Money-Commodity-Money. This equation is a representational makeup of the capitalist system. As Marx says “Owning only money, this person must first acquire commodity–the weavers’ cloth for example–not for personal consumption but for resale.” that is how capitalists start. By using the money they own they are able to acquire workers to do the labor that would provide them with a finished product or creation they can repurpose for more money or surplus value. By investing their money into making a finished product rather than doing it themselves they save time on labor and products for the market. This allows them to grow their capital. By continuously hiring people to do the labor at an inexpensive amount they can market their products at a luxury level. An example would be the now overly famous clothing company, Shein. Their employees work up to twelve hours a day and receive less than a thousand dollars a month. Shein employs workers that produce over 35,000 items a day and has a daily update of “new arrivals” which consists of 6,000 new products. Their ability to abuse labor and neglect work laws has allowed them to become a billionaire company. In 2021 alone they received more downloads than amazon and are already in competition with brands such as Zara and H&M who have been around for years.
Means of production are the materials and training needed in order for a product to be produced. Once a product is created it can be sold in the market for profit. Means of production are privately owned. This guarantees that 100% of the profit from labor is to be given to the owner and not to the employees. -If they had to bring their own tools or own part of those means, the profit would have to be split. Labor increases the value of what you have. Product value is only measured by the amount of labor needed to produce the product. Labor is the physical work one must do in order to complete a task. Means of Production and Labor go hand in hand in producing a product. Means of production warrant the presence of labor and the production of a product. Labor assures the production of a product but needs the means of production to do so.
What is value? What gives “value” to value? What makes something valuable?
Value is how a product is produced under normal circumstances. If your product takes one hour to be produced and you produce it in an hour its value remains the same. If you take two hours to produce a product that only takes one hour, the value of your labor decreases. Value also decreases if the product needs minimal means of production, labor, and training. The cost of production, labor, and position in the market determines the value of a product.
How are labor and value related? What’s the relationship/connection between the two?
Labor and value are strictly co-dependent in a capitalist society. Though labor contributes to the value of a product, the profit of the product’s value is used to pay for the means of production and labor. These two are what helped create, contribute and further the capitalist system. Labor is a means to determine the value of a product and value as a means to pay for that labor.
Difference between labor and labor power:
Labor is the physical work you produce in order to create a product or contributes to the means of a company. However, work can not only be done through people many machines and factories are run by robots only and that is how a product is produced. Labor power is only found in people. Labor power increases the value of what you have. People sell their labor for money. Though robots exist people had to create, build, program, and sometimes even operate them. A company that produces paper needs people to cut down the tree, a well-functioning machine to create pulp, and so on. All of this contributes to the value but it is only through labor power that any of it even gets done.
What is surplus value? Why is it important to know when studying social classes? What is an example of surplus value?
Surplus value is the profit made from sales of a product that does not include expenses from labor and means of production. Surplus demonstrates the exploitation of not just the capitalist system but the upper class vs the lower class. In an earlier reading “Wealth and Want in the United States” it was said that “the average private-sector employee works two hours for herself or himself and six or more hours for the boss.” One is always paid less than the product of their labor.
Example:
A factory worker works for 8 hours a day and is capable of making 100 vases every two hours. In total, they can create 400 vases during one shift at work. This factory worker only earns 20$ an hour, in total making 160$ per day. Now if each of those vases they create is sold for 100$ each, the value of his labor is 250% more than they earn.
What is the distinction that Reading 4.3 makes between owners and employees? Give an example of each.
Reading 1 dissects the advantages of the “Owning” class and its dependency on the “Employee” class. There are about three distinctions made that define the differences between these classes. The owning classes live their life off of investments which include “owning stock, bonds, rents, mineral royalties, and other property income”. The employee class lives their life off “wages, salaries, and fees”. Those who are part of the owning class make an income off the labor of other people whilst the employee class makes their money by selling their labor. Though the owning class has to compete with others who own businesses or property it is a different type of competition than those in the employee class who aren’t 100% guaranteed a position as they have to compete with others for jobs and their salary can be broken down by state minimum wage and experience. As mentioned in the reading, only two hours of a private-sector employee is “for herself or himself, and six or more hours are for the boss.” Not including the surplus value for that labor which is measured as “less than a fourth of the market value created by their labor”. It is also mentioned that those in the owning class are only troubled with “exploiting labor and (accumulating more) capital.
How do you understand the quote by Adam Smith on pg. 28? What is it saying about labor?
