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SOCY 1001: Final Exam
Why do consumers purchase products like fast food hamburgers and Nike shoes?
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Because it's cheap and easy to get ahold of. Nike-- profits from the use of child labor, pays lower than minimum wage so the consumer doesn't have to pay a lot of money. Cheap, convent, consistency, unique styles and logos, as well as consumption is socially constructed. Wants vs. Needs. Others buy them
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Why do corporations produce these products?
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To a certain degree they profit from the use of child labor-- lower than minimum wage, seeking out cheap land, labor and resources.
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What are some of the global effects of U.S. fast-food hamburgers?
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Demand for hamburger --> high food prices and land expropriation --> people's hunger and migration --> social unrest and civil war --> immigration to the United States
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Why are production and consumption of these products "sociological'? How do production and consumption connect people to each other? How does this relate to commodity fetishism?
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Social through entering a social relationship with food producers, lost land, migrated and entered this country. They are dependent on one another meaning they're socially connected. Americans are connected to people who live thousands of miles away which raises questions of morality between these groups. While one is benefiting from the relationship, others may be harmed. Relates to commodity fetishism because it hides the real social relationships of oppression, exploitation and obligation that bind people to one another
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What is Commodity Fetishism? What is the implication of commodity fetishism?
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Commodity fetishism hides the real social relationships of oppression, exploitation and obligation that bind people to one another. (When consumers buy a product without thinking about the social consequences)
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According to lecture, what are the significant characteristics of bureaucratic organizations? Why are these characteristics so common and important? What are the advantages and disadvantages?
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adv: increase profits, efficiency, standard of living around the world. creates complex social relationships
Disadv: alienation, poverty, benefits organizations NOT individuals, people at bottom have less power/ voice, people higher up don't listen
1. Have a hierarchy authority, 2. Numerous- well defined rules and regulations, 3. Social relations, 4. Career Ladders, 5. Highly efficient, 6. High division of labor 7. Deskilling, 8. Bureaucratic Alienation |
The importance of bureaucratic characteristics of alienation and deskilling as described in lecture
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Alienation: when people go to wok they are alienated to their labor because they have to sell it in order to survive in a Capitalist society. They are alienated from the products of their labor. Because they are alienated, they are additionally alienated from their own basic humanity. The modern Capitalism deprives us from our creativity.
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Deskilling |
1. Corporate world takes a complex task, 2. Hire many different employees to carry out these simple steps (supposedly makes production more efficient, also simplifies training, increases profits, and gives management greater control over employees and their production process)
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How does this harm workers?
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Weakens unions, decreases workers knowledge of the production process, and workers become easily replaceable.
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Explain the relationship between bureaucracy and class conflict
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There is a capitalist class and a working class with mutually opposing interests.
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What factors make it possible for corporations to do business throughout the world?
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Bureaucracy plans and organizes easier around the world, allow corporations to produce at reduced costs. Cheap labor laws and cheap means of production.
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According to lecture, what is stratification?
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Refers to the existence of structural inequality in society (inequality created by social structures); to the way society distributes rewards unequally amongst individuals in groups.
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Dr. Downey made at least two extended arguments about why stratification is important to study.
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1. We learn about the society we live in, 2. We learn how our inequality affects all of us
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How did Dr. Downey define social class in lecture?
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A large group of people who occupy similar economic positions in the wider society based on income, wealth status, education and power
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According to Dr. Downey, is the U.S. a gradational or a divided class society?
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Both gradational and divided. Gradation within the middle class while division separates the lower class from the middle class and the middle class from the upper class
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Does the U.S. have high or low levels of poverty and inequality relative to other developed countries?
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High poverty and high inequality rate
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How are power and inequality distributed globally?
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Wealthy countries vs. Poor countries. Wealthier countries are able to have more political and military power while poor countries do not.
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What do the existence of inequalities within rich nations suggest about the power of citizens in these nations?
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Wealthier citizens/ corporations within a rich nation are able to have more political power and influence compared to poor citizens. Similar to the idea poor countries are not able to have as much power.
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What is the fundamental source of stratification and inequality in capitalist societies?
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Capitalist ownership of the means of production is the objectives that are required to produce goods. One either owns the means of production or doesn't, that is the class divide. It is not income, authority, or prestige because that is not what gives one power. The working class doesn't own the means of production because they are the working class. Marxs argues that the capitalist class exploits the working class.
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What are two primary classes that Marx discusses and why do they have opposing interests?
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The capitalist class who owns the means of production and purchase/ controls labor power, exploits the working class. The working class who sell their labor to capitalist, doesn't own the means of production.
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What is free labor?
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When workers are forced to sell their labor power because they don't own the means of production. Workers are free from the sans of production and have nothing to sell but their labor power. Marx: workers are truly freed from means of production and have to sell but the means of production. Separates from being factory workers and being exploited. How we see free labor is workers can be free to sell their labor power instead of being forced to sell
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What is surplus value?
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The difference between the value of good workers produce and the value of the worker's labor. When surplus value is extracted from workers, it is called exploitation. Marx argues that exploitation took form of surplus value. The value of commodity equals the amount of labor it takes to produce it.
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According to Marx, why is capitalism bad for workers?
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Capitalism is bad for workers because; 1. workers are exploited under capitalism, 2. under capitalism, workers create a system that dominates them, 3. workers are alienated under capitalism. Exploitation is a process where surplus value is extracted from workers.
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How did Marx characterize " what it is to be human"?
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To be human is having the ability to be productive/ produce things. Therefore, transform our environment. When we produce things, we own them.
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What is Marxist Alienation? How does it differ from bureaucratic alienation?
