Commonsense Statements
Each of the following "common-sense statements", grouped into four separate sections for the purpose of illustration, are, on the basis of sociological evidence, invalid representations of reality.
For an explanation as to why sociologists believe each statement is a misrepresentation of reality, click the "explanation" link after each statement.
a. A woman walking alone at night is in greater danger of sexual assault or rape by a stranger than a woman in a familiar place with a man she knows. [Explanation]
b. Men are naturally more aggressive than women. [Explanation]
c. "Falling in love" is a natural human emotion. Therefore, romantic love has existed in all societies at all times. [Explanation]
d. By teaching children about sexual relationships, the education system encourages young people to experiment sexually, leading to an increase in teenage pregnancies. [Explanation]
e. Making contraceptives available to teenagers through school clinics will encourage them to be more sexually active because they will not have to worry about unwanted pregnancy. [Explanation]
a. In Britain 100 years ago the family was less likely to break-up through divorce and single parent families were very rare. [Explanation]
b. The high divorce rate in our society indicates that marriage as an institution is under threat in our society. [Explanation]
c. Single parent families are mainly created by young mothers who choose not to live with / marry the father of their child. [Explanation]
a. In the past, Britain has been more prone to strikes than any other similar industrial country. [Explanation]
b. In countries that have a Welfare State, the poor become dependent upon government handouts and lose the will to work. [Explanation]
4. Crime.
a. Armed robbery is more dangerous to the victim than unarmed robbery. [Explanation]
b. The deliberate killing of one human being by another human being has always been seen by society to be wrong. [Explanation]
c. A criminal is someone who has broken the law. [Explanation]