The amount of labor that occurs for a product to be sold can be measured the product itself cannot. Smith’s quote highlights how much physical expense the worker has while the product it produces only exists because of it. It demonstrates the need of the worker’s presence and how it is essential for the production. Labor is far more valuable than the product itself.
What are your thoughts on the main argument of Reading 4.4 that class is NOT an identity?
I agree with the author’s argument on a socialist bias. I do not believe that the drastic difference between classes is so easily resolved. The first reading goes into detail about the harsh differences in the lives of the upper, middle, and lower class and how each contribute and functions in a capitalist society. This information is important but it does not provide evidence as to what a socialist society would entail, what is needed to deconstruct a capitalist system and the drastic difference between capitalists and workers. Heidman(4.2) reveals the effect and power of capitalism on both an economic and political scale. Economically capitalists rule the economy and are given two tasks create work and create consumers. Workers receive money to consume and consumers spend the money they have worked for all whilst remaining in the same position. In this capitalist system, the only beneficiaries who experience exponential growth are capitalists or “Owners”. Politically capitalists influence the social stance of minorities. In order to “tackle the racial wealth gap” and the difference in “educational experience” money distribution and investment is needed(4.2;7/12). Capitalists also affect gender inequality, roles and wage gap as “the workplace is a site of gender hierarchies where managers and bosses can use their power to sexually harass and abuse”; “employers penalizing women for having children and caring for them”; “employers (must) offer parental leave to both parents, so that women aren’t the default caregivers suffering the consequent career penalties”.- These are all citations from the second reading that provide verification of how capitalism societies on a political and social level, none of which were made in the first reading. As mentioned, though it is important to know the distinctions between the “Owning” and “Employed” classes, it is ever more important to understand the deep roots the owning class has in society and how they are able to rule, flourish, and live differently than others.
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?
In order for capitalist to grow they depend on the labor of their worker, for a worker to live they depend on capitalists to exist. The entire formation of social classes is based on the capitalist system. In order for the upper class to survive it needs the lower class and middle class to use as workers. An example of this would be construction workers. In order for a city to have residents who contribute to its economy, it needs buildings with tenats who pay rent. In order for buildings to exist it needs the construction workers to build these buildings. The construction workers need bosses, and those bosses need clients.
It seems to me the neighborhoods with the most diversities in New York are the ones that experience a lower income. The upper classes no matter what train you take all reside in Manhattan. Manhattan is where jobs such as corporate offices the stock market and real estate are the most expensive. Needless to say, the majority living in Queens and Brooklyn do not have the means to afford their own personal chef, live-in nanny, or housekeeper. It shows that every line on the subway no matter which line you take those that are highest are all located in Manhattan. Manhattan by far receives the most tourist in New York. Manhattan offers fine-dining restaurants, museums, gardens, parks, and fun activities that all exploit a working consumer. Most of New York City’s attractions are not located in Queens, Brooklyn, or the Bronx. As a result, those are the boroughs in the city whose residents earn the least, communities that whose are in decline in cleanliness/nature, and depend more on small businesses to thrive. This is not to say that Manhattan does not have its own “bad” parts, but there is a distinct difference in how the way of life is much different than that of those in other boroughs. The amount of income, Manhattan residents bring into the city has caused the city to raise its prices in both rent and transportation for the boroughs that were known for having affordable living. Given that the current minimum wage in New York is 15 dollars, houses for rent in queens ( well-known for having affordable living) have skyrocketed to studio apartments (which are not that big) becoming over 1,000 dollars. The amount of influence Manhattan has had on its neighboring boroughs has proven to be a great imbalance in the distribution of money.
Based on Reading 4.2, do you notice a general pattern in social classes in NYC?
There are many similarities between readings 4.1 and 4.2. The workers vs capitalists dynamic are essential to a running and established economy. Both authors made crucial statements about the value of a worker and its dependency on an employer. The first reading “Wealth and Want in the United States” speaks about the unique difference between the “Owning class” and “Employee class”. The owning class lives off investments “stocks, bonds, rents” while the employee class “spend their lives toiling in factories or offices (and) retire with relatively little if any funds”. The second reading “Cash Rules Everything Around Me” has a similar argument that is the “Capitalist” and the “Worker”. Capitalists are in an extreme position of power. They provide work for the workers to receive the means of living. There was a cruel but necessary distinction made. While living in a capitalist society those who are not part of the upper class do not have the same freedom as those in the lower or middle class. Both of these readings demonstrate a consensus that though the workers produce value they do not receive the “surplus”(4.1) fairly. It also demonstrated the suffrage of the working class “in order to make money…you have to sell your labor to someone who does”(4.2).
