...different from what it is today. The authors of the stories criticize our present social system, by displaying a satirized dystopian future of society, in which the world is led by corporatism and has lost control of themselves as well as the ability to think and instead are governed by a higher form of power, having become controlled sheep. The dystopian possibilities shown in the stories aren’t that far out of reach. Many of the dystopian elements can be scene in today’s society but on a smaller scale. As time progresses our civilization can itself become incorporated in a reality that was once the plot of fictitious stories. The classic cult movie “They Live” by John carpenter exploits corporatism that is seen in a large scale in today’s society. The movie revolves around Nada, a happy go lucky wandering construction worker, who stumbles upon a pair of sunglasses that are capable of showing the world’s true nature. Through his sunglasses he can see hidden subliminal messages throughout the city that are projected by advertisements and mass media. He only sees the core of their message and only the reason why they exist. No matter where Nada looks, or at whichever magazine he flips open he can see the same subliminal messages, which can also be seen on money. The memos contain messages such as: “obey," “consume," “buy," “work, sleep, play” and are meant to restrain and control the population. Nada also discovers that most of the worlds social elite are skull faced aliens that...
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...Importance of Political Participation “Elites” have a great effect on political socialization and participation in America. There are three factors that affect socialization and political participation that stand taller than the rest. First is the limited growth in worker wages. While the wealthy businessmen continue to get richer and the lower class workers continue to get lower wages, the median of the incomes between the two is rising. (Dye) This allows for the minimum wages of lower class workers to keep decreasing and go unnoticed because statistics look at the median wages for Americans when in actuality, it is a combination of average and median values that give more accuracy in the perception of the state of worker wages. Regretfully, this truth is disregarded as many large businesses display those statistics and continue to mask this growing dilemma in our economy. Second, most electorates are completely oblivious about anything going on that does not directly affect them, and often they still don’t know anything about what is greatly affecting them. Because they are uninformed, they do not know of any problems and thus do not particularly care. This is demonstrated by the fact that many support certain institutions in which they do not support the people who run the institutions. (Dye) This is not necessarily due to elitists, but it does continue to drive a wedge further between the elites and the lower class, which is how the elites would prefer to make the decisions...
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...Paul Krugman seems to disagree in his article, “Knowledge Isn’t Power”[1], in which he talks about how the argument for improving education is just a cover-up for talking about the real, underlying issue: that most of the power in the United States is being controlled by a small group of people with most of the money, and that this group is actively trying to keep all of the money to themselves through monopoly. This idea seems to go against that of Mill and Tocqueville’s; the power lies in the 1% of Americans, an extremely small minority. Furthermore, although most of the majority is able to freely speak their mind in various mediums, such as social media, online newsletters, and blogs, they are largely powerless to make much change in the political and economic sphere. Yet another example that a small group holds all of the power! The point to note here is that the current system of oppression of the poor by the rich was allowed to happen under the same circumstances that Mill and Tocqueville feared would lead to the tyranny of the masses. Although we as a nation had cast away the oppressive monarchy, we created a country in which ordinary people could rise to power, and become the new kings of our time. However, this is not to say that tyranny of the masses does not exist. In fact, as Krugman implies, the minority that holds power over the masses does so through a form of tyranny of the masses to keep said power. One of the main concerns that Tocqueville had about the American...
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...2ND SUBJECT: - SOCIOLOGY TITLE OF THE PROJECT: - POWER AND AUTHORITY RESEARCH METHODOLOGY: - The researcher will have a doctrinal approach towards the Project. Information for the Project will be collected from Books, Journals and Internet. ACKNOWLEDGMENT This Project couldn’t have been successfully completed without the support and guidance of our Sociology Professor, M. Lakshmipati Raju Sir and we would like to express our immense gratitude to him for his constant support and motivation that has encouraged us to come up with this project. Lastly, we would like to thank our classmates for their whole hearted support at all times during the course of the Project. Thanking You Rahul Kr. Dubey CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………………..4 2. WHAT IS POWER?.......................................................................................................5 A. THE EMERGENCE OF POWER…………………………………………6 B. THE DIVISION OF POWER……………………………………………..9 3. WHAT IS AUTHORITY…...…………………………………………………………9 A. POLITICAL AUTHORITY……...………………………………………11 4. THE DEMOCRATIC CONCEPTION OF POLITICAL AUTHORITY………..….15 5. THE RELATIONSHIP AND DISTINCTION BETWEEN POWER AND AUTHORITY…………………..................................
