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

The distinction reading 4.3 makes about owners and employees are bases on who controls wealth and production in society. Owners are the people who own businesses, corporations, land or large amounts of capital. With theses resources they have power over economic decisions such as wages, prices and working conditions. Owners make money mainly from profits investments and ownership, giving them political and economical influence allowing them to shape laws and policies in their favor. Examples are corporate executive or shareholder who profit from a company even if not directly involved daily. Employees do not own productive property. They must sell their labor to survive and depend on the company for a paycheck. Have little to no say so. Parenti’s point is that this system creates inequality because those who work the hardest are not the ones with the most power or wealth. 

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

The quote is saying that labor is the source of wealth, but workers do not receive the full value of what they produce. Instead employers pay workers less than the value they create so that the owners can make a profit. Workers create value when they are paid for what they are worth. The extra value is taken by the employer. Supporting Parenti’s argument that capitalism depends on workers being underpaid relative to the value of their labor. Showing the inequality isn’t accidental it’s built into how the economic system works.  Or like how some people can go to school or attend trade school school to receive extra raise or promotions within a company. You must pay for the labor or expertise that one may have.  

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

Heideman argues that class is not an identity like race and genders instead a social and economic position. Class is about your relationship to work and ownership not about how you express yourself or how you feel. Understanding it as you identify as a working class the same way you identify with a culture or certain community. Class is something that exist whether you knowledge it or do not. If you have to work to live. You adapt of the working class. If you make money mainly from owning businesses or investment, you are part of the owning class. An example someone working two job to pay rent may not call themselves working class but their economic situation still places them there. Heidman’s argument shows that class is based on material conditions not personal identity or lifestyle. I believe its true because we all value different things in life and at a different point in our life. We have good times and bad times but it doesn’t put our value below anyone else. 

4. 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?

                 I understand the argument reading 4.4. Makes explaining that class exits Because of close and ongoing dependency between workers and owners. Workers are the one depending on owners to meet basic needs to have housing, food and transportations and many more things. The owners on the other hand are relying and trusting the workers to to produce good and services to generate profit. The dependency would be the close in this term because it happened daily and directly. Workers must keep showing up to work and survive, while the business cannot operate without those workers. The depended can be unequal as well because a company can easily replace a worker and their income.  Heideman’s argument can explain why class is not just about income differences, but more about the power and dependency built into the system. 

1. Owners vs employees

The reading is basically saying owners and employees live two completely different lives.

Owners make money off investments and other people’s work.

Employees gotta clock in and earn every dollar themselves.

Example:

An owner is like somebody with stocks or a business — they are still getting paid even when they sleep.

An employee is like somebody working retail or Amazon — they only get paid when they work.

2. Adam Smith quote (page 28)

He’s saying labor is what really creates value.

Money doesn’t mean nothing by itself it’s the work behind things that makes them worth something.

Like a tree isn’t worth much until somebody puts in the work to cut it, shape it, and turn it into something people want.

3. Class is NOT an identity

He’s saying your class isn’t just something you “feel” like you are.

It’s your situation — how much money you got, what kind of job you work, what kind of access you have.

You can’t just say “I’m upper class” if your bank account ain’t matching that.

It’s not vibes, it’s reality.

4. Close form of dependency

It means owners and workers need each other, but not the same way.

Workers need the job to live.

Owners need workers so the business can run and make profit.

Example:

Like Amazon — they need workers to move packages, but the workers don’t got the same power as Jeff Bezos.

That’s the dependency he’s talking about.

From Reading 4.3, I understand the difference between owners and employees as who owns the business versus who does the work. Owners make money from profits, while employees earn wages for their labor. For example, a company owner benefits from the work being done, but the worker only gets paid hourly even if the business makes more money. This shows how power and money are not shared equally, which is something Michael Parenti explains.

The quote by Adam Smith made me think about how workers create most of the value, but they don’t receive most of the reward. Even though labor is what keeps businesses running, workers usually get less compared to owners. To me, this shows that labor is important but often taken for granted.

I agree with Reading 4.4 that class is not an identity. I see class more as a position someone has in the economic system, not who they are as a person. Paul Heideman helped me understand that class is about work, money and power not culture or personality,

When the reading says class is built around a “close form of dependency” I understand that workers depend on jobs to survive, while owners depend on workers to make profit. A simple example is needing a paycheck to pay rent, while the employer controls hours and pay. That dependency keeps the class system going.

1. The distinction that reading 4.3 makes between owners and employees is that owners are the ones who mostly live off their investments like their stocks and bonds and the ones who own companies but they do not contribute any labor. Now for the employees they are the ones for example who do the labor but live off their wages and salaries, they create the companies product or skill they produce but only receive a very small portion compared to what the owner is profiting from the employee.
2. The way I understand the quote from Adam Smith and his thoughts of labor is that he is trying to explain that the labor is the standard of which a product can be created and has its real price, meaning what ever the price of the labor and or product will be the normal price of out in the market especially the whole context of the paragraph explains it.
3. My thoughts on class is not an identity is that I agreed with the reading, I agreed because there are many liberals that see class as an identity due to social structures and income but socialists reject the view of how class gets treated as an identity. I do think class can be fit into both due to how a person treats their financials and what they own and do with their money, a lot of workers should start investing their money to make their money work for them.
4. The way I understand the argument reading 4.4 makes that class structures are built around a close form of dependency is that for example both owners and employees in a capitalists society depend on one another due employees producing the means of production and owners providing the company itself and paying its employees a portion of the selling products. This form of dependency is a capitalism for example the biggest corporation in the world