However, though there were many similarities made between the readings (the distinction between the lives and position of the “Owning class” or “Worker”) there was a difference that separated some of their ideas. The first reading highlights the function of capitalists in America while the second informs how to dismantle it and the position/value of workers. 4.2 (C.R.E.A.M) resonated with me the most because it gave so much to defense to those who identify as socialists in a capitalist economy. The first reading goes into detail about the drastic differences in the lives of the upper, middle, and lower class and how each contribute and functions in a capitalist society. This information is important but it does not provide evidence as to what a socialist society would entail, what is needed to deconstruct a capitalist system, and the drastic difference between capitalist and worker. Heidman(4.2) reveals the affect and power of capitalist on both an economic and political scale. Economically capitalist rule the economy and are given two tasks create work and create consumers. Workers receive money to consume and consumers spend the money they have worked for all whilst remaining in the same position. In this capitalist system the only beneficiary who experiences exponential growth are capitalists or “Owners”. Politically capitalist influence the social stance of minorities. In order to “tackle theracial weath gap” and the difference in “educational experience” money distribution and investment is needed(4.2; 7/12). Capitalist also affect gender inequality, roles and wage gap as “the workplace is a site of gender hierarchies where managers and bosses can use their power to sexually harass and abuse”; “employers penalizing women for having children and caring for them”; “employers (must) offer parental leave to both parents, so that women aren’t the default caregivers suffering the consequent career penalties”.- These are all citations from the second reading that provide verification of how capitalism societies on a politcal and social level, none of which were made in the first reading. As mentioned, though it is important to know the distinctions of the “Owning” and “Employed” classes it is ever more important to understand the deep roots on which the owning class have in society and how they are able to rule, flourish, and live differently than others.
What is a Repressive State Apparatus? Why does Althusser call it “repressive”? Can we explain his choice of words here? Give an example.
A Repressive State Apparatus is when the citizens of a government follow authority due to fear of violence or punishment. Althusser uses the word “repressive” to describe this state because it is to signify the restraint of freedom both physical and mental. Inhabits do not protest, speak their mind or exercise their free will because there isn’t any. This state would be most fittingly understood under a fascist regime. In Nazi Germany, those associating with or helping Jews would receive severe punishment which included death. However, a repressive state does not only apply to fascist rule.
2. Let’s do the same for the Ideological State Apparatuses. What are they, and how do they seem to work?
In Ideological State Apparatuses there are about four state apparatuses that contribute to keeping the status quo in Capitalist Ideology. The first is the Democratic Apparatus, citizens have the right to vote and contribute to their representatives in government. The second is the Consumer Apparatus, people are given the “illusion of choice”, multiple stores that sell about the same product in a slightly different version but the customer choices which aesthetic they’d like to follow. The third is Entertainment Apparatus which plastic pills best described as “artificial allegiance that divides you from class allegiance”. The Entertainment Apparatus gives you a sense of belonging to a specific sport, music genre, or film genre and that can keep the majority of people in control to not rebel against the status quo of a capitalist society. The last and most vital apparatus is the School Apparatus as Althusser puts it “No other ideological state apparatus has the obligatory audience…of the children”. The School Apparatus demonstrates to children a version of what a capitalist society entails. The teacher is the authority figure that needs to be followed and respected, even if they are not good. Detention, suspension, and bad grades are the different forms of punishment for misbehaved children who go against their authority figures. All of these apparatuses keep the people in a capitalist system from rebelling against the status quo.
3.How are the Repressive and Ideological State Apparatuses different from each other? What is the difference between the two?
Repressive State Apparatus and Ideological State Apparatus have two different functions to maintain the status quo in a system or society. The Repressive State Apparatus relies on fear and punishment as a means to keep control of the people. Ideological State Apparatus relies on different apparatuses that are a form of distraction, the illusion of choice, or a smaller version of society. Ideological State Apparatus is more useful in a capitalist society because the target is the lower and middle classes. In the Ideological State different apparatuses are present to maintain the status quo and keep the majority from questioning those in power or worrying about the actions of their government. Repressive State Apparatus is present in a capitalist society but it is not the most useful due to how much power those in the upper class and government have. It is more useful in a fascist state because the government is the one who has full control and the only alternative to rebelling is punishment, which people fear.