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...Social stratification exists in America because the wealth and power belongs to a small portion of the population. Wealthy people possess an enormous amount of power over the political system and are held in high esteem by our society. There is a general feeling that those who are wealthy and powerful are superior to the average person. Social stratification involves not only socio-economic inequality, but the belief system held by people in America. A stratified society exists when there is an unequal distribution of wealth, power and prestige. In American society, political power and wealth are not distributed equally (Johnson, 1996). Paul Krugman is an economist and author of the book, 'The Spiral of Inequality' (1996). Krugman believes corporate greed, the decline of organized labor and changes in the way goods are produced are the causes of the growing social and economic inequality in the United States (Anderson, 2003). There is an unspoken general agreement in America that certain occupations deserve higher wages and more respect. Professions, such as physicians, lawyers, athletes and actors, are held in high esteem, whereas custodians, waitresses and trash collectors are considered professions that are not worthy of respect or praise and require minimal skill or intelligence. America most definitely needs skilled physicians and lawyers, but it also needs custodians, trash collectors and others who perform much needed tasks in order for society to thrive and function...
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...KARL MARX AND THE CONCEPTS OF SOCIETY AND SOCIAL STRUCTURE BEING AN ASSIGNMENT SUBMITTED BY EKOTT, IMOH BERNARD 1.0 INTRODUCTION The philosopher, social scientist, historian and revolutionary, Karl Heinrich Marx, is without a doubt the most influential socialist thinker to emerge in the 19th century. Although he was largely ignored by scholars in his own lifetime, his social, economic and political ideas gained rapid acceptance in the socialist movement after his death in 1883. Until quite recently almost half the population of the world lived under regimes that claim to be Marxist. This very success, however, has meant that the original ideas of Marx have often been modified and his meanings adapted to a great variety of political circumstances. In addition, the fact that Marx delayed publication of many of his writings meant that is been only recently that scholars had the opportunity to appreciate Marx's intellectual stature. Karl Heinrich Marx was born into a comfortable middle-class home in Trier on the river Moselle in Germany on May 5, 1818. He came from a long line of rabbis on both sides of his family and his father, a man who knew Voltaire and Lessing by heart, had agreed to baptism as a Protestant so that he would not lose his job as one of the most respected lawyers in Trier. At the age of seventeen, Marx enrolled in the Faculty of Law at the University of Bonn. At Bonn he became engaged to Jenny von Westphalen, the daughter of Baron von Westphalen , a prominent...
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...The hazardous nature of soft power suggests that it may take several attempts for that ritual ceremony to produce outcomes: if more and more people attend the ceremony because they are convinced that it works, then they are genuinely attracted to it, which allows soft power to affect the audience. Soft power takes thus longer time to show results than hard power. Furthermore, preferences may change. This year’s new trend might be short skirts, but next year’s might be long skirts, and the next only pants. As a result, more women may wear short skirts the first year, then long skirts, then pants. It would be then difficult to observe whether women actually are attracted to short skirts or not. Similarly, since soft power is based on preferences, policy makers must be aware of what seduces people. Attraction is the main characteristic of soft power. Either through culture, values or polices –or all –, soft...
