...Class Unconsciousness: Stop Using “Middle Class― to Depict the Labor Movement Nelson Lichtenstein New Labor Forum, Volume 21, Issue 2, Spring 2012, pp. 10-13 (Article) Published by The Murphy Institute/City University of New York DOI: 10.1353/nlf.2012.0040 For additional information about this article http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/nlf/summary/v021/21.2.lichtenstein.html Access Provided by University of Illinois @ Urbana-Champaign at 07/04/12 3:07PM GMT By Nelson Lichtenstein Contrary on the Stop Using “Middle Class” to Depict the Labor Movement Class UnConsCioUsness George Orwell thought the precise and purposeful deployment of our language was the key to the kind of politics we hoped to advance. By that standard, virtually everyone—from the center to the left, from Barack Obama to Richard Trumka to the activists of Occupy Wall Street—has made a hash of the way we name the most crucial features of our society. Exhibit A is the suffocating pervasiveness with which we use the phrase “middle class” as the label we have come to attach to not just all of those who are hurting in the current economic slump, but to the entire stratum that used to be identified as working class. AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka proclaims “it was the labor movement that built the middle class; it was the middle class that made America great,” while out in Indiana, when the Republican-dominated state legislature stood on the verge of enacting a new set of anti-labor...
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...Capital Gains A majority of people in America can hardly imagine an existence without capitalism; individuals consume without a thought when we buy the latest cell phone or a new pair of hundred dollar designer jeans. It is clear that most of the world supports some form of capitalism and therefore, at least for now, capitalism has won the struggle between economic systems. Capitalism began in 1200 CE with rug merchants. Just like many traders, today, the rug merchants had to borrow money to buy their wares in order to then resell them for profit, but they had to pay back the money borrowed—usually with interest. This was called mercantile capitalism and it was a global phenomenon, from the Indian and Chinese Ocean trade to Muslim merchants who funded trade caravanserai across the Sahara. Later, merchants in Britain had expanded capitalism by developing stock companies which financed even bigger trade missions. Increased wealth of course resulted by the increased investment, but it only affected as small percentage of the population and did not create cultural influence from capitalism. Mercantile capitalism only affected a small percentage of the population, whereas industrial capitalism impacted majority of the population. Industrial capitalism was something altogether different, both in practice and scale. According to Joyce Appleby’s definition of industrial capitalism: “An economic system that relies on investment of capital in machines and technology that are used...
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...Outline and assess the view that in school factors have the main influence on the educational achievement of different social classes (50 Marks) INSIDE - The Curriculum What is taught in schools disadvantages working class pupils. The knowledge taught in school is different to the cultural experiences of working class pupils. For example, History deals with the ruling class such as kings, queens and politicians, rather than the majority of ordinary people. Cultural Bias of the hidden curriculum favours middle class pupils. This may lead the underachievement and truancy of those from working class backgrounds. Ramsay argues that knowledge is used as a form of social control and that there is a hidden curriculum behind the subjects of Maths and English to keep the working class in their place. Ramsay argues that truancy is a protest against this pressure. - Teacher Labelling Interactionists study the interactions between teacher & student and student & student. Their explanations are based on a “labelling theory”. Teachers judge students not by their ability or intelligence, but by characteristics such as class. Keddie – “Classroom Knowledge” Keddie studied classroom interactions in a large, socially mixed comprehensive school in London. She had found that teachers categorised and evaluated classroom knowledge. The knowledge that teachers gave pupils was based on their assessment of the pupil’s ability to cope with the knowledge. Pupils that were categorized as “bright”...