4. Post an example of ideology, specify if this is an example of repressive or ideological apparatuses at work.
This is a notice from the S.S police warning the consequences of aiding Jews. The poster reads:
“Announcement
Death Penalty for Aid to Jews who have left the Jewish residential areas without permission
Recently, many Jews have left their designated Jewish residential areas. For the time, they are in the Warsaw District.
I remind you that according to the Third Decree of the General Governor’s concerning the residential restrictions in the General Government of 10/15/1941… not only Jews who have left their designated residential area will be punished with death, but the same penalty applies to anyone who knowingly provides refuge to such Jews. This includes not only the providing of a night’s lodging and food but also any other aid, such as transporting them in vehicles of any sort, through the purchase of Jewish valuables, etc.
I ask the population of the Warsaw District to immediately report any Jew who resides outside of a Jewish residential area to the nearest police station or gendarmerie post.
Whoever provided or currently provides aid to a Jew will not be prosecuted if it is reported to the nearest police station by 4 pm on 9/9/42.
Likewise, those who deliver valuables acquired from a Jew to 20 Niska Street or the nearest police or gendarme post by 4 pm on 9/9/42 will not be prosecuted.
The SS- and Police Leader in the Warsaw District
Warsaw, September 5, 1942″
This is a key representation of a Repressive State Apparatus.
The S.S police who controlled Nazi Germany sent a notice to all Germans informing the consequences and cruel punishment that would result in the aiding of Jews and rebelling against government orders.
Ideology is your understanding and beliefs on how society’s politics and economy should be. It’s formed from who you identify to be or your views on society.-An overall perspective of how people would like to be governed by your government. Essentially ideology is the security and protection an individual would like their government to provide for them.
B) Example
Conservatives advocate for capitalism and little to no government involvement. Their ideology stems from Darwin’s survival of the fittest; that is how they would like society to be shaped. Those who identify as conservatives would not have supported FDR’s new deal plan that provided regulation on business, consumer protection, minimum wage law, and worker protection. They believe government does not need to involve itself in “repairing” or “constructing” a better and fair society.
C) What is ideology to you?
I believe ideology is an individual’s way of asserting their views on society. I think it is vital for each individual to have an understanding of what governments do. If you are contributing to the growth of a society you have the liberty to have a voice in it. Ideology helps you identify with others in calling out unfairness or recognizing an inhumane condition. It is the people’s right to choose how they’d like to be governed and it is the responsibility of the government to maintain ethics and prosperity.
However, though ideology is fundamental for people to have they are not always correct. It is necessary for there to be a code of ethics people agree to and follow. That is why there is so much complication and it is necessary to think of all aspects before ruling a decision. During Hitler’s regime in Nazi Germany, their society was flourishing. Though not all Germans believed in the ideology at hand they did prosper with it.-But at what cost? The benefit for many can be the destruction of others. Before deciding what your ideology is you must first have a code of ethics on a humane level of understanding. There are so many factors that contribute to one’s opinion and it should not be entirely based on biased factors.
Task #2
Conservatives’ concerns surround the prosperity of business and the economy. While most conservatives might not come from wealth they consider the growth of the economy to be essential in their day-to-day lives. Conservatives also believe in upholding traditional values and that government involvement should be minimized.
Liberals believe in the expansion of government as a means to produce a better society for its inhabitants. They prefer government involvement to maintain ethics and fairness amongst the economic classes. Liberals believe more in progressive ideas than in upholding traditional ones.
Conservatives believe the expansion of government takes away from individual liberty whilst liberals believe it protects it. It is also important to mention that this is because of who the majority of the people behind these ideologies are. Most conservatives don’t want the government to have so much control so they can “preserve the privileges and traditional practices of the upper strata”(page 52). Liberals believe the government has to be involved with its people in order to improve “public services..wage support..(and) aid for needy children”(pg54).-Which conservatives believe “private charity can take care of…and that there is no need for government handouts”(pg53). The key difference between these two ideologies is their view on how much power the government should have.
Task #3
Ideology in Althusser’s definition is to give the individual a feeling of power with the means to maintain the status quo of the capitalist system in place. This means the individual has no real power only a sense of it due to the democratic apparatus installed by the system. There are multiple apparatus that give individuals in capitalist society to have the illusion of choice. There are two vital apparatuses in Althusser’s school of thought, repressive and ideological. Repressive is when an individual follows authority because they are controlled by the fear of violence or punishment. Ideological is when an individual is accepted by sharing something in common with a group. There are different apparatus in ideology that gives you “artificial allegiance”. These apparatus distract you from “thinking of inequality” and rebelling, making you more compliant with authority.