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...The History of Inequality: Institutions and Citizenship Throughout history, inequalities have permeated many different societies to different extents. The exclusion of certain groups over the course of centuries and policies that favor the elite more often than not have allowed inequality to persist. Many different policies and factors result in these inequalities, so it can be difficult to narrow down which have the greatest impact, but by examining the history of different programs meant to reduce or perpetuate inequalities, it is clear that the issue of inequalities is one of policy rather than a natural state. According to de Barros, “The inequality caused by unequal opportunities is viewed by most people as fundamentally unfair” (de Barros, 27). This suggests the difference between inequality of opportunity and inequality of outcome. If there seems to be a positive correlation between these two forms of inequality, then we can claim there is something unfair about the system inherently. Furthermore, “some inequality may be tolerated, like inequality caused by differences in effort and talent, particularly when attempts to reduce it could interfere with other ethical objectives, such as privacy and individual freedom. Equality of opportunity is desirable, equality of outcomes (earnings, income, wealth) not necessarily” (de Barros, 27). For example, if a child who, because of chance and circumstance, grows up in a poor family and lacks access to a decent education as...
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...Aristocracy (Greek ἀριστοκρατία aristokratía, from ἄριστος aristos "excellent," and κράτος kratos "power") is a form of government in which a few elite citizens rule.[1] The term derives from the Greek aristokratia, meaning "rule of the best".[2] In origin in Ancient Greece, it was conceived of as rule by the best qualified citizens, and contrasted with monarchy. In later times, aristocracy was usually seen as rule by a privileged group (the aristocratic class), and contrasted withdemocracy.[1] ------------------------------------------------- Concept The concept evolved in Ancient Greece, whereby a council of famous citizens was commonly used and contrasted with direct democracy in which a council of male citizens was appointed as their "senate". The Greeks did not like the concept of monarchy, and as their democratic system fell, aristocracy was upheld.[1] In Rome, the Republic consisted of an aristocracy as well as consuls, a senate, and a tribal assembly. Later, aristocracies primarily consisted of an elitearistocratic class, privileged by birth and often by wealth. Since the French Revolution, aristocracy has generally been contrasted with democracy, in which all citizens hold some form of political power. However this distinction is often oversimplified. In Leviathan, Thomas Hobbes describes an aristocracy as a commonwealth in which the representative of the citizens is an assembly by part. Simply put, a government when only a certain part of the general public can...
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...ELITES – THE GEN Y TRANSFORMERS Nature abhors vacuum, and so do homo-sapiens. The latter, in its unrelenting quest, goes a step further and evolves to improvise, adapt and overcome. Given the nature of how non-conformist descended from the same ancestor, we’re all the same; and yet we’re so different. At the very outset, the elite, since time immemorial, has enjoyed a stellar reputation by virtue of their elevated status, which was, is and continues to be shaped by their social status; political background; cultural hegemony and/or economical might. There is no doubt in mentioning that the elite has toiled hard, slogged painstakingly and worked tirelessly to mount on the pinnacle in every walk of life. However, the existential question still looms large; to what extent the ‘elite’ has contributed and is contributing in the national and global discourse. The answer may well be fraught with complications, and full of labyrinth cross-questions, but this is what this essay seeks to do. I live in India, a developing economy whose population is over 1.2 billion. Though it is the seventh largest country in terms of area it houses the maximum number of people second to China. If we are optimistic, then in one way we have the second largest manpower in the world and we can use it to do wonders. Infact the steady progress which India has been doing in the past has made the developed nations be wary and cautious of India’s achievements. But, on the contrary, if we look at the real...
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...African states from the level of the state. That is, the nature of the states' inceptions and the underlying flaws may explain some of the issues that have been associated with African states today. Next I examine the development of, or lack of, civil society and the institutions which took place across the continent in the colonial era. In particular, I consider the lack of education and judicial authority and how this affected the formation of the structures which exist in the post-colonial era. Lastly, the economic legacy of colonialism is analysed, and whether the failure of African states to prosper can be explained by colonial practices. State Formation Ever since the boundaries of Africa were drawn up in 1884/5, very little has changed in terms of the continent's territorial divisions. Much has been made of the fact that the post-colonial states which constitute Africa were the products of colonial demarcations, and whose territories are not congruent to existing political and ethnic organizations. Ethnic conflict within states is an unfortunate feature of several African states, and one which undoubtedly retards development of any kind. There has been debate surrounding the nature of African ethnicities and whether they were synthetic constructs created by colonial powers(Berman 1998), or a continuation of traditional polities within the colonial landscape(Spear...
