INEQUALITIES in Society
  TTh 12:30 - 1:45  Room 302 Purinton
Week XV Spring 2019

 E-mail . jvazzana@kent.edu  OR  jveav@aol.com  Any time night or day, but it better be good!!! Thanx.

ASSIGNMENTS: 

 Tuesday 30 April 2019: Screening - HOW MUCH A POUND IS ALBATROSS?
Thursday 2 May 2019: Individual Conferences - my office.

  Week of 22 April 2019  Inequalities is basically a form of something or some social process being out of equilibrium. It is like a see saw whose one end is very high and stays there overloaded with some form of social exploitation. The solution is to bring the seesaw more into balance. This is not to say that the exploiters will lose everything, but that things will be more equitable. For example, is a social group unjustly makes more money than other groups in society, to solve the issue, the collectivity may induce them not necessarily to lose everything they have, but to, for example, take a portion of their riches and invest them insocial welfare, etc.. In other words they contribute in some way to social benefit and "bring the seesaw more into balance"!

  Week of 15 April 2019 Inequalities from "Hollywood" states a curious, but interesting contradiction. The American learns to maneauver within the social system in a strange way. They are told the most admirable characteristic of personality is individualism, but one learns this facet within dependency of the group. In other words, one is immersed in a contradictory social situastion. One must grow in terms of their personality by being a part of and not a part of that social world they must deal with. 

  Week of 8 April 2019  Review and Exam Three  

  Week of 1 April 2019   3rd Exam due Thursday 11 April 2019 . Write on inequalities on any movie of your choice.  1. State the plot or synopsis. 2. What is the inequality. 3. Theoretical explanations behind it. 4. What is the solution. 

  Week of 18 March 2019   The main theme of Hollywood is society, through the movies, assumes that one's attitude can be influenced. This influence is seen in movies concerning high school and those therein. These actors are portraying people who are guided by an agenda, i.e., one that defines them and the viewer in a special way. This "way" infers that to solve school problems just convert the problem student to middle class values and everything will take care of itself. In other words, the movie is saying that the ideal American citizen and their values will be found in those of the middle class and whatever social problems exist, it is not a matter of social structure, but more an attitude. Economics, bad housing, crime are under this and secondary to this panacea. "Hollywood" says little about social reality and often blames the misunderstanding adults who are oriented toward achievement motives with a backlash academics and school authorities. Being in the right crowd is a threat to individuality and often resisting authority is the key to success. it is suggested that with the right teacher, a student can do anything and the student's problem is really their selves. Another assumption is that the teach must stay on or the school will revert to what is has been and the students are expected to go beyond and above their peers, bad social conditions, culture of poverty and bad schools.  All of this because of THE TEACHER! This is the questionable theme - the students never become autonomous nor an individual. They must always be dependent on a collective self. Just convert the student to middle class values and all will take care of itself.

  Week of 11 March 2019    The main objective of the Power Elite is to get into a circle of influence that gives them the opportunity to make important connections in the upper class structure. This is done mainly through education into the "finest" or most influential schools in the United States. It is so important that just today it was announced that several parents have been arrested for bribing and paying off a scam artist who will hire others to take entrance exams and attempt to sway school officials in such a manner as to accept their children into prestigious institutions.

  Week of 4 March 2019    2d Exam 
 
 Week of 25 February 2019    The middle class arose from the agrarian United States through the industrial revolution accompanied by the idea of achievement inherited from European roots. This late 19th and early 20th Century was characterized by the rise of masses moving to the cities where the factories where and a greater chance for economic success. The factories provided middle class jobs as professional laborers, professional clerks and economic tycoons. The country changed significantly and the farmer took a back seat to the industrial age. However, along with this age cam negative aspects. The captains of industry started to exploit the workers and professionals to their economic benefit. This brought about the unions and a sort os social stabilization for awhile. Even still, capitalism took over again and since the 1970's the middle class has been losing economic ground to the few who hold all the wealth.

