'Power is rooted in the control of coercive force and in the control of the means of production. However, in capitalist societies this reality is not legitimized by rendering the powerful divine, but obscuring their existence.' - Poor People's Movement Article Read this article on the relationship between power and class. Within the political system participation is highly regulated by access to a variety of social and economic resources. This article highlights the various barriers to political participation and the use and misuse of power within the government.
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Elena Saldivar
1/27/2016 01:34:59 pm
One them I have found was the theory of silent consent, one example would be form the article is how we let the government determine how we should live our daily lives and how we have accepted this norm. The second theme I found was the struggle for equality among the minority groups, there are many explains with the article that explain how this them comes about, like how many immigrates and blacks living in ghettos and slums rose in the name for equality in human rights. The third theme how certain people in power can have a influence on our daily lives. An example of this that I found in the article is in the beginning of the article when they started taking about the different social class and how one dose not know about the other. From this what I have learned about power in this article is that it can play a huge role in how our lives are run. But also how it can be used as a tool when wanting to make a change in the world even if they want to change it for the good sometimes those intentions can have severe consequences. It relates to politics and government in a number of ways. Due to that they are so many influence people in power they can actually influence the politicians campaign if they are running for office and if elected how those powers do to try and keep the politician in power.
Melissa Nevarez
1/28/2016 11:51:51 am
I agree with the equality in human rights, most immagrants live in the ghetto and some do not even have a place to live. Racism was a huge deal back then, and sometimes some people treat it the same as today. For that the power from the article explained the equality of the human rights. I found it eye opening.
George Boxberger
1/28/2016 05:25:17 pm
The article discussed the idea of power, and how only a select few control the majority of the power in any given society throughout history. In particular, those who hold significant political power are those who control the “means of physical coercion” and those who control the “means of producing wealth.” Those in society who do not have those powers are subject to those that do. This is related to the concept of throwing others “under the bus” in order to maintain political power, as discussed in class. By giving your subjects as little power as possible, it becomes easier for the ruling class to maintain power. The lower-class is designed to feel powerless, but once the ordinary citizens believe they are able to make a difference and feel as though they are no longer helpless, they are able to execute a full-scale movement.
Yunlin Xie
1/29/2016 05:22:22 pm
we must take the effort to vote in our society and power always exist in any society, but is always distributed differently. It is very important for us to use our power or right. We should never look down upon what we can do and the power we have. If every can do a little bit, I believe we can make a change.
Yunlin Xie
1/30/2016 12:32:40 am
Connection was bad, something wrong with my previous post. The following is the right one: I agree on the statement that we must take the effort to vote in our society and power always exist in any society, but is always distributed differently. It is very important for us to use our power or citizen right. We should never look down upon what we can do and the power we have. If every can do a little bit, I believe we can make a change. Cherish and make full use of the rights you have as a citizen.
Trevor Davies
1/31/2016 04:40:00 pm
I like the idea about the members of the lower class must accumulate and apply pressure to those above them. It’s great that people have the ability to protest and fight for what they believe is right. It may never come easy but when people unite they have the power to do anything.
Maria Garcia
2/7/2016 11:15:24 pm
When it comes to the fact that only the people that have money control the majority of everyone else is what is wrong with this county. Most of the people in charge are greedy and only do things to benefit themselves and people like them. The people that actually want to help the majority of people have no or little access to the funds that are needed to do so. Which means they have no source of power.
Trevor Davies
1/31/2016 04:40:41 pm
In a perfect world we would all have equal rights, equal say, and actually feel like we have that sense of power as an individual. But sadly that is not that case for everybody. Which is why I agree with this because people shouldn’t just give silent consent in hopes that the governments decisions are always in your favor. Need to fight for what you believe in.
Nimsy V
1/31/2016 11:52:41 pm
I totally agree with you that the government in essence tells us how we should live our lives, we can see it in the media and in advertisement also like with gender stereotypes.
Janet Cisneros
2/1/2016 12:00:23 am
I agree that the minority struggle so much to be heard. there is no equality and they definitely make it harder by placing barriers to the minority group. The rich gets richer while the poor gets poorer, and it is sad that people in the lower group have to take that extra step to fight for their rights.this article was very interesting to read and I agree that it is an eye opening.
Payton Palazzolo
1/27/2016 02:39:23 pm
The beginning of this article talks about the use/abuse of power in the government and also makes mention the levels of social classes in America and the influences that they have on the government. One of the first arguments that is made is that for many (if not all) of the individuals in the lowest of social classes do not have a say in how the government should provide for them as citizens. Although they are given equal opportunity to vote for candidates that they would like to see elected, most of the elections are predetermined through large corporate funding who usually supports candidates who offer contributions to mostly the middle to upper classes of society. As a result of this, lower class citizens have almost no choice but to protest and strike against the government in order for them to have a voice. The next point that was made was that society in America has led many of the poor to believe that they and they're families must have done something down the line that caused them to be poor. Many just accept their situation as a social norm, and do not strive for equality or justice. Although in some cases it may be true that individuals created their own poverty, but for many (specifically minorities) the root cause of their poverty is oppression from their own government. One of the last key arguments i took away from this is the concept of power in numbers. If you look at recent history in the United States whether it be the Civil Rights Movement or the Occupy Movement, history proves that when citizens group together, stand for a cause and are relentless in their efforts for change, things happen.
Melissa Nevarez
1/28/2016 11:56:22 am
When I read the article the part that really overwhelmed me was when they explained about the poor. I always questioned many poors how on earth did they become homeless and why? Sometime they just accept how they have to live or choose to live that way, sometimes I wish they do something about it and strive for equality.