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...Names and Education – there will be 4 questions on Education. These are simply names – you do not need to remember them all – you need to choose which ones you want to remember. Cut and paste to reduce. It is vital that you also have a generaloverview of the key ideas so do the same for key concepts / theories 1. Theories of Education – What is the role and purpose of education? |Functionalism | | |E.Durkheim and T.Parsons |Passing on society’s culture: this then unites people together by giving them shared values (value consensus). | | |According to Durkheim schools are societies in miniature - he argues that the key role of education was to teach | | |children moral responsibilities in order to promote social solidarity. Education provides secondary socialisation. | | |(Meaning the teaching of norms and values of society) to add to the primary socialisation provided by the family. | | |Examples of the values that education teaches to children include the importance of achievement, meritocracy and | | |competition. ...
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...Ideas: * Class segregation * Increase in gap between rich and poor * People are materialistic more than they are humane * Capitalism’s negative impact on society Conventions: * Colour * Clothing People’s Expressions * Symbolism * Layout * Medium Shot Resource Link: http://rwer.wordpress.com/2014/01/21/the-pernicious-impact-of-the-widening-wealth-gap/#more-14874 Visual texts have the power to convey strong messages while still being able to do so in a light hearted manner, keeping us the viewers informed but entertained. The untitled image published in a word press blog on the 21st January 2014 in an article written on the widening of the income gap, discusses segregation of class, widening gap between the rich and the poor as well as giving a negative impression on the capitalistic system through the use of colour, characterisation, symbolism, layout and positioning of the characters and objects. Class segregation One major idea that is presented in the image is that of the class separation between the rich and the poor, and this is specifically done through the clothing of the characters portrayed in the cartoon. The man carrying away all the cash in the wheelbarrow is dressed up in a smart jacket, hat and shoes, whilst the group of people stuck at the edge of the platform all have clothing that look similar to each other. This in effect is an entertaining yet informative approach to identifying the separation of...
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...Using material from item A and elsewhere, assess the usefulness of sub cultural theories in explaining “sub cultural crime and deviance” in society. Functionalist sociologists adopt a normative definition to explain crime and deviance. They categorise it as something which breaks off from or violates social norms. This means that there is an assumption that society is based on value consensus and thus laws reflect the interests and views of the majority of the population. On the other hand critical criminology such as Marxism would use the relativistic definition to define crime and thus support the notion that the law reflects the interests of the ruling class instead. One sub cultural theory which is useful in explaining sub cultural crime and deviance is Merton’s strain theory. He argued that in society, certain members may experience a strain between the cultural goals of society for example the American dream and the legitimate means to achieve these goals. Deviance results from the structure of society and reaching these goals depends on an individual’s social mobility. In a stratified society goals are inevitably linked to a person’s position in the social structure. As a result, when some members are unable to achieve goals they become disenchanted and may seek out alternative ways. Merton argued that capitalist societies suffer from anomie - a strain/conflict between the goals set by society and the legitimate (law abiding) means of achieving them. However, Merton...
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...autonomy, and status across social groups. Social stratification implies social inequality; if some groups have access to more resources than other; the distribution of those resources is inherently unequal. Societies can be stratified on any number of dimensions. In the United States, the most widely recognized stratification systems are based on race, social class, and gender. Social Stratification on Health Jamaica Throughout history and even today Race and Class has placed a major impact on the identity of Jamaicans. “Race has been used to render ethnicity” (Austin-Bross, D.2006 Pg 213). Class, however is a social construct that is used to group people into a hierarchy of social stratification. Included are upper, middle, lower and newly stratified ‘working class’. Due to such stratification, persons of the ideal race and class are viewed as superior. Jamaicans have lost their identity and it has also encouraged low self esteems and confidence. Black persons from the lower class has been discriminated against and put to shame. This was the case during the slavery period and even today. Ideologies of the ‘right’ class and race originated from white plantation owners who viewed black people as ‘property. Between 1658 and 1798, approximately 281,000 slaves were imported to Jamaica. Thousands died in the middle passage or became ill and died after arrival. The period of adjustment to plantation conditions known as “seasoning” took one to three years. This period was accompanied...
