Criticisms of Parsons

1. Parsons exaggerates the extent of common culture in contemporary society.

2. Parsons overestimates the extent to which people conform or are willing to conform.
But
 Parsons is clear that not everyone shares an identical culture.

3 Societies in the twenty-first century have great diversity which raises questions as to how far culture can be shared.

For example, Britain in 2001 has diversity in

1. Regional allegiance The inhabitants of Scotland feel Scots first and Britons second, despite what Gordon Brown tries to proclaim. Both the inhabitants of Wales and the diaspora are Welsh in their nationality not British, in spite of the fact that a linguistic historian would regarded them as British because they speak a language which is Brythonic, that is P-Celtic not Q-Celtic.
 In England, Yorkshiremen put their county before their country (which is England).

 
2. Religion.  No longer is the Church of England the national church even of England. It never has been the national church in Scotland: this is the Church of Scotland, a Presbyterian (Calvinist) denomination. The Anglican Church in Scotland is called the Episcopal Church. It could be argued that in a post-Christian society, even Christianity is not universal in Britain. Both Islam and Hinduism have strong followings, in some cities greater than those of any single branch of the Christian religion.

3. Ethnicity. Until 1950, the inhabitants of the British Isles were white-skinned and brown-haired. Immigration from the Caribbean, Africa, and the Indian sub-continent has meant that up to 15% of all Britons are not white and that some cities - Leicester and Birmingham are examples - have a majority of non-white inhabitants.