The Series “Mom”

The Series “Mom”

 Conflict theory attempts to explain how conflict occurs in society using science. It attempts to describe the effects brought by conflict, the way it begins, and the way it varies. According to Coser et al., (2003), The critical concerns of the theory of conflict is the uneven distribution of power and resources. It tends to explain how competition for unlimited resources and wealth and power brings social differences in society. Therefore, conflict theorists use the three systems of stratification created by Weber, i.e., status, class, and power. These three systems are the common causes of conflict in society, as explained by conflict theorists. For instance, in the series “Mom,” there are several conflicts arising between different people of different status, class, and power. There is husband-wife conflict, mother-child conflict, and co ex-wives conflict. This paper seeks to analyze and discuss the series “Mom” as it is related to the conflict theory.

The series “Mom” tend to remind me of one of the most critical sociological theories, the conflict theory. The series is majorly based on conflicts between related people, a family, with uneven social class, status, wealth, and power. For instance, there is a husband-wife conflict where Alvin and Bonnie are in a serious conflict which starts after Christy learns about her Biological father (Alvin) from her mother during one of their truth and dare games. Christy visits her father at his workplace and tells him that she is his daughter. Weeks after that, Alvin visits Christy’s home, and it’s this time that he meets with Bonnie, who is so angry with him and even wishes he would die.

The conflict is based on the fact that Alvin left Bonnie the very day that she gave birth to Christy and never to return. Alvin is afraid of the status of Bonnie, and that’s why he runs away.

According to Lumumba (2017, pg 30), people interact and act upon their respective perceptions of reality and their understanding of what is happening in reality. Therefore, the co ex-wives conflict of class, wealth, and power is based on the collective knowledge Bonnie and Lorrain, brash ex-wife of Alvin, in the series “Mom.” Bonnie and Lorraine conflict severally through the series. Despite the fact that Alvin had already broken up with Lorrain before his death, Lorrain acts like she and her two sons own all the assets that Alvin had, pushing away Bonnie and Christy. Consequently, a conflict of class, wealth, and power raises when Bonnie claims that Alvin was her husband and that she and Alvin were having a romantic relationship before Alvin died. The fundamental causes of conflict are competition of wealth, power, and unlimited resources (Coser et al., 2003). Therefore, this conflict between Bonnie and Lorrain is a conflict caused by their competition for Alvin’s wealth and the urge of wanting to take the position of a wife between the two of them.

The series “Mom”is, therefore, not just a comedy but also an excellent example of how the conflict theory can be applied to show how conflicts start and how they vary in the society. For instance, the way Bonnie and Lorrain raise against each in a competition for wealth, power, and class is a perfect example of how conflict starts in the society due to the competition of unlimited resources.

References

Coser, L., Dahrendorf, R., & Collins, R. (2003). Conflict and Critical Theories (1st ed., pp. 211-239). Lewis Coser.

Lumumba, T. (2017). Contemporary Theories of Conflict and their Social and Political Implications (1st ed., pp. 29-41). Tukumbi Lumumba-Kasongo.