Looking at communities I agree with Sampson that each is different and reacts differently to different situations and experiences. No community will be identical to another in its response to any insignificant or spectacular event. I believe time molds communities into who they are, what they stand for and for whom they fight. Lets take for example the tragedy that took place in the neighborhood of Thomas Wortham. Thomas was an outstanding citizen that had served his country and city. He wanted to make a change because he genuinely cared about the people he served. The reason he cared for them I believe is because he served them with all his heart, might, mind and strength. His dream was to rid the community of any unlawful, corrupt, evil and hateful deed or crime. He had "Vision". The tragedy that beset him caused the community to arise and form a magnificent union that could only be formed by the loss of a hero. I believe that because they lost one who cared for them and had vision, they were united. I believe that in many communities they do not have a hero to look up to and adopt their vision. This causes a loss of collective efficacy and social cohesion in the community. Death to a hero is almost always sudden and dramatic. This combination is very effective in raising moral and enabling groups to gather and protest or look for a way to change their situation. However I believe that it is self-control and character that keep the group united and organized. those who do not exert self-control, fail to reach their goals!
As Far as my research goes, I am trying to refine my question. As I expressed in my last two posts I would like to look at some aspect of obesity, education and self-control and find a connection to how it plays a role in what I term the Rolling, Rolling, Rolling Effect (the entrapment of citizens into poverty). I am still looking for research that shows a strong correlation between the three ideas. I Have also started to look into the developing country of Tanzania where a majority of the citizens are literate but they still are the fourth country in the world to experience death by HIV. If there is a correlation between literacy and education on overall health, this country would not support the theory that the more educated the people the less they are affected by an illness that many developed countries have overcome.
I think your idea to explore the country of Tanzania is a great one. It would seem that they are at a point of building or even trying to maintaining their communities. The HIV challenge is their community challenge and how they have responded to it so far or how they will respond to it in the future will affect their communities. Good Luck!
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