1. As we learned thus far, the capitalist class consists of people who own wealth, as well as the means of production in American society. An important question in understanding how this class works is to ask: how does a capitalist remain wealthy? The answer to this question depends largely on understanding the diagram M-C-M’. So, let’s practice by explaining what happens in this diagram in our own words (but basing our ideas on Reading 5.1). Respond to the following question: Explain M-C-M’ to show how capitalists maintain and increase their wealth. (hint: your answer should weave a summary that includes what you reviewed in the self-assessment exercise question 1-7)

The M-C-M’ formula of the capitalist captures the process of how the wealthy class maintain and increase their wealth. According to the reading, “Pierre Jalee: ‘How capitalism works” by Pierre Jalee, “M (money) -> C (commodity)->M’ is the money at the end of the transaction, and is not the same as the sum committed at the beginning of the transaction, for capitalist would never use their money for the purchase of a commodity that they could not resell for more than they had spent.” (Jalee p.22-23). For capitalists then to become a productive capital to maintain wealth, it “includes the following factors: (1)buildings, tools, and equipment, (2)raw materials, and other supplies, and (3)labor power”(Jalee 26). With labor power, capitalist use the labor of a worker in exchange for wages. A workers wages are usually less than their value of what they produce, then defined to be surplus value. Surplus value, which is also unpaid labor, goes to the capital as profit and a key mechanism to accumulate and maintain wealth; “without surplus value the capitalists could not have come into being, nor could they survive.” (Jalee 29). Rather than consuming the profit, the capitalist reinvestments to buy more means of production, to then hire more labor power, exploit the laborer in the production process, and applying surplus value, which creates a cycle of the M-C-M formula.

1. Two key concepts in this video are the means of production and labor. In your comment, explain how you understand the means of production and labor. Give an example of each. From the video, the way labor is understood is what makes a product valuable and is the only thing that can increase the value of what someone, a company or business, or yourself are producing. One example of labor is when going through training or schooling to learn to create something, it can increase the value of production. Means of production on the other hand, are privately owned elements needed to produce. An example is products that are sold in a market.
2. Another important concept in understanding social class is value. Based on the ideas presented in Video 5.1, what is value?  What give “value” to value, what makes something valuable?  Value is said to be by Marx, how much labour it takes to produce under normal circumstances. It also gives the “right price” to a product. What gives value to value, is measuring how much labour it took to produce something. Value created the saying “time is money”.
3. How are labor and value related? What’s the relationship/connection between the two? The relationship/connections between labor and value is that labor allows to put a price on something to make it valuable. For example, if someone buys a house and reconstructs, it adds more value and can now be sold for more.
4. How do you understand the difference between labor and labor power? Hint: this is a key difference, give it your best shot based on what the video says about it, and your own ideas. We’ll clarify and develop it in our discussions, and in my video comments. As Marx believed, Labor is value. Essentially meaning that you will be paid for the amount of labor put into your own product making it valuable. Labor power on the other hand is the capacity to do the work and not fully being valued by the actual labor that was put in. As stated by Professor Arto Artinian to better understand, “Capitalist want from the non-wealthy their labor power but not their ability to work.”
5. Surplus Value: what is it? Why is it important to know about in our study of social classes? Think about an example of surplus value? Surplus value is the extra value on top of the value that was already produced and what capitalist would call profit. This is important to understand because it allows us to break down capitalism and class conflict in social classes. An example of surplus value is working a 9-5 but only being paid what you need to “survive”. The rest of your labor would belong to your boss or company.

2. Pick the station closest to where you live. Using the concepts from Reading 4.1, what social class tends to live in your neighborhood? Are you surprised (or not) by the answer? Do you feel it is an accurate representation of the people living in your neighborhood?

Based on the article, “What Determines How Americans Perceive Their Social Class?” by Robert Bird and Frank Newport, they report that social class can be seen through two perspectives, objective and subjective. The article states, “A focus on objective social class entails a direct determination of a person’s social class based on socioeconomic variables — mainly income, wealth, education and occupation. A second approach to social class, the one that occupies us here, deals with how people put themselves into categories. This is subjective social class — an approach that has its difficulties but helps explain class from the perspective of the people. This is important since the way people define a situation has real consequences on its outcome.” With that being said, when looking into my neighborhood’s most common social classes (Rockaway Park, by the A line), we are placed in lower and median household incomes. This is due to the Neighborhoods demographics, future opportunities in my area, and the difference in living situations. Therefore, this observation does not surprise me and it is accurate.

1. Why do think Southern racist politicians chose to frame their defense of racial segregation through the language of “law and order”? What special advantages was this choice of words going to give them?

As M. Alexander states, “The rhetoric of “law and order” was first mobilized in the late 1950s as Southern governors and law enforcement officials attempted to generate and mobilize white oppositions to the Civil Rights Movement”. This meaning the language of law and order allowed them to present segregation as a legal and necessary aspect of society. Also, to pass discriminatory laws and policies that enforced racial segregation. In the passage it states, ” some segregationists went further, insisting that integration causes crime, citing lower crimes rates in Southern states as evidence that segregation was necessary”.

1. Do you think the Southern Strategy is still influencing American politics? Give an example supporting your answer.

The Southern Strategy wanted to gain support of the southern united states in the 1960s because it appealed to white conservative voters. I believe Southern strategy is still influencing American politics through the Republican Party’s use and emphasis on social issues like abortion and same-sex marriage. They tend to be more significant to conservative voters in the South than in other regions.

1. M. Alexander claims that the main explanation of why so many people are sent to jail in the U.S. today is deeply wrong. Explain her argument by referring to the various examples she mentions to backup her point. (see p. 1-2)

Michelle Alexander, Author of “The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness”, suggest that Jim Crow and mass incarceration may have different methods of punishment, but they both still target Black communities. Alexander contends that the system perpetuates racial inequality and oppression, regardless of the specific mechanisms of punishment. Alexander states, “The racial dimension of mass incarceration is its most striking feature. No other country in the world imprisons so many of its racial or ethnic minorities. The US imprisons a larger number of black population than South Africa”. She argues that in the U.S, Black people are consistently racially profiled, oppressed, and in result, subject to systemic discrimination.

2. Why is it that racial disparities in the rates of incarceration “cannot be explained by rates of drug crimes”?

As Michelle Alexander states, “These stark racial disparities cannot be explained by rates of drug crime. Studies show that people of all colors use and sell drugs at remarkably significant rates”.

3. How do you understand the phrase: “the American penal system has emerged as a system of social control unparalleled in world history.”?

Society has been evolving for years. It comprises diverse groups of people who live together and share common cultures. With the emergence of the American society after the industrial revolution and World War II, many countries started following its penal system, which is considered unparalleled in world history. One of the reasons for this is that many countries are still underdeveloped, poor, and disorganized. They lack basic necessities such as food and shelter. Through its veto power, America is maintaining its supremacy and forcing many countries to follow its system or remain underdeveloped. As a result, many countries are following the American penal system without any parallel.