Janet Cisneros
2/1/2016 12:08:11 am
That is exactly what I wonder all the time I see a perfectly fine person asking for money in the corner of the streets. I know there are deeper reasons to some (not all) that have brought them to homelessness but I can't help compare sometimes. For example I know many mexican people who came to US with out any papers and work really hard and have a house and are doing pretty well even if it means working twice as hard than someone who is a citizen. But here I see some people who are americans, who know the American language, and are physically perfect to work for money and yet they have the courage to stand out in the streets and ask for penny and dimes when they can do better for sure. I witnesses a white male on the streets asking for money for him and his family and he was physically in great conditions to work and to top it off he was dressed well and had a clean hair cut and so.. i was like "are you serious man." many other on the other hand may be misinformed about their rights and may lack motivation to do better in life because it can be that they feel pushed down as well. who knows.
George Boxberger
1/31/2016 09:52:25 pm
It is indeed true that, although each and every person has one vote, often times in practice our democracy serves only the rich and upper classes, rather than those who are struggling to get by. This is due to the corrupting influence of money in politics, as well as corporate control of the media. Many people are unaware of the corruption rampant in their elected officials, and do not take the time to vote and become an informed voter. Change will only occur if there is a grassroots movement with a unified voice, such as the current insurgent presidential campaign of Bernie Sanders, who opposes inequality and money in politics, as well as championing a variety of other progressive causes.
Ha Mac Bach Thien
1/31/2016 10:28:07 pm
I agree that the maint point that is the most noticeable here is the matter of power of the government. Althought lower-class can vote, they are hindered from voting for who they really want to because the complicated use of power of the gorvernment. They also find it hard to protest and strike agaist the government to have a voice.
Rohit Mathew
1/31/2016 11:50:30 pm
I agree with the poor not being detrimental in influencing societal laws and norm's, yet, it could be so for a vital reason. Education levels of poor people are comparatively lower and crime rates amongst them much higher, leading to the government placing more trust to people of higher social status in the society. Its a vicious cycle induced by the lack of opportunities provided to the poor, making them feel alienated and thus attacking the government through protests.
Melissa
1/28/2016 11:42:43 am
In the beginning of the article they talked about the government controlling the means of producing wealth and have power over the people that do not. The government will make people believe what they want them to believe. Example why it relates to the lecture topics and course themes is because we know the government controls everyone and everything. What the government does is force them to have these ritual behaviors. So that people can know what is right and what is wrong. Second, they talked about protesters. Protesters protest everywhere about anything. Such as religion their belief on what they think about music such as metal music, and their belief on the LGBTQ community. Protesters persuade people to believe whatever they are saying. They weren't the recourse of the trouble makers, but they were the recourse for the poor. Third, they talked about people confirming to the institutional arrangements. Now protesters or anyone try doing what the government wants and believe what they want too. But in the daily life there's penalties as well. Protesters change behaviors, which leads to people striking with marches and riots. Both sides will fight for their own belief. I learned that the governments power is powerful than we thought. It relates to politics and political participation because it's controlling others beliefs. Government controls the United States into believing and if they do illegal actions then the consequences come and penalties happen. Also when it comes to wealth, the government controls the taxes and increases them. The prices of homes increase as well and people end up moving out because they can't afford living in their home anymore. Everything in being controlled by the government.
Melissa Nevarez
1/28/2016 11:43:14 am
I forgot my name!
Elena Saldivar
1/30/2016 10:09:13 am
Yes it now seems to everyone that the government has the most influence in how we live our daily lives with the idea of conformity. We as a nation have conformed to what the government says due to the fact that they government knows what is best for the nation.
Arienna Jones
1/30/2016 03:29:15 pm
Its crazy how much control the government has, and how even the most powerful protest may not change what it does! I really liked your point that protestors are trying to persuade people to think the same things that they do - that their influence lies more with individual conviction than government change!
Justine Calso
1/28/2016 12:45:55 pm
Three themes discussed in the article were money, power and influence. Campaigns are funded by supporters of political candidates, helping the elected official. Those who are considered powerful in politics have a lot of money, and because they are the ones donating to political campaigns, their money has great influence on the elected official as well. I learned that even though power is silent, it is powerful. When an officer pulls us over for speeding, we pull over and hand them our license and registration when asked. We silently consent to their power, and being in their presence reminds us of their authority. Students respect teachers because it is assumed that they know more than us. Their knowledge creates a value that we must respect and listen to. Just being at a stop light and stopping when the light turns red is conforming to political power. The government created those laws to ensure our safety on the road, and by following those laws we are giving our consent to the government. I’ve been realizing more that everything we do at a microscopic level relates to politics and political participation. However, the government does not hold all the power. Citizens have the right to protest, lobby, and tell elected officials what we want to see. We are the ones to decide who goes into office, what propositions are passed and if we want the president out of office. Power between the government and its citizens is like a game of tug of war.
Eskarletl Ruiz
1/28/2016 10:31:24 pm
While it is true that we residents have the right to lobby and protest, the government does not like it at all, especailly when it's about something they don't agree with. It is the first amendment, but all the time spent in this politics class has made it pretty clear that those rights mean nothing to the government, unless it's one of them needing the amendments to defend them. For everyone else, those are just fairy tales written in old ink.
josue monroy
1/28/2016 11:09:15 pm
I agree with you, history has definitely shown us that protests are a very important factor for people who demand change. We have the right to protest and let our voices be heard and demand change at any giving time.
Nancy Park
1/31/2016 12:35:45 pm
Money, power and influence are very important in politics. Is is true that citizens hold power because we do have a say in who gets to be our official representatives. However, we can be so restricted sometimes because there are obstacles that are put in front of people to keep them away from entering the process. Money is a main obstacle that people face. As much as I hate to admit hit, class and status has always been the key factors of whether a person has more say or not.