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Marxist Alienation: 1. separated from your labor, 2. separated from the product of your labor, 3. separated from your innate humanity, 4. wage labor contributes to commodity fetishism. Bureaucratic Alienation: the experience most people feel when they enter a bureaucratic organization of losing their individuality and/or being forced to behave in ways that do not fit their image of themselves. Differs because Mars believes that workers have lost their individuality and what it is to be human.
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Marx suggest workers have mutually opposing interests
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Owners want to benefit from their company, make a profit. While workers care about their income and being able to provide for their families.
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What are the human effects of deindustrialization?
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Increased poverty, lowered tax revenue affects schools, increased demand for social services, city services deteriorated, crime incased, city budget for policing increased, higher suicide rates.
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Roger and Me
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The closing of the GM plant meant that many lost their jobs. Therefore, those who has to leave to find work and those who could not leave lived in poverty. and there was an increased demand for services such as welfare, were unable to spend money and therefore was no tax revenue which affect schools and resulted in secondary labor market.
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Be able to link Marx's ideas to Roger and Me
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1. Workers have some say in the company, 2. Workers and owners have opposing interest. |
What is the definition of poverty given by the U.S. Census Bureau?
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Poverty line is 3 times the amount of money it takes to feed a family. If the family makes less money than that amount, then they are considered in poverty. The amount of money is based on the Thrifty Food Plan
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According to Dr. Downey, what are the problems with the U.S. Census Bureau's definition?
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Living costs vary greatly in different parts of the country
Poverty rates vary by social groups |
5 factors that affect poverty:
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1. Occupational structure, 2. Educational system, 3. Cycle of poverty, 4. Unemployment, 5. Globalization and downsizing/ deindustrialization |
What is the segmented labor market theory?
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The segmented labor market theory is the buying and selling of labor in market. The two types of labor markets are primary and secondary labor markets. Primary has good jobs, good pay, and many opportunities. The secondary market has low pay, few benefits, and bad conditions
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According to Dr. Downey, what are the most important differences between the two types of labor markets and how do these differences affect workers?
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The secondary is less stable and there is few opportunities for one to move from secondary to primary. No career ladder
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Why are schools in the U.S. highly unequal?
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Funding provided to public schools varies and therefore leads to differences within the types of education and teachers. Private schools vs. Public schools
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Be able to discuss the impact that a poor-quality education has on students and their life chances.
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Poverty cycle/ secondary labor market.
Kid grows up in poor neighborhood and goes to a poor school, because his family can't afford a better education. This then puts the child in the secondary labor market once graduating because he does not obtain the proper skills or education to be in the primary labor market. Results in low pay, few benefits, and bad conditions. The cycle then continues |
What are the two types of structural explanations that researchers developed to explain why the economic and social conditions in black, urban ghettos deteriorated in the 1970s and 1980s.
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1. Racism/ racial discrimination
2. Demographic/ economic factors.
( the society is structured in a way that provides some racial groups more opportunities and others with few --> blames society)
(Biological and cultural explanation: if an ethnic group doesn't do well its their fault) |
What, according to Wilson, are the serious problems that exist in urban black ghettos?
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1. economic changes; shift from manufacturing centers 2. Social isolation: as middle class whites/ blacks leave to follow jobs to suburbs, less money is being spent in inner cities which leads to poverty and unemployment 3. poverty difference between PB and PW; whites less likely to live in extreme poverty. 4. results of structural issues, jobless, crimes, family dissolution, welfare dependency, and increased poverty.
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Wilson continued
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These problems are not a result of black culture rather occur disproportionally in PB neighborhoods because poverty is different in black neighborhoods. PB more likely to live in poor neighborhoods than PW. Racism isn't an important factor because its impossible to argue that racism in the post-civil rights is worse than before. Prior to the 60's, urban areas were the center of material problems. After the 60's they left the urban area as well as the deskilled jobs. Blacks were hurt by this.
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Why according to Wilson, is poverty different for poor urban blacks than poor urban whites?
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Whites less likely to live in extreme poverty. Social and economic relations. White/ black middle class flight, following factory jobs to the suburbs, more opportunity to leave. When you live in a neighborhood where 60% or higher of the population is poor, you are isolated from the middle class. resulting in neighborhood deterioration, jobs disappearing, schools closing, less taxes. Young blacks don't have enough role models, harder to get the first job
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According to Wilson, why are poor blacks socially and ecumenically isolate in extremely poor urban neighborhoods?
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Poverty, joblessness, violent crime, single parent families, welfare dependency
These exist because they can't move to follow factory jobs which results in poverty |
According to Dr. Downey, what are the problems with Wilson's argument?
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Wilson ignores racism
If racism isn't an issue, then why s it that blacks and whites with similar incomes live in different neighborhoods? There is an issue of political power, those with less money have less political power |
Massey and Denton, what does Wilson's agreement ignore and because of this what 3 things is he unable to explain?
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Wilson ignores racism. Therefore, he is unable to explain 1. Why blacks go to worse schools, 2. Why blacks are unable to follow manufacturing jobs to the suburbs, 3. Why more blacks than whites live in extreme poverty areas.
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How do Massey and Denton explain the worsening conditions for poor, urban blacks?
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Social and economic isolation and concentrated blacks poverty exists because of residential segregation. Racism in the housing market creates inequality in two other institutional areas-- 1. Labor Market. 2. Education
Their conclusion: the economic shifts Wilson is referring to did result in high black unemployment and increased poverty. Wilson is fundamentally wrong when he saids race and racial discrimination no longer play important roles in shaping inequality. |
According to lecture, why does the U.S. have such high levels of black/ white segregation?
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1. Many whites don't want to live with blacks, 2. Racist leading practices, 3. Racist real estate practices.
Massy's simulation and conclusion. results in black and white income differences. Because of the economic shift Wilson describes, Blacks do live in high poverty. |