The way the system is maintained is through mandatory attendance in schools. The school’s function in the capitalist system is that of the church’s in the feudal system. It teaches children to follow authority even if it isn’t a good one. If you do not follow the rules you get punished. This reinforces control in the capitalist system for you are less likely to rebel again the status quo. You learn about the system’s unfairness but you are also made aware that it does not entirely change. Interestingly enough, unless you are in a place of power or have connections to power punishment is not applied. It demonstrates how capitalism is maintained by those in the upper class and the rules do not apply to them. The system has not changed it has simply been given a new name.
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?
Due to the changes brought on by the Civil Rights movement, the dismantling of Kim Crow, BLack Codes, and segregation laws there needed to be another method where racism could still exist whilst being discreet. Southern politicians created “Law and Order” so they can keep their racist agenda socially acceptable. “Proponents of racial hierarchy found they could install a new racial caste system without violating the law or the new limits of acceptable political discourse, by demanding “law and order” rather than “segregation forever”. One interesting advantage I noted was that President Nixon took advantage of this new coined term to the point where he had made “seventeen speeches solely to the topic of law and order”. Though one of his speeches don’t include racist remarks. “it is time for an honest look at the problem of order in the United States. Let us recognize that the first right of every AMerican is to be free from domestic violence”. Labelling those who are at “fault” for the violence terrorist. Nixon himself admits that in that speech it “hit rights on the nose. It’s all about those damn Negro-Puerto Rican groups out there”.
Do you think the Southern Strategy is still influencing American politics? Give an example supporting your answer.
The Southern Strategy is still very much utilized in today’s politics. The most recent form of it that I can think of was during the Donald Trump Presidency. President Trump never addressed the major issue surrounding the increase of police brutality felt by the Black community. Instead he would say things such as “more white people” are killed by police than Black people.” When asked about the how people still want to wave the confederate flag though it is deemed racist he responded ” “Well, people love it, and I know people that like the Confederate flag, and they’re not thinking about slavery,” Trump said when asked whether he understood the pain it caused people because of its association with slavery.”
Site used https://www.npr.org/sections/live-updates-protests-for-racial-justice/2020/07/14/891144579/trump-says-more-white-people-killed-by-police-violence-than-blacks
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)
I highly agree with this statement and Alexander has abundance of proof to back this up. For one, the War on Drugs was declared during a time period that “illegal drug use was on the decline”. Once this was declared “drug offenses (skyrocketed) especially among people of color. A second point that really stood out to me was “significant differences in the surveys….suggest that whites, particularly white youth, are more likely to engage in drug crime than people of color”; “..however when entering our nation’s prisons and jails,…(they are) overflowing with black and brown drug offenders. My third and final point, Alexander points out that many states “black men have been admitted to prison on drug charges at rates twenty to fifty times greater than those of white men” this makes a distinctive point that though the same crimes are being committed by all people of color those of color serve a heavier sentence then what is suggested for the crime committed.
2. 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 are simply due to racial discrimination. “In washington, D.C., our nation’s capitol, it is estimated that three out of four young black men (and nearly all those in the poorest neighborhoods) can expect to serve time in prison. Similar rates of incarceration can be found in black communities across America.” During “War on Drugs” Reagan’s media campaign established “images that seemed to confirm the worst negative racial types about impoverished inner-city residents.”; “Black “crack whores”, “crack dealers” and “crack babies”.
3. How do you understand the phrase: “the American penal system has emerged as a system of social control unparalleled in world history.”?
Unlike the other developed countries Alexander mentions, (Finland and Germany), the prison system in America is constructed drastically different, “the extent or severity of punishment is often unrelated to actual crime patterns”. The prison system in America is not designed for the reformation of the inmate serving but instead extending their sentence and designing a construct where they are more likely to serve again. America does not work to better its citizens, it does not want to minimize its incarceration rate.
I’m originally from Recife, Brazil but I migrated to the US at 6 years old. I’m twenty years old and I’m not really a fan of the city life. I’m very excited to start this semester. I’m strictly doing online classes so I can work full time. I plan on getting really good grades so I can transfer to a four year, and do double major. I want to study Business and Writing. I would like to learn more about business and go back and give to the community I’m originally from. I want to continue pursuing my passion of writing political criticism and fiction stories. During the pandemic I started research work for my book on racism in America. I focused on the evolution of political ideologies and white supremacy. Wrote about three chapters until I became overwhelmed with everything I was reading on the subject. Speaking and learning about politics is one of my passions and I’m excited for what this class has instore for me.