Landon Tang
1/31/2016 11:19:28 pm
I agree with alot of your points but as the poster above me pointed out, we as constituents have far greater power then we realize. It's simply a number game where we the people outnumber the officials by a huge percentage. I'm a firm believer of a person's ability to rise in class and status in this country; there has been numerous millionaires created in the S.V and what if those capable individuals decided to dedicate their efforts and capabilities towards politics
Rohit Mathew
1/31/2016 11:59:27 pm
We hold power over the government if we are collective and unified in our thoughts and decisions, something which does not occur to often as each entity possesses their own hidden agenda's. The government, while they might publicly state that they are striving for a unified country... It is a lot easier for them to govern us if we are of differentiated opinions. That way, no singular individual posses a threat to the government. Which is why, social activist groups or protesters are treated with high hostility to maintain order.
George Boxberger
1/28/2016 05:26:17 pm
The article discussed the idea of power, and how only a select few control the majority of the power in any given society throughout history. In particular, those who hold significant political power are those who control the “means of physical coercion” and those who control the “means of producing wealth.” Those in society who do not have those powers are subject to those that do. This is related to the concept of throwing others “under the bus” in order to maintain political power, as discussed in class. By giving your subjects as little power as possible, it becomes easier for the ruling class to maintain power. The lower-class is designed to feel powerless, but once the ordinary citizens believe they are able to make a difference and feel as though they are no longer helpless, they are able to execute a full-scale movement.
Adriana Serna
1/31/2016 10:47:19 pm
It is sad to realize how many voices are suppressed by the upper class and that most do not even realize it. We accept the things that happen because we feel that there isn't anything we can really do to change it or improve it so why try? Why do we as citizens feel like we can't do something about what seems wrong? Because the government and the upper class want to stay in control of situations that benefit them and never benefit the middle and lower class so they make sure we feel like we can not do anything by making things difficult for us to speak out about. We have more to lose if we do so we don't.
Chrissy Bishop
1/28/2016 07:20:28 pm
The three themes I found in this article woud be power, inequaltity and control. Power plays a big role into everything, with power one can acheive most anything and control the little people with their wealth. A person with power and wealth is going to be most likely a well known person, one without a lot of power and little wealth will be someone that isn’t seen as a person but as a tool. These kinds of situtiations pressure us into going to school to not only higher our education but also to hopefully get a job where we don’t have to stand much or be getting our hands to dirty. I beilieve this is drilled into our brains. Aren’t we all created equally? Then why do I see such inequaltity? In race, class, soical status all of the above. We are not all seen as equals, we are judged for what we look like. Trying to get a job with tattoos is impossiable enough, most employers see tattoos as gang related or see you as being a tough individual. What I learned about power is that it can be easily abused depending on whom is the one holding it. Depending on who is holding all this power expecally in politics everything can go south very quickly. It seems though that not only one person can carry all this power. Everyone has their own job to do and with that job comes some power. Not one single person can control everything.
Charbel Mawad
1/28/2016 11:29:41 pm
It is kind of sad how money plays a huge role in our society, mostly like you said. We are all God’s creations and are born equally, so why must the amount of money in our bank account determine our character? Having more money doesn’t make anyone superior over another human, but in our society, power is tied into having money, and that affects us all, sadly.
Nancy Park
1/29/2016 12:10:49 pm
You're absolutely right Chrissy ! We live in such a capitalist society that people sometimes forget about the values of equality and fairness.
Justine Calso
1/31/2016 05:52:53 pm
I agree with you as well. We hear and read all the time that all men are created equal but the way we are treated say otherwise. Those fortunate enough to go to school and get a degree will be valued more than those who do not. The person with a job and income will be viewed and treated differently by society. It isn’t fair that not everyone is born equal and with the same opportunities.
Payton Palazzolo
1/31/2016 08:54:40 pm
You're totally right about how much the concept of money, power, and social status is integrated into our society. Money seems to be the greatest influential factor in building a comfortable life for oneself, and possibly for your future family. With that in mind, many young adults are forced to believe that one must get a college education in order to achieve this social status and "comfort." For many college graduates today however, that lifestyle is still fairly out of reach.
George Boxberger
1/31/2016 09:58:59 pm
Power and wealth indeed go hand in hand. It is unfortunate that often times, those with the most money have the most power. All human lives should be valued equally, and it is important to remember that every human being is entitled to a decent standard of living and rights. Also, I agree that power is easily abused; "absolute power corrupts absolutely." One entity cannot have all of the power, and functioning checks and balances are critical in order to have a fair and balanced government.
Andrew Luft
1/28/2016 07:35:42 pm
This article talks a lot about the nature of power. Three themes of which are simply how power is obtained and maintained, protest and how it comes about, and consent in the form of conformity. First of all, “those who control the means of physical coercion, and those who control the means of producing wealth, have power over those who do not.” In a capitalist society those two things inevitably run hand in hand meaning that the people who have one generally have the other as well. An example of this would be how politicians will use racial coding in order to subtly sway people’s points of view in favor of their own. More specifically to solidify a stereotype for people to cling to that will allow them to pass acts, laws, and propositions right under the public’s nose that benefit them and the other people in power lobbying them. Eventually the masses catch on to what is really going on and react by protesting. The act of protesting is a process, a process in which those in power are very familiar with. This process relies on persistence and momentum, which can easily be introduced to friction in the form of fear and punishment. The punishment being very severe, such as the concept of the Watch List talked about in the film The End of America. In the film, people who spoke up against the system and their families were placed under constant surveillance and left unable to find employment; in a sense their lives were ruined. However if enough momentum is achieved, some changes are forced to be made in order to appease the people. However, the people who are discouraged from protesting tend to “conform to the institutional arrangements which enmesh them, which regulate the rewards and penalties of daily life, and which appear to be the only possible reality.” This form of consent helps to perpetuate the maintenance and consistency of political power amongst those who control the physical coercion and means of production. An example of consent through conformity would be The “War on Drugs” and how we as citizens continue to allow a process that statistically hasn’t worked to continue to be the status quo. From this exercise I learned that power in the political sense depends upon two things: means of physical coercion, and means of producing wealth. It is interesting to see how effectively those who have political power are easily able to maintain that power through subtle tricks and tactics to keep the masses “comfortable” enough to not band together and overthrow the significantly smaller population of people with “power.”
