Ferdinand Toennies's Gemeinschaft Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ferdinand Toennies's Gemeinschaft - Essay Example There are several that I can envision on the corporate front such as security exchanges and the like, but I think that the best example of Gesellschaft is the city of New York. New York City is an organization in that it is a municipality. Thus while governmentally organized, it is a Gesellschaft as proposed by Toennies. (Kirvisto 89). New York City is a large, urban society, in which social bonds are based on impersonal and specialized relationships, with little long-term commitment to the group or consensus on values. Relationships are based on achieved statuses, and interactions among people are both rational and calculated. This is evidenced by the interactions of brokers on Wall Street, the advertising industry and even the penal system. He who makes the highest dollar attains the highest status. This is precisely what Toennies predicted would happen which is why his preference was towards the Gemeinschaft. (Kristovo 89).