1. The capitalist class consists of people who own wealth, as well as the means of production in American society. How does a capitalist remain wealthy? Explain M-C-M’ to show how capitalists maintain and increase their wealth. 

A capitalists remains & increases their wealth in 3 steps following the M C M. “M” stands for money. Every wealthy person needs to start with some sort of money, whether it would be from investments or savings. “C” stands for commodities, what they are spending their money on. This could vary from paying workers, materials, & more. Lastly, “M” stands for more money. Putting these resources together, helps you get something to sell it for more than you paid to make it. This formula is used from rich people to get more money than what they initially start with, & stay rich!

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.

The means of production & labor are very important when making things. It is very important in making factories, tools, machines, etc. An example would be making a pizza. The means of production that go into making a pizza are dough, flour, cheese, sauce, & an oven. Labor is an individual who is doing the work. This can include various types of work, heavy lifting, office filing, cooking, & much more. An example of labor in relation to pizza would be rolling out the dough, shredding the cheese, & putting the pizza into the oven to bake.

1. 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 based on the importance on someone or something based on how much it can benefit you. Essentially, the “value” that is given to value is varied on hard work & how much it can contribute to society.

1. How are labor and value related? What’s the relationship/connection between the two?

Labor & value have a correlated relationship between the two. In simpler terms, when someone works really hard on a painting, it is highly likely for it to look & be valued much more than a painting that was done in a few minutes. The relationship is the more labor put into something, the more value it tends to hold.

1. 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.

The difference between labor & labor power would be the person’s ability to work at all. For example, if a restaurant were to fire the head manager, they would be loosing labor power as they have no one in charge of the restaurant.

1. 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 a profit made by the labor of the workers but pocketed by the owner. An example of this would be a business paying workers to make a bunch of product, like a brush, & then selling it & earning more money than what they paid they workers to make it. It is important to know about because it puts into perspective how businesses are set up to keep someone in the working class, in the working class, while high income owners, like a successful business owner, keep getting richer.

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.

M Alexander claims the main explanation of why so many people are sent to jail in the US today are so deeply wrong due to the comparison of the rates in other countries. In other countries, the ratio of people incarcerated for the same thing is significantly less than in the US. This shows how much the system is flawed because the punishment does not align with the crime, but more so the intent pushed behind it.

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

The racial disparities in the rates of incarceration “cannot be explained by rated of drug crimes” because it is shown in statistics that the same amount of white & black people engage in drug crimes. However, this statistic is not supported by the amount of black people & white people incarcerated. It has been pushed onto people by the media for a long time that black people are the source of illegal drugs, when in reality, it’s the same amount as white people.

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

I interpret this phrase as the American system being a use of a weapon to show control. This way, the narrative is pushed by the system that has never been this extreme before.

1. What is the distinction that Reading 4.3 makes between owners and employees? Give an example of each.

The distinction reading 4. makes owners & employees would be mainly how owners profit off their employees and how the employees rely heavily on their wages. An example of this would be, an owner of a restaurant would only have to pop in & out to occasionally to make sure things are running smoothly, but can really sit back and have their money being made for them while the servers and cooks prepare and serve to sell the food. Whereas the server, would rely on their service to people, and generally the morals of their customers to leave a good tip, in order to continue living off wages.

1. How do you understand the quote by Adam Smith on pg. 28? What is it saying about labor?

The quote by Adam Smith is translating to me as him measuring the value and success of a business by how their employees are ran rather than the profit being made. Smith is saying that the labor aspect of a business is very important.

1. What are your thoughts on the main argument of Reading 4.4 that class is NOT an identity?

My thoughts on class NOT being an identity would be that I agree. Your financial state should not define you as an individual person with your own personality or thoughts. It is just a system used to keep people separate and deem the high incomers more power.

1. How do you understand the argument Reading 4.4. makes when stating that “class structures are built around a close form of dependency”? What is this close form of dependency, and can you think of an example?

The argument “class structures are built around a close form of dependency” means to me that it is a system based on everybody needing one another to keep a successful business. For example, an owner of a restaurant needs chefs and waiters, as it is impossible to cook and serve customers otherwise. But, the waiters and chefs also need people like restaurant owners, because they need a job of their own. Most business rely on another variable in order to keep it running smoothly.

1. Do you notice any similarities in the way social class is discussed in readings 4.1 and 4.2? Do you notice any differences in the way these two readings DIFFERENTIATE between social classes?

In readings 4.1 and 4.2, the way social class was being discussed was different, but also had some similarities. Both readings mentioned the relation between people’s level of income and where they reside to see where they belong as of social classes. The reading differed between social classes because reading 4.2 had considered other factors into your social class, like the individual’s race and age. As for reading 4.2, it was directly talking about an individual’s income and residence.

1. 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?

The closest station to me is the Q train. Based not he concepts from reason 4.1, the social class that tends to live in my neighborhood is typically lower class. I am not too surprised by this answer. Brooklyn, or anywhere borough other than Manhattan tend to be much cheaper to live in compared to the city. However, it is still really expensive to maintain a life in NYC regardless of where you reside. Just below 50k average income in South Brooklyn can seem a bit shocking to someone who is not from here as there are lots of wealthy neighborhoods close by. I think it is a pretty accurate representation of the people living in my neighborhood.

