatment and rehabilitation (Leon-Guerrero,2013, p. 328). Fortunately Michael was able to get out of the inner city where the social norm was being involved with gangs and drug related activities and receive an education.

Michael's coming from an impoverished background and having been placed in different foster homes made him unable to receive a proper education. He was constantly moving, attending eleven different schools within nine years. This means that he had so much going on in his personal life that he was not able to concentrate on school; he had never received homework until he began attending WCS. His GPA was a 0.6 and it was said that schools just passed him along with the letter grade of a "D" in order for the next school to take him (Hancock, The Blind Side 2009). In the United States "43% of all Americans demonstrate basic and below basic literacy skills" Michael fell in that range before he was enrolled in (Leon-Guerrero,2013, p.197). Inequality and being given the same opportunity as the upper class is a major part in having a successful education. With a child coming from a poor neighborhood they struggle with school because they are less organized making it hard for them to keep up with their peers, many people with families of low economic status makes them more likely drop out, this may be a social norm within that specific area (Leon-Guerrero, 2013). Starting educational programs for those of a lower class will give them a great platform to help them continue and strive for higher education. What pushed Michael to want a better his education was the fact that he had great opportunities ahead of him in becoming a great athlete. After being adopted by the Tuohy family he had now moved up in socioeconomic status and in class. He was no longer a lost boy looking for help or running away he had many opportunities before him; there was something worth fighting for. Attending a private school initially was challenging for Michael, but based on the conflict theorist "education is not an equalizer but a divider- diving the haves from the have-nots" (Leon-Guerrero,2013, p. 198). Michael was on both sides of this spectrum; he went from having nothing to having the opportunity to attend one of the best educational institutions. The Tuohy family gave Michael a tutor in order to help him understand the material he was learning in school better. Doing well in school was going to give him the opportunity to be drafted by colleges, which was not only going to let him play the sport he loves, but he was able to get a higher education than he ever thought possible.

Each of these social problems were outlined throughout "The Blind Side" and showed Michaels progression through all these social problems becoming a successful NFL player for the Baltimore Ravens. He used all the negativity in his life to grow as an individual. He used the opportunities that he was given to the best of his ability to better himself after coming from a rough social class and living in poverty throughout the beginning of his life. He was not the brightest young man, but he used the education he was given to do his best. If he stayed in poverty, he would have a very small chance in getting a better education. Lastly, in seeing all the drugs and alcohol abuse that he had seen his mother involve herself in as he grew up, he was able to fight to find a better way of life rather than falling into the bad influences around him. All of these problems are related to one another when you look at it from a sociological perspective. As seen in “The Blind Side,” these problems were all occurring at once. This movie is a great tool to use to connect society to a sociological point of view.

Works Cited

Guerrero, A. (2013). Social problems: community, policy, and social action(Fourth ed.). Pacific Lutheran University: SAGE Publications, Inc .

Hancock, J. (Director). (2009). The blind side [Motion picture]. United Sates : Warner.