1. Owners vs. Employees (Reading 4.3)

Parenti basically argues that the big difference comes down to how you make your money and your relationship to property.

Owners live off investments, stocks, and property income. Their wealth grows because other people are working for them. An example of this would be a major stockholder at a giant corporation like Intel or Exxon.Employees don’t own that kind of productive wealth, so they have to sell their labor for wages or salaries just to get by. An example would be a factory worker, a service worker, or even a corporate manager whose job is to supervise other employees.

2. The Adam Smith Quote (Page 28)

I think Adam Smith is saying that human labor is the ultimate source of all value. Money is just a placeholder or a “nominal” tag we put on things. His example of the tree really clicked for me. A tree sitting in a forest doesn’t make a profit on its own. It only becomes a valuable commodity like paper or furniture of the actual human effort thatgoes into cutting it down, manufacturing it, shipping it, and selling it. Labor is what actually creates wealth.

3. Class is NOT Just an Identity (Reading 4.4)

Heideman’s main argument is that liberals often treat class like a “ladder” or a lifestyle identity, but socialists see it as an objective, economic structure that forces you to act a certain way to survive.Personally, I think this argument makes a lot of sense. If class were just an identity, you could fix economic inequality with diversity training or just changing how we talk to each other. But you can’t just “identify” your way out of needing a paycheck. A capitalist has to maximize profits to survive competition, and a worker has to get a job to pay rent, regardless of how they personally feel. It’s about real material power and who controls the resources.

4. The “Close Form of Dependency” (Reading 4.4)

When the text talks about a “close form of dependency,” it means that capitalists and workers are completely locked into a relationship where neither can function without the other. It’s different from other social dynamics because it is purely transactional and structural. The worker relies on the boss for a job and survival, but the boss is equally dependent on the worker to actually generate the profit.A good everyday example would be Amazon and its warehouse workers. The workers depend on Amazon for a paycheck to buy groceries. But Amazon’s entire corporate empire would instantly freeze if the workers stopped picking and packing boxes. The company depends entirely on their collective labor to keep its stock value up and exist as a business.

1. Yes, I noticed that both readings explain that social class is about more than just how much money someone makes. Things like education, jobs, where people live, and the opportunities they have can also affect their social class. The Gallup reading talks about how people see themselves when it comes to social class. Some people might have a lower income but still consider themselves middle class or working class. It also shows that people with higher incomes and more education are more likely to see themselves as middle or upper class.

I think the biggest difference is how the two readings look at social class. The Gallup reading uses more statistics and focuses on how people identify themselves. Reading 4.2 shows more of the differences between people and their actual living situations. The videos also showed how big the difference in wealth can be between the richest people and everyone else. This made me realize that someone can think of themselves as middle class, but their financial situation can still be very different from someone who is actually wealthy.

2. Yes, I noticed that social class in NYC is very connected to where people live. Different neighborhoods can have completely different income levels and living conditions, even if they are not that far away from each other. The New Yorker subway reading shows this because the subway goes through many different neighborhoods and you can see how the people and communities change as you travel through the city.

I also noticed that people from different social classes can live pretty close to each other but still have very different experiences. The subway is interesting because it brings all these different people together in one place. So, even though NYC has a lot of separation between social classes based on neighborhoods and income, the subway connects people from all different backgrounds.

Overall, the readings and videos showed me that social class is more complicated than just being rich or poor. It can involve money, education, where you live, and the opportunities you have. In NYC, you can especially see these differences by looking at the different neighborhoods and the people who live in them.

1. What is a Repressive State Apparatus? Why does Althusser call it “repressive”?

A Repressive State Apparatus is basically the part of the government or state that uses force or the threat of force to make people follow the rules. Althusser calls it “repressive” because it can use punishment or physical force when people do not follow the laws. Some examples would be the police, courts, prisons, and the military.

2. What are Ideological State Apparatuses? How do they seem to work?

Ideological State Apparatuses are different because they usually don’t use physical force to make people follow rules. Instead, they influence people through ideas, beliefs, values, and social expectations. Althusser includes institutions such as schools, families, religion, the media, and other organizations that help teach people how they are expected to behave in society.

3. How are Repressive and Ideological State Apparatuses different?

The main difference is how they get people to follow the rules. Repressive State Apparatuses rely mainly on force, punishment, or the threat of force, while Ideological State Apparatuses work mainly through ideas, beliefs, values, and socialization.