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...Assignment 1: Industrialization After the Civil War Thesis and Outline Thesis Topic: Industrialization after the Civil War was a major component in creating the advanced world we live in today. The industrial revolution connected America through transportation, leading to easier communication. It shifted how the process of business went about allowing productivity to skyrocket. Industrialization changed how the average person lived their life with their family and how they earned money to provide for that family. Political control was superseded by the wealthy. It shifted the majority of workers from agricultural positions to industrial ones. Finally, it urbanized American society, so that we could eventually become a super power of a nation. 1. Major Aspects of Industrialization a. Business and industrialization centered on the cities. The ever increasing number of factories created an intense need for labor, convincing people in rural areas to move to the city, and drawing immigrants from Europe to the United States. As a result, the United States transformed from an agrarian to an urban nation, and the demographics of the country shifted dramatically. b. Laissez-faire economics helped the country industrialize. Supporters of Laissez-faire believe that government should not interfere in the economy other than protect property rights and maintain peace. c. Industrialization brought us many technological advancements. A few of those were being...
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...relevance of the Marxist model of class structure and class conflict to an analysis of Caribbean society. (May/June 2000) Karl Marx was inspired to create an explanation of a society that had become industrialized and capitalist in the eighteenth century. He understood that the illusion of modernity reflected a continuation of class exploitation that had occurred in previous eras like slavery and feudalism. Hence, he constructed his own model, the Marxist model of class conflict to explain negative circumstances that existed in his time. The main features of Marxism include class conflict, surplus value extraction, false consciousness, revolution and by extension communism. The features of the Marxist model are all applicable to Caribbean society, however due to significant changes in society, they are not relevant to the extent that Karl Marx witnessed. The communist manifesto of 1848 declared that the history of all existing society hitherto is the history of class conflict i.e. oppressor and oppressed. According to Marx, this was reflected by the Bourgeosie as the oppressor and the Proletariat as the oppressed, this statement can be applied to society during the period of Colonization which implanted a Plantation Society which exploited the Indigenous people, West Africans, Indians, Chinese and Madeirans. The methods of class exploitation were visible through the Encomienda, Enslavement and Indentureship. In a Post-Colonial society, class conflict still exists however, it...
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...Sociology Homework – Monday 28/09/2015 by Maria Taravkova. Evaluate the view that factors and processes within the school are the main cause of differences in the educational achievement of different social groups (20 marks) * Decode = The meanings of encoding/decoding, it is how media messages are produced, circulated and consumed by the nation, proposing a new theory of communication. Stuart Hall (cultural theorist) argued that the meaning is not fixed or determined by the sender, the message is never transparent. There is a “ lack of fit “ between the moment of the production of the message ( which is referred to as ENCODING ) and the moment of its reception ( which is referred to as DECODING ). The meaning of the text is located between the producer and the reader. The producer – encoder ‘ encoded ‘ meaning in a certain way, while the reader decoder – ‘ decodes ‘ it differently according to his/her personal background, beliefs and values. * Interactionists Labelling Theory = ‘ Interactionism ‘ is a sociological perspective that focuses on a small-scale interactions between individuals and groups. And ‘ Labelling Theory ‘ is the theory of how the self-identity – ( what someone thinks of themselves. E.g what they are, who they are e.t.c ) and behaviour of individuals may be determined or influenced by the terms used to describe or classify them. As we are talking about ‘ Interactionists Labelling Theory ‘ meaning that the only relevant meaning in this case...
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...tools is the major theme of the novel. Society is run by a group of manager engineers. In addition, this widespread of mechanization causes two different sides between the social upper class where the engineers and managers keeping society operating, and the lower class, those job have been taken by intelligent machines. People whose jobs are displaced feel that their lives are useless and meaningless. Player Piano is developed around the main character named Paul Proteus, who is the son of a former Works Manager, preparing to move up to the highest levels of management by himself, but he is worried in some way. Increasingly difficulty between displeased and stressful to advance, Paul carefully considers to change by deciding to buy a farm and choosing to avoid of the conflict. Anita disagrees that idea. His wife, Anita, forces him to advance, but many evenings he wears old clothes and goes to a bar on the other side of the river. In the bar is a player piano, that the author use as a key in this novel to symbolize an early automatic displacement of a human. Vonnegut used a player piano that is know as a modified piano that “play itself” as a metaphor to reveal how the novel’s fantastic society is controlled by machines instead of human working. For him, an old player piano in a muddy lower class neighborhood bar stands as the symbol of a society where machines have took over manual labor. Thus, Proteus becomes more and more...