1. Based on Reading 4.2, do you notice a general pattern about social classes in NYC?

Based on the reading, there is a general pattern about social classes in NYC. It is a huge city with many neighborhoods to it. For example, if there is a mall with nicer stores, or a nicer grocery store like trader joes, it is a high chance you are in a high income area like downtown Brooklyn, or somewhere in Manhattan. Though, there are various ways to see social class is designated to each part of the city.

1. A Repressive State Apparatus is Althusser’s theory of ideology. Althusser uses the term “repressive” because it refers to the forceful and corrective functions used to keep things in place. People like the police and military have the power to enforce rules. Which is where the term “repressive” comes in, they have the authority to have rules set in place, and with force. For example, in a case where there is a big group of protestors against the government, the police might step in to break it up. The use of the word “repressive” is his way of emphasizing the coercive system that is set in place.
2. Ideological State Apparatus was Althusser’s thing about the government using subtle tools the government uses to sway society to think and act a certain way. Ideological State Apparatus does not use force, rather ideas and values to keep things in order. For example, the media is an Ideological State Apparatus. Simply by watching your favorite TV show, or reading up on the latest from your favorite new outlets, the words and situations being used has us following a set of values without us even knowing in. If a child sees in their favorite show that bullying is unacceptable, they will also go on feeling that bullying is unacceptable.
3. Repressive State Apparatus and Ideological State Apparatus are both concepts made to keep society in order, though, they both have different approaches. Repressive State Apparatus has a more forceful approach to maintain order, like using police to break up a disorderly situation. However, Ideological State Apparatus uses an individual’s mind to influence behavior and beliefs. It is heavily used in schools, the media, religious institutions, etc. to help shape perception of reinforcing dominant ideologies. The two differ the most in terms of operation, Repressive State Apparatus is more to maintain things in order, while Ideological State Apparatus is more to influence the perception of people with what they see and hear everyday.
4. https://www.washingtonpost.com/elections/2023/11/17/trump-biden-general-election/

This is a link to a thread of examples Biden and Trump took at each other during their political campaigns in 2020. This example illustrates Repressive State Apparatus because of both parties using negative campaigning against each other. Using forceful language of why the opposing party, is the wrong party. This can be seen as a forceful tactic as it influences our opinion on who is the right person to vote for.

1. Ideology is a set of rules someone follows because of what they believe in. This structured set of values essentially divides society in two when they choose their beliefs as a conservative or liberal. It plays a big role in society and what people’s perspective of the world. Although, with a set list of rules and beliefs, it is also easy for an individual to resonate with a little bit of both beliefs sets. To give an example, I have a friend names Leah who believes that everybody is equal and the government should step in to address societal issues. This would be a liberal ideology. However, Leah also believes the government should be of more assistance when individuals are trying to get access to healthcare. This would be a more conservative ideology. Ideology can be very tricky when it comes down to pleasing each individual person. The majority will agree with these sets of beliefs, but inevitably there will be some people who have opposing opinions on some values. It plays more of a role in out day to day life than we realize. Person A believing that we need minimal government assistance, Person B believing that we need minimal government assistance, both people with opposing values could both very much agree on other values like promoting sustainability. Ideology is not so black & white. It is very easy for someone to agree with most values on one set of beliefs but disagree with some. Although, I believe the difference in everyones political views is overall a good thing as it keeps conversation going on how we can all do better.
2. I understand conservative and liberal ideologies as two opposing views in US politics. The biggest difference would be in terms of operation. For example, in social issues, conservative ideology tend to practice social & cultural norms, traditional family values, etc. Conservatives are opposed to societal change that get in the way of their current ones. Someone who is considered a conservative would typically be against same sex marriage. Liberals, on the other hand, are more open minded to change in their ‘norms’. They are more supportive of policies that include diversity and equal rights for everybody. Someone who is liberal would be all for same sex marriage.
3. Althusser’s definition of ideology was that it was a set of values and beliefs made to support current power structures. Believing that whatever or whoever was more in control, these ideologies would be tailored to only reinforce to those. An example of this would be, a case where one religious group was more powerful than the rest. The dominant ideology would be to support the superiority of that religious group. Whoever has the opposing ideology, is seen as morally inferior.

1. Southern racist politicians choose to frame their defense of racial segregation through the language of  “law and order” because it was a way for them to express their feelings towards minorities in a way that is ‘masked’. As vulgar racist remarks are not socially acceptable anymore, politicians use language of “law and order” to express their segregational policies. This careful choice of words gives them more power as people can resonate more with the reasoning of “keeping old traditions in place” rather than “we want segregation.”
2. I do believe the Southern Strategy is influencing American politics. There are many examples of this throughout history. A more recent event was when Donald Trump was president and made a series of racist remarks. This is along with his racist past dating back to the 70s. He even shared multiple tweets with loaded racist remarks and names. It is unfortunate to say that racism does still exist today, even in our government.