For example, the police are a Repressive State Apparatus because they can arrest someone if they break the law. The person follows the law partly because they know there can be consequences if they don’t. A school is an example of an Ideological State Apparatus because it teaches students certain behaviors and values. Students usually follow school rules because they have learned that those rules are normal and expected, rather than because someone is physically forcing them to follow every rule.

Another way I would remember the difference for the exam is: Repressive = force or punishment. Ideological = ideas and beliefs. They can also work together. For example, schools can teach people to follow laws and respect authority, while the police can enforce those laws when someone refuses to follow them.

4. Example of ideology

One example I would use is school. I think school is a good example of an Ideological State Apparatus because it teaches students more than just subjects like math, science, or history. It also teaches students how to behave in society, follow rules, respect authority, be responsible, and meet certain expectations.

For example, students are expected to come to class on time, complete assignments, listen to teachers, and follow school rules. After doing this for years, these behaviors can start to feel completely normal. We don’t necessarily think about why we are doing them anymore. This connects to Althusser’s idea that ideology can influence people by shaping how they understand their role in society.

I think this is a good example because nobody has to physically force every student to sit in a classroom and do their work. Instead, students have learned that these are the normal expectations of being a student. That is why I would classify school as an Ideological State Apparatus.

1. What is ideology?

I think ideology is basically a person’s beliefs about how society and government should work. It is the way someone thinks about different political and social issues and what they believe the government should or should not do. I also think ideology is something that can be influenced by the environment a person grows up in. For example, our family, school, religion, friends, and even things we see in the media can influence the way we think about politics.

For example, if someone grows up in a family where everyone believes that the government should help people who are struggling, that person might grow up believing that government programs are important. On the other hand, someone who grows up hearing that people should be responsible for themselves and that the government should stay out of people’s lives might develop a different political ideology.

After watching the video, I understood ideology as more than just choosing whether you are a Democrat or Republican. People can have different opinions on different issues, and they don’t always fit perfectly into one political category. Someone might agree with liberals on one issue but agree with conservatives on another issue. I think ideology gives us a general idea of how someone views government, freedom, equality, the economy, and society.

2. Conservative and liberal ideology

The way I understand the difference between conservatives and liberals is that one of the biggest differences is how they view the role of government. Conservatives generally believe that government should be more limited and that individuals should have more freedom to make their own choices. Liberals generally believe that government should have a more active role in society and can be used to help solve problems and create more equality.

Some of the key words I noticed from the lesson are liberty, equality, and government. Conservatives put a lot of importance on liberty, meaning individual freedom and having less government control over people’s lives. Liberals put more emphasis on equality and believe that the government can sometimes step in to make opportunities more equal.

For example, when it comes to taxes, conservatives generally support lower taxes because they believe people should be able to keep more of their own money. Liberals are generally more supportive of higher taxes, especially when the money can be used for government programs and services. Another example is government regulation. Liberals are more likely to support regulations if they believe they protect people or the environment, while conservatives are more likely to be concerned that too much regulation gives the government too much power.

I think the biggest dividing line is really about how much government should be involved in people’s lives. Conservatives tend to be more concerned about government becoming too large and threatening individual liberty, while liberals are more comfortable with government taking an active role when they believe it can help society. At the same time, I don’t think every liberal or conservative agrees on everything.

3. Althusser’s definition of ideology

Althusser’s definition of ideology is a little different from just saying that ideology is someone’s political beliefs. Althusser argues that ideology can shape how people see themselves and the world around them. A lot of the time, we don’t even realize that these ideas are influencing us because they can seem completely normal.

One example I thought of is school. From a young age, we are taught to go to school, listen to teachers, follow rules, raise our hands, do our assignments, and be responsible students. After doing these things for years, they just become normal to us. We don’t usually stop and ask why we are expected to behave this way. According to Althusser, institutions like schools can help shape how people understand their role in society.

Another example could be our family. Our parents can teach us what they think is right or wrong, what kind of job we should have, how we should behave, or what they think a successful life looks like. As we get older, we might accept some of these ideas as normal without realizing where they originally came from.

The part about Althusser that stood out to me is that ideology can influence us without us always noticing it. It is not necessarily someone directly telling us what to believe. Instead, different institutions and experiences can shape the way we think about ourselves and society. So, I understand Althusser’s definition as ideology being something that helps shape our identity and our understanding of what is considered normal or expected in society.