Brandon L
1/28/2016 10:55:18 pm
It is kind of interesting to think about when you added the war on drugs example, and how it's a means of producing wealth in a capitalist society. Even by means that aren't particularly liked a lot of pressure is put on certain industries in attempt to make a buck.
Elena Saldivar
1/30/2016 09:53:54 am
It is true that how politicians use this idea of racial coding to somewhat of an advantage in their political ads when they are running for office. This political tactic dose sway American’s to vote for that politician. But it can also be used to hurt certain racial groups to.
Justine Calso
1/31/2016 05:56:22 pm
I like your concept of consent in the form of conformity. It is so true. By giving our consent to do things, we are conforming to the norms that our culture has created. The matter of how we live our lives, from stopping at stop signs to paying taxes, are just some examples.
Ha mac
1/31/2016 10:33:40 pm
One thing I learned from this article is that power and money seem to go together. If you have money, you have power over those who are not as wealthy as you. If you have power, you will find a way to earn more money. It is sad that poor people have to go strike and overcome many difficulties to have a voice in our society.
josue monroy
1/28/2016 09:55:12 pm
In response to this article the overall three themes that stood out for me were: power, inequality and protest.
Eskarletl Ruiz
1/28/2016 10:26:18 pm
It is a shame that we get promised equality and claim to be a colorblind society, but the hard reality is that it's not like that at all. People judge others all the time, and the government judges others by viewing minority groups as bad and wanting to keep them out of power, so they can never climb socially. In a perfect world wealth, race or anything really wouldn't matter for anything, but this isn't a perfect world. It's America.
Yunlin Xie
1/30/2016 01:37:26 am
Power and money are usually associated. Once you have money, power comes; the same, if you own the power, you can use your power to make money. I might be wrong, but one example I can come out is about the tax. Actually, the richest people pay less tax than us, I did not mean the amount, I mean the percent. Because they have a lot of ways to be tax shelters.
Ha Mac
1/28/2016 10:04:47 pm
The article mainly discuss about how power is important in the control of the means of production. People who control the means of producing wealth have more power than others. For example the government has power over other people. In the article, the author also talks about protest. People who have power will prevent other people who have less power to protest. Those who have less power have to protest against the government. Disruption is the application of a negative sanction. However, lower-class people hardly use disruption as a tactic for influence. The political impact of disruptions is the factors that test the power of the poor. To response to disruption, government leaders usually ignore it, employ punitive measures against the disruptor, or attempt to conciliate them. When the government is not willing to use force, it will make some efforts. First, political leaders will offer concessions. Second, they will try to make the disturbances quite. Third, government might use the measures that undermine the sympathy the protesting group. From this article, I learn that power is important. It makes people have voice, but also make lower-class people weak. Even when people want to protest, they are affected by power. However, power is not only belong to the government. People who live in society, no matter what job they do and what color they are, have the right to be related to power by voting, protesting, and lobbying.
Noel Alejandre
1/31/2016 09:23:00 pm
I agree with you, that the government and the rich people have more power then the poor people. but at the same time the rich people need the power of the poor people to stay in power. other wise they would never have the power that they do if it wasn't for the groups that they have to sympathize with. The poor and the rich need each other.
Nadia Villanueva
1/31/2016 09:28:32 pm
I kind of agree with you that lower-class people hardly use disruption as a tactic for influence actually because they don’t have the impact and power that the government has. Sometimes protest is the only recurse that people have to make others now about their complains but yeah like you said it is easier for them to ignore it.
Maria Garcia
1/28/2016 10:11:10 pm
One of the first things the article talks about us the power with wealth and how that is basically how the government is controlled. The people with wealth tend to have more power and say than the people in the lower class. The government only wants the lower class people to think that they actually have a say in what goes on in the country. This relates to the class because we have talked how does things to make us think they are doing great things when in reality they are doing things behind our backs. Another thing the article talked about was how lower class people are most likely to conform to how things are and not to do any protest or go against the norms. The reason for this they said was because people of lower class do not have any defense for the consequences of protesting. The thing that I learned about power is that it is mainly gained with having wealth. Wealth and Power go hand in hand. This relates to politics and political participation because politics is basically ran by money. Politicians also usually favor laws and bills that gives people with wealth advantages.
Charbel Mawad
1/28/2016 11:40:12 pm
You bring up a good point, Maria. The fact that people with more money tend to look down one those less fortunate than them sums up how our government is controlled. Those in power in politics want to stay in power by getting re-elected into office, which is their main goal. That way, they can presume to continue making a lot of money, and that money, plus their position in the political field, will keep them in power.
Andrew Luft
1/31/2016 06:42:43 pm
It is scary to think that because the people in power have both the means to produce the wealth and the power to coerce those with less wealth that protest is almost unthinkable. Not only do they control the masses with fear of punishment, but they have painted an image in our minds that is the “American Dream.” So even if people want to protest despite the harsh consequences, there is still the drive to become one of the people in power.