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...that appeared dazzling on the surface, but was actually corrupt under the falsified image. Over time, individuals began noticing and criticizing the political and social corruption existing in America. Theodore Roosevelt gave a name to the journalists and writers who exposed the underlying corruption in the early 20th century. The term ‘Muckrakers’ was first used in 1906 and became a title these journalists were proud of. Lincoln Steffens was a journalist, lecturer, philosopher, and an overall leading figure among the muckrakers. Lincoln Steffens spent nine years working for a New York City newspaper. In that time, Steffens discovered quite a lot of evidence of the corruption of politicians and business owners. He exposed them for what they were, upper class citizens desiring special privileges in a time when the lower class was living day to day. By 1901,...
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...A view that the family is a positive institution is the Functionalist view, they believe the family is extremely beneficial and necessary for not only the smooth running of society but also the personal development of individuals. They also believe that the family is crucial for bringing about consensus in society. However there are other theories that question this, such as the Marxists. They believe that the family are often exploited by capitalism, therefore benefiting society but by helping the wrong people. The family works in society to benefit the rich, the family are exploited by capitalism and are told the main route to happiness is through consumerism. This keeps people from rebelling which in turn keeps the working class oppressed. Parsons believes that the families are crucial in ensuring that people are well integrated into society, as it is part of the functionalist theory to believe that each member of society is important for it to run smoothly. Parsons thought there were three functions of the family: primary socialisation of children, gender-role socialisation, and stabilisation of adult personalities (warm bath theory). For example gender-role socialisation is when the parents teach their children gender appropriate behaviour and practices that conform to social expectations of how males and females should act, for example, young girls playing with dolls or having a toy kitchen. Marxist feminists, however, argue that this sort of behaviour reinforces the...
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...g Racism, Institutional racism, social class of ethnic minorities (Marxism), welfare dependency (New Right). This essay will identify and assess these explanations. AO1 Define types of Racism e.g Barker and new racism, institutional racism – McPhearson report on murder of stephen lawrence – racism in met police. Jenkins suggests recruitment to jobs is more word of mouth and disadvantages ethnic minorities. Modood 1994 28% of african caribbean people surveyed said they felt they had been refused a job on grounds of race. AO2 There are many government acts such as Race relations acts which should prevent discrimination AO2 However because racism is implicit (hidden) now it can be difficult to prove in court. AO1 Marxists such as Westergaard and Resler argue that race is a distraction from the real issue which is social class. It is capitalism which disadvantages certain groups and ethnic minorities are more likely to be in lower classes. AO2 However this ignores the existence of racism in society e.g in education where black boys have the highest exclusion rates in school. AO1 Another marxist explanation by Castles and Kosack is that ethnic divisions in society ensure that there is never enough solidarity for the proletariat to form a revolution – this is termed divide and rule principle. Ao2 However Britain is multicultural society and ethnic minorities are becoming more integrated in every walk of like, many are middle class. AO1 Castles and Kosack also argue that...
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...Money is something that is a necessity in life but it also comes at a price, 99% of the time. That price is work, whether it is working as a paperboy, to the CEO of a company both get paid for their work that they do for a company or business, the only difference between these two is the amount that they get paid and what their job involves. Recently there has been a request for a raise in the minimum wage, and the effects of this could negatively impact the average American citizen, small businesses and small business owners, and finally the effects on employment. Increasing the minimum wage to $15 an hour, could have a lasting impact on the average American. This would drive up prices in stores because the companies would have to pay...
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