 Week of 18 February 2019    2d exam due Thursday 7 March 2019: Question for exam - Discuss the relationship between the Upper and Working Classes. Give examples and demonstrate one read the text: The ideas of welfare and public assistance are difficult to discuss because no one really wants to face them, especially in a culture that toots its horn as "the greatest". People all know that there as a great deal of poverty and homelessness in the United States but does not want to starkly look at it. The fact is that these two areas are intimately bound up in racism, elitism and sexism. One could argue that they are perpetuated in the United States to protect the gains and goals of other classes, especially the upper one. all CULTURES HAVE MECHANISMS IN PLACE TO FAVOR THE RULING CLASS AND DEVICES TO KEEP PEOPLE WHERE THE ARE SO THAT CLASSES ARE STABILIZED AND DO NOT THREATEN THE ARROGANT STAKEHOLDERS. tHIS IS UNIVERSAL AND THE united states IS NO DIFFERENT FROM ANY OTHER CULTURE. tO CHANGE THIS WOULD TAKE GENERATIONS AND, BY THE TIME IT GOT THERE, THOSE INVOLVED WOULD PROBABLY DOING THE SAME AS THE VERY PEOPLE THEY WANTED TO ELIMINATE. (I hit the worng key and I'll be darned if  am going over it again!!!)

 Week of 11 February 2019   In short, wherever one is within the class social structure, it is highly probable  they will not leave that place. The thinking is not only are there mechanisms to keep them there, but they will betray themselves to other social structure by the way they act, talk and generally comport themselves within the social order in such a manner to restrict their movement socially up or down. This suggests stability to social forces that wish to manipulate others to their advantage and perpetuate exploitation of the masses with devices as taxes and minimum wages for example. It has been shown that since 1973 the gap between the "haves" and "have nots" in society has been growing larger.

 Week of 4 February 2019    1st Exam. We are beginning to see the difficulty determining class in contemporary times. In the 20th century "class" was something palpable, that is it was clear by the way a person dressed, the things they had and the way they behaved. In contemporary times, for example, this is not so clear as often college management dresses like the srudents or even as a "homeliss person". it is believed this is the result of "diversification" and access to equal rights agendas.

  Week of 28 January 2019    The distinction between the Classes discussed in class often is difficult to determine. Interestingly, the Middle Class characteristics came very quick and swift in the last class probably because we are all middle class in school and that verifies the goal of any college. College was designed for the Middle Class! However, it still remains that those characteristics could, in some way be applied to other classes. What is going on? Where are the clear distinctions? Well, that is the problem in contemporary times. There has been an equalization of the classes, maybe not in economics, but at least in the overt appearance of people. Consider Kent, East Liverpool for example. There are faculty, students and administrators that appear, in their dress, to be "homeless" in a sense. Now that is not being unkind, but the point is that the United States has OUTWARDLY downed the social tableau such that it is difficult to see where people socially are unless you physically go with them to their "usual haunts" and see what they actually do! This culture has turned the aspects of achievement into something that is "bad", at least in its presentation of social appearance.

  Week of 21 January 2019    After a long discussion on Liberty and Equality, t was suggested that the outcome, in terms of equality, was that the definition of equality would be the opportunity to be equal in that one is unequal! However, there was a problem here with the reality of the situation. Granted the definition, those who are at the commanding heights of the social hierarchy will attempt to maintain their position over the subaltern with entities like the minimum wage, excessive taxes, unrealistic expectations in business, etc.. In other words, capitalism is inherently a system that historically does not help those low in the social order. When it does help, it usually maintains, not elevates, the subalterns position. On to chapter 2 and the American class system...

  14 January 2019   Read Chapter 1 - text.  All societies have a social ordering of dominance and submission. To some this may be oppressive and there is no argument there, but sociologically there is also rhyme and reason to it - SOCIOLOGICALLY. A hierarchy provides order and stability to the human configuration.  It places people in a structure that is defined and creates identity while promoting the assessed order. It also limits power to the few. All of these aspects tend to maintain stability, it is only when the collectivity sees them as radically unjust, as racism, that order it questions and often their masses believe it should be abolished for a new order. (Now that does not mean that the "new order" is right or correct! It simply means that the old social order no longer serves its original, intended purpose.)

  Exam One Paper Due TBS In a thoughtfully written paper, following guidelines in The Survival Manual, discuss the social classes in your hometown and give tangible reasons from the town to support your thesis along with material from the text.

Exam Paper Two Due TBS In a thoughtfully written paper, following survival manual guidelines, discuss characteristics of the lower and middle classes. What is the relation of these classes to the upper class. Give practical examples.

FINAL EXAM QUESTION  - due Monday, 10AM, My Office.: See e-mail with final question...  Reference Hollywood Goes to High School and High Noon.

  return to DR JACK  

Weber suggests that inequality is OK because it contributes to social solidarity in that each person and group has a specific place in the social order. Marx believes inequality is OK as long as it does not oppress or exploit the masses. What would they both say about those that participate in the above scenario?

NOTA BENE:

  return to DR JACK  

                            Social inequality is not necessarily a "bad" thing!