Landon Tang
1/31/2016 11:24:18 pm
What Maria posted rings true. I think of how government is a carousel that only stops briefly to allow those of privledge and money aboard and then leave those without behind. The government keeps turning but only those onboard are able to reap any sort of benefit from the ride. With the upcoming presidential nominations I'm curious too see if Sanders will stay true to his word if he manages to get the nomination and elected. 1/28/2016 10:17:53 pm
The first theme that i noticed was about money. Was amazes me is that people think America is the land of the free but really, we do not have much freedom. The article talks about how if you are in the lower class then your word, opinion, and thoughts do not matter to anyone. This relates to our class and the presidential election. Do you think if Donald Trump was poor he would be in the talks for president? Certainly not, because nobody would care for what he had to say. Many people would be think this; "Well if he has no money, he's an ordinary guy like us, and why should we listen to an ordinary guy? We can think for ourselves." But as soon as someone with money comes along, everyone decides to listen. Why does money effect us the way it does? That leads me to my next theme which is Power. I have noticed many times at different occasions such as gatherings, ceremonies, parties where lower class people were so nice and friendly to the rich people at the party, but not as friendly to everyone else. Why is that?Are they a better person because they have money? The answer is simple, but the explanation is not as simple. People respect someone that has money, and will do anything for that person, which gives them power. The rich could tell the poor guy to go jump off of a bridge, and he would probably do it. I think someone mentioned influence as well, and that is where i am going with this. You have money, you have power, now you can influence people to do whatever you want. A quote that stood out to me was "Most of the time people conform to institutional arrangements which enmesh them, which regulate the rewards and penalties of daily life, and which appear to be the only possible reality." As we discussed in class, so many people are working and going to school and taking care of their children that they don't have time to stop and see what is happening in their life or around them. We are doing things based on what people want us to do, not based on what we want to do. And most of the time, we accept it. Trying to change what America is doing would take a lot of time and effort and people are in America working their butt off so they dont have time for that. Which relates me back to whether we are really free in america, or not?
Maria Garcia
1/31/2016 10:48:59 pm
Your point about Donald Trump is so true. He is sadly the perfect example of how the government is ran. He has no political experience and he clearly is not fit to be president but since he has money none of that matters at all. Take away his money and he would mean nothing to the government and to the people that actually support him. That's my thought anyway.
Adriana Serna
1/31/2016 10:59:58 pm
I agree that money dictates how things are done in this country. But what is disappointing is why people make the connection that money means brains. The preconception that everyone seems to have is how if you have substantial money you must have the brains, ideas, and smarts to make a change or to even be worth listening too. But because one has money and comes from the upper class does not automatically make them smart. Trump certainly has no idea how what it would take to run a country. Not that I do myself but I am part of the majority who suffers from issues of money, schooling, health. Trump does not care about those things because he has the money so the power to bypass all those hardships that people deal with on a daily basis. He doesn't know so he doesn't care. He says things that are outrages to get attention and nothing more. And it is disheartening to think that people are falling for his bravado just because he has money and talks of ridiculous "ideas" that would never help this country or it's people.
Van Truong
1/28/2016 10:20:31 pm
Everybody knows that the people who run the United States are extremely wealthy and powerful, they account for less than one percent of the population, yet they control all of the nations power. What one may call elitist or even politicians to that magnitude. A Theme that is brought up in the article is power, everyone knows that in order to rule one must control a population, with money and resources the elitist who possess these quantities are the ones who are in control of the masses. Another theme would be peoples rights. Alot of the people in today's society believe that they have many rights and as a citizen of the United States they are allowed to express these rights, but many of the people who live in our society today dont know what rights they can truly express. Most of the free speech isnt free speech at all, but it is a filtered form of speech that the corporations regulate before showing the public. Also a person can protest and petition all they want, but if no enough people stand up for what they believe in the people who have the power and control will still be doing everything that they want. The last theme i found in this article would be control. People in power use their resources and provide propaganda to the masses in order to achieve what they want. Propaganda plays a huge role in our society today, whether is television, newpapers, or even subliminal messages. Political Ad campaigns are a huge example of how these propaganda engines will use messages to make people feel a certain way. For example lets say that a huge topic today is immigration, a politician in power could send our an advertisement campaign ad that heavily shuns the other candidates who would be willing to give immigration a chance, but since the candidate is using immigration in such a bad light, the masses may agree with that candidate, and starting believe in their propaganda whether its right or wrong.
Brandon L
1/28/2016 10:51:35 pm
When you said if not enough people stand up for something the people believe in, and the power stays where it is. I can view it both as a good and a bad thing because obviously if few people stand up for something not a lot of people want then it makes sense. But i feel there is more of a lack in participation by the people, and a lot of things just go by.
josue monroy
1/28/2016 10:53:11 pm
It’s a shame how our political system is set up. The extremely wealthy will always play a major role in our political system, after all they are the ones with the money and the power and that’s a major key in this society. they will always find a way to manipulate every law or act that is passed to work on there favor leaving the lower working class unheard and full of promises.
Andrew Luft
1/31/2016 06:52:01 pm
The way any revolution occurs is by people banding together and standing up against their oppressors. In order for this to happen there must be enough momentum that originates from a spark. Usually the spark being a significant event that people will not stand for. The government and the people in power are well aware of this and use instances such as this to sneakily insert new acts and laws, such as the Patriot Act. They also “allow” us to live in a manner just comfortable enough to where people are scared of losing what they have and congruently prefer to just pretend things aren’t that bad or that they could be worse, preventing the momentum from building up in the first place.
Maria Garcia
2/7/2016 11:21:59 pm
What was explained about lack of rights and freedom of speech is true. Most people in the US believe in the concept of freedom of speech. We are told and believe that we are allowed to say whatever it is that we want. That we can freely express our views and opinions but that is just not true. We are only allowed to say things that the people of power agree with. If we say otherwise their are usually consequences.
Eskarletl Ruiz
1/28/2016 10:22:19 pm
One theme found in the article in the power the government has over people and how they control them. For example, they tell people that they can do better in life by working harder at what they're doing. They try to keep the image of the American Dream alive, but really it doesn't exist, it's just something the government does to control people into continuing their works, and making them want to keep trying. Another theme present is protesting. The people in power make it impossible to have regular citizens voices heard. This is so they stay in power, and the residents can't have an opportunity to have their voice said. Protests get shut down quickly, leaving people speechless,literally. A third theme is wealth and how it is a basis of power. The governemt had made it impossible for people without money to participate in politics. Those with money have power, those without it are left to fend for themselves. The people in power usually want to keep others like them in wealth, thus having them be in power and minorities non wealthy, so they won't have any power. What I learned about power is that people in power want to keep themselves in power by using things like wealth to keep them in power. They feed minority residents lies, to keep working harder and continue to pay them in unlivable wages so they never are able to rise to power. It relates to politics because it's always like this now, and it's keeping residents for having a say in what happens in our own homes.