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...Business, Government Society Models Interactions among business, government, and society are infinite and their meaning is open to interpretation. Faced with this complexity, many people use simple mental models to impose order and meaning on what they observe. These models are like prisms, each having a different refractive quality, each giving the holder a different view of the world. Depending on the model (or prism) used, a person will think differently about the scope of business power in society, criteria for managerial decisions, the extent of corporate responsibility, the ethical duties of managers, and the need for regulation. The following four models are basic alternatives for seeing the BGS relationship. As abstractions they oversimplify reality and magnify central issues. Each model can be both descriptive and prescriptive; that is, it can be both an explanation of how the BGS relationship does work and, in addition, an ideal about how it should work. The Market Capitalism Model The market capitalism model, shown in Figure 1.2, depicts business as operating within a market environment, responding primarily to powerful economic forces. There, it is substantially sheltered from direct impact by social and political forces. The market acts as a buffer between business and nonmarket forces. To appreciate this model, it is important to understand the history and nature of markets and the classic explanation of how they work. Markets are as old as humanity, but...
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...scientific process during which the truth is found and could possibly be a sequence of socially manufactured images. Firstly, I am going to start with a neo-pluralist point of view where (Davies) claim’s that journalists no longer care about the “truth” impartially checking facts. Instead, they repeat “flat-earth” stories which are universally accepted as true and practice churnalism which are “facts” produced by the government in order to not negatively affect the media. Commercial pressures also exist which are facts from official sources are used because they are cheap. This type of news consists of unchecked, second hand materials contrived by PR and to serve some political and commercial interests. Edwards and Cromwell who are Marxists who criticize Davies as he does not fully recognize the role of the owners and advertisers. They state that newspapers and advertisements are used to promote values and idea’s that are popular with elite audiences, elite advertisers and elite journalists....
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... • To see stratification as a trait of society rather than one of individuals, we need to only look at how inequality persists along generations. In all societies, parents pass their social position on to their children. • Social Mobility-‐ change in one’s position in the social hierarchy. 3. Social stratification is universal but variable. • In some societies, inequality is mostly a matter of prestige; in others, wealth or power is the key dimension of difference. More importantly some societies display more inequality than others. 4. Social stratification involves not just inequality but beliefs. • Any system of inequality gives some people more than others...
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...bizstrategos.com http://www.bizstrategos.com/2012/07/cooperation-for-transforming-frencheconomy/#more-688 Cooperation for transforming french economy. If France does not transform its economy in depth, the financial crisis sounds the start of repeated crises. This transformation will not be the result of technical measures, but a radical change of mindset, behavior, know-how on the part of all stakeholders because the economies of the future will be economies of cooperation. While we are going through one of the most serious financial crisis in history that contaminates all economic activities, we still have before us the thick walls against which the other day when our blind and unbridled race to growth-happiness will crash: aging poputlation, public health, dependency, pollution. Our elites employ a method that seems borrowed from the fire station of the eighth arrondissement of Paris, which is a stopgap “to save” or rather limit spending to what is necessary, which leads, nevertheless the deficits. Indeed, during the presidential campaign that just ended, have we not had discussions on accounting amounts that in view of the walls that lie ahead can only increase, even if proportions deserve to be controlled? A light point in the consciousness of some who begin to advocate a re-industrialization of France. However, the potion is still dark, when it is not translated into budget lines or if they promptly doubt its effectiveness. Others recall with great...
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