Noel Alejandre
1/31/2016 09:40:16 pm
The American dream is just a perspective we all have about living a good life in America. To some its owning a home and having a good job. To others, its making a lot of money and retiring early. To others the American dream is just the simply fact that they are already living in America. There are a lot of people that come from other country and experience things here in America that they would of never had the chance to experience back in their country. That is what makes them happy and that 's the American dream for people that appreciate everything this country offers them.
Brandon L
1/28/2016 10:43:40 pm
First theme to be identified for me was the protest ideals and this structural crisis that is socially occurring. This more closely relates to our class topic of American along the lines of white supremacy and some racial incidents that have occurred in the past with America’s consent. I would say that within this article it feels more that the “poor people” or lower class when it comes to protests and the spark which starts them must be a very strong spark. What I understood is even today we could have a protest about our poor but won’t happen effectively because our poor people aren’t yet subjected to an influx of events or rulings that would make them become organized in some way and want to start a protest. Next theme being inequality directly correlates to class discussion of the same topic being inequality in America. This topic in particular has strong relation to social structure on politics. As well I feel economic inequality has some role to play along with political inequality, and inequality in general. This idea really shines through when thinking about economic status and how much effort or willingness someone would put forth into learning about politics. Lastly about power and how it was a theme in this article, as almost like a one word summary for this reading. I realize power and it implications really make it so people want to keep such power, even if it means to do possibly deceiving things, and try to control the power and not have the power control you. Which saying that really speaks that the power is in the people, we just are powerless to realize it yet. 1/29/2016 10:40:57 pm
Yes Brandon, inequality in America will be the death of America. It also creates and problem with connecting and socializing. This is because high rollers tend to hang out with other high rollers and the lower class people don't get a chance to get their foot in the door, so to speak. The high rollers have power over all the other classes and some have power of America as well. This power makes them a bit to crazy because they will do anything it takes to maintain it.
Antonio Villa
1/28/2016 11:16:51 pm
This article goes deep into the inspiration behind the political action and motives for the poor's reaction. The themes that felt reminiscent of our lectures would be the uneven distribution of wealth; the political reaction to oppression in masses; and overall influence/power of the elite and of the protest. The wealth of all societies through documented history has not been evenly distributed. Even in communist systems who aimed to have a just structure of equal distribution end up with an insurgence or rebel class that is not satisfied with what the elite government provides. At least in such a system the elite are in full view, while here in the United States, they are not accessible to the lower class citizens. There is an illusion of power through the electoral college. We can vote, but the candidates seem to already be selected for us. Jerk A or Jerk B? Neither will listen to me, and my voice is not heard unless it is in a collective unit. Protest and defiance are political actions. So is beheading a King. All in the interest of the people. The example may be exaggerated but it is true. We all don't jump for the President, but Lincoln and Kennedy weren't killed by the lower class in a riot or protest. That is how vulnerable the lower class is. We lack the resources to defend ourselves or hide from such a powerful move. The lower class results to strikes, boycotts, and looting. It may be viewed by some as barbaric and looked down upon by the more privileged class, but a majority of them lack the ability to put the shoe on the other foot. The protest brings attention and calls for reaction. The vote is not enough, especially when it is so suppressed and written in ways the less privileged could understand.
Arienna Jones
1/28/2016 11:20:56 pm
Three themes that I noticed in this article were that power is rooted in physical coercion, the means of production and access to money, and a superstructure of beliefs and rituals that elevates some and disregards others.
Nadia Villanueva
1/31/2016 09:42:19 pm
I agree with you that physical force imposed by people in power it is maybe the greatest weapon that they have against others an as you said, either dictators or military along the history have been using that resource to enforce the fear and power. Those who have money have the power to control everything; decisions, people, and the country.
Charbel Mawad
1/28/2016 11:21:31 pm
There are three major themes that I found in this article: For poor and working class people, protest is often the only tool they have in the fight to be heard, though the way our society is structured often limits even the means of the poor’s protest movements. Second, in order for protest movements to be effective, those in protest must be able to hold considerable leverage over those with economic and political power. Because social and political unrest is required for effective protest movements to take place, opportunities aren’t frequent. Finally, protest movements are often overturned by either the forced suppression of those in political power. This leads to those outside of a protest movement to become unsympathetic to the cause, which was also the case during the civil rights movement and the student protest movement of the 1960’s. The end of this article states that eventually all protest movements suffer because of the response of the state both to forcefully repress opposition and also to bring the opposition into the system, therefore diffusing its power. I don’t necessarily agree with this, I believe that as much as government and the political climate change to make protest less possible, so too does a movement change with the changing political climate. The question is which will change faster? I believe that the amount of power people have is directly related to the amount of money they have in their bank accounts. Sadly, this has proven to be true. Unfortunately, the power and influence of our voice is a reflection of how much money we make, making a rich person's voice louder than that one of a "poor" person. Money certainly does talk. Power is the ability to control or influence. For example, look at Donald Trump. He is a billionaire and holds a lot of power because of his wealth and position in the business world. His power affects political participation because more people might think to themselves that he has all this money and “power” due to his wealth, that when it comes to anything (like politics in this situation), he knows what he is talking about, so why not just agree with what he says. So, engaging in politics in my community would be encouraging others to be aware of what’s happening to our society and our community. Also looking for ways to make change in our society and make our community better. Getting involved and looking for opportunities to grow positively within the community. Being open minded would help also because many people seem to think that accept who their leaders are and accept the rights that are being presented to them. In ways I do feel that I am powerless because I don’t have the money to make a change as fast as I would like. But without a doubt I have the power to make a change. Anyone does. 1/29/2016 10:45:17 pm
I honestly believe that protests shouldn't even be a thing. I know a lot of people will hate me for this but even though i believe in everyone having equal rights, i just feel like protests are so inconvenient, time consuming, and uncomfortable for people. Why do we have to live in a country where the only way to get people to listen is by doing protests? And you know how crazy some people get in some of the bigger protests as well. I just think its unfortunate that we live in the world where we have to make all this noise just to get our voices heard.
Nadia Villanueva
1/28/2016 11:41:07 pm
What I can take as my first example from the article, is the idea of protest when it is possible among poor. It is really hard for the low social class to protest because first of all, there has to be a concert from the rest of the group. Also if they want to a protest to occur, both analyst and activists have to agree or discredit. As the article says, having a protest it is not easy because of the requisite you have to complete; anyways, comparing this in what we learned in class, maybe I can relate it with the examples of steps to follow in order to have a protest; you need to have your protest or march approved, but as we saw in one video, if the protest is against the government or authorities (who are the ones with power) they automatically put their lives in danger and they may go to jail or be killed. That clearly shows that we do not have the right of free communication, and it should be also mentioned how even the reporters, journalist, and communicators are in a really danger when they have to do their work against the government as the video showed. The next point is the difference in social classes, and the difference in power and opportunities between them. As we learned, the ones who have the power can do everything they want in order to maintain the power and never lose it. They care about being reelected and still having authority so they offer help and try to convince poor people or the majority offering and promising what they need. But anyhow government will make people believe what they want them to believe. Even though now low class can vote although they are not citizens, many elections are predetermined and managed by big corporate funding that supports candidates who contributes the middle to upper classes of society.
Nancy Park
1/28/2016 11:42:49 pm
Power has always been associated with an individual’s position in society, moreover, their level of wealth. Politics, especially in our great nation, has always revolved around the “big dogs.” Since the beginning of time, politics has been about the dominant race and the dominant gender. It was started by those who had a great position in society and were well off. Politicians need votes and votes require financial contributions. Meaning, the politicians that we trust to represent the people, are mainly focused on those who vote for them, which are usually people of higher education and those with more digits in the bank.
Arienna Jones
1/30/2016 03:31:55 pm
It is so interesting to think that even from the beginning of time, those with more access to wealth and production were on top! Its easy to see that in our world today, but your first point really helped me think about the ages past - even centuries ago - how this stays true!
Nancy Park
1/28/2016 11:44:44 pm
Power has always been associated with an individual’s position in society, moreover, their level of wealth. Politics, especially in our great nation, has always revolved around the “big dogs.” Since the beginning of time, politics has been about the dominant race and the dominant gender. It was started by those who had a great position in society and were well off. Politicians need votes and votes require financial contributions. Meaning, the politicians that we trust to represent the people, are mainly focused on those who vote for them, which are usually people of higher education and those with more digits in the bank.
Matthew Mullen
1/28/2016 11:45:11 pm
The first theme I found in the article was that power controls beliefs over actions. These beliefs become rituals. It is a societal manipulation that the people in power participate; deciding what is right and what is wrong for the vast majority. The second theme I found was that protest is not available to poor people themselves, or at least they don’t feel like they have it available to them until enough people can gather and unite to protest. Going along with the second theme, the third theme I found was that the lower classes accepts society the way that it is. Most people don’t feel the need to protest, rather, make the best of themselves in the way society is. But, if that society implements mass changes, there if a large chance of strong protest. The first theme I mentioned relates to class themes because not many people truly question the fundamental framework of our society. For example, the film “End of America” was critically received as radical and shocking because much of the U.S. has no knowledge about intentional secret atrocities that happed with the government. The second course them that relates to an article theme is that students and the youth in general often feel powerless like the lower class. Over the years this has improved with colleges protesting and standing up for their own and other students’ rights. But as far as voting, which is a major part of protesting, this needs improvement on just like the lower classes need to vote more. The third class them I connected to this article is that a voice is hard to find in such a small place sometimes. For example, Flint Michigan’s water is heavily contaminated but not enough people have protested so a change won’t be made until enough voices come together and are hear. From this article, I learned that power is accepted for a long time until the people in power make a large change and then power is questioned. It seems that if not enough is done in protest of the changes put forth by the power, then those changes will be made to society and people will accept these changes as more time goes by and the iron is not quite as hot. Politics should involve heavy participation form citizens if a government wants to be a true democracy. If political decisions do not involve everyone, then the government in question should no longer be titled a democracy.
Antonio Villa
1/31/2016 10:03:31 pm
It's painful to know how helpless people are to the power and reach of the elite. The less privileged since their k-12 education are taught to be submissive and there are consequences for not obeying the authority or not maintaining the same practices of the status quo. When our youth steps out of these boundaries, they become scolded by fellow students, disciplined by teachers, staff and their parents. Let's not forget the upsetting calls our parents would receive, and the criticism they got in parenting when the youth would act out of line. "Well they must have got that from home!" What a fucked up system.. this elite is what drives the less privileged in the living situation that they are in. Of course there are other factors, but from an early age and into a very senior age, this system and the elite beats on us and keeps the less privileged oppressed.
Maria Garcia
1/31/2016 10:59:42 pm
I think it's extremely sad that poorer people are made to feel like they don't have a voice so they just go along with how things are. Each individual should have the right to make positive changes in their lives no matter what financial situation they are in. For living in a "free county", the majority of the people living in it have to pay so much just to live a decent life.
Lawrence Erispe
1/28/2016 11:46:59 pm
Chrissy Bishop
1/31/2016 08:00:02 pm
It's freaky to think that with wealth will also come with power. Most political figures are wealthy. I'm pretty sure one has to be on the wealthy and well known side to become a political figure. As you said it power and class are interconnected.
Adriana Serna
1/28/2016 11:50:45 pm
One theme from the article “Poor People’s Movement,” states that the class structure in which people are placed in determines the ways in which one participates and the resulting influence it has because this. So in other words, if you were of lower class, the poor class, then you did not have very many ways of participating politically and therefore had no influence in the matters that came up. The only option left for the lower class to participate is in protest but even that is hard for them to do because they have less resources. This theme of being in a lower class and not being able to participate politically was a theme talked about in lecture because the government has a way of weeding out the people. For example, weeding out groups of people so it becomes impossible or very inconvenient for them to participate in voting which is in itself the normal form of protest.
Antonio Villa
1/31/2016 10:12:23 pm
This is a very scary truth that is tough to address. Those who are in the workforce and do not have time for anything aside from work in order to maintain their standard of living; those people have no energy or free time to just parade and protest to obtain the attention of the politicians. Since the civil rights era, we begin to see a large amount of the activism and protest coming from our youth, college student in particular. They have the free schedule and have less to lose from the time spent in protest.. yet some die or are arrested and their lives are changed by some political events. They haven't even had the opportunity to live, yet they put their live on the line to make reform and change. They are bold heroes in every sense, and politicians are aware of their force.. That's why crowd control is so extreme. It's a shame, but it is a blessing. All those hearts that shout on behalf of those struggling every day in oppression.
Rohit
1/28/2016 11:55:18 pm
Power is seemingly obtained through wealth and/or physical coercion. This ensures that the “power” is constantly reserved for the elite few, status and rank are contributing factors. Basically, if you’re “anybody” who is a “somebody” you inherently have power over a “nobody”. For this reason, we see majority of the power fall into the hands of firms/entrepreneur’s. The government and firms look for regularity and consistency in power, and why wouldn’t they? Who likes to lose power over another? This particularly works well in the case of firms as many of the laws that have been passed work to protect these large corporations. Protests are an inherent action taken by those who are rendered powerless by those higher in Social status than them. It triggers a series of emotions set forth by all the wrong that has happened to them and to bring about a change, a change that the people would actually care about. As we learned in class, the government have been allocating resources not based on public needs rather to supplement their own, Ex- 50-60% of tax revenues are allocated on developing the U.S army. This leads us onto our final point which is control. It is safe to say that “power” and “control” complement each other. Those with power have the ability to control. We ourselves are puppets in this society as every movement of ours is under surveillance. We are not trusted by our own which is what makes it worrying as our welfare has been placed in the hands of our “superiors” … this shows tremendous trust from our side, hopefully they will pay it back.
Matthew Mullen
1/31/2016 11:58:59 pm
I feel like power and control are words that often get mistaken for meaning the same thing. But they don't, so thank you for bringing this up. Power can be out of control, and having control can be very powerful. So, I guess it seems that control is more important than having power.
Janet Cisneros
1/28/2016 11:55:23 pm
In the beginning of the article it talks about the abuse of power in America. People in the lower class pretty much does not have much say in how the government should help the citizens who need it. There is no equality when it comes to elections for voting. The middle class and upper class are usually the ones with more priority because large corporate funding is supporting them. The lower class people end up finding new ways to be heard. For example, protest, striking etc. Those are the ways lower class people have a voice, by fighting through different approaches. There are also many other factors why many people end up in the poverty level. And many do not do anything to try and change it. Some may be comforted with what they have and simply do not have enough motivation to rise up while others may be misinformed about their rights, and opportunities. A lot of the information is being controlled and manipulated to what is convenient for the government. So even though it is said that there is equality and freedom, there is not. There shouldn’t be barriers to voices that want to make a change for the good of the people.
Nimsy V
1/31/2016 09:42:10 pm
You make a good point Janet, in saying that there are many reasons why people end up in poverty. A lot of people don't think that way they think that the only reason people end up in the street or on welfare is because they are lazy and they just judge them based on the stereotypes and not their back story. And its true there is a lot of people who are just ignorant to what their rights are.
Noel Alejandre
1/29/2016 12:03:47 am
Three themes from the article are Power/wealth, Poverty and Protesting. In the article they talked about how power or wealth has more influenced in politics then the poor. Usually people with wealth are the ones with power and the ones to be in politics rather then the poor people. The wealthy people usually need the wealth to stay in power by attracting the voters to vote for them. Some of the voters are groups of people that they have to appeal to and try to win their votes like poor people votes, laborers votes, black votes, hispanic votes and other groups. Sometimes this groups are made to believe that everything they have is what they deserve and made to believe that the rich people have what they have because they deserve it. Other times some of this groups rebel against what they are made to believe and protest against what bothers them. This is a way to try to gain something back. Most of the protest are in peace but some turn violently. The power or wealth can relate to how most of the politicians are people that come from wealth and get good government positions. The poverty can relate to people like Dred Scott because at one point their voice was not heard. And the protesting tot he people protesting in the 1930's and 60's. What I learn about power is that people in charge with power always need the poor people to help them out with votes. So the poor people play a big part in politics as well. Striking for the right reason can also have a big impact and get the governments attention to try to help out.
Matthew Mullen
1/31/2016 11:56:09 pm
I think it is interesting that you mention how the aspect of power can be analyzed from the perspective of the people in power versus the people who seem powerless. But you are so right, the people in power are there because people of the lower classes vote for them to stay in power.
Yunlin Xie
1/29/2016 12:53:24 am
1, First theme is the idea of power. How can it be obtained and the use of power. Second theme is the protest. How does it develop and the relationship between protest and poor people. Third theme is about the influence of power.
Chrissy Bishop
1/31/2016 08:15:39 pm
How do you think power is obtained? By class, wealth maybe social status. You talk about how when people have power they tend to make sure they keep it by having people with less power voices go unheard. Basically throwing others under the bus for their own gain. I agree with you when you talk about of we all have equal power we will progress as a while. Leave a Reply. |
Poli 1 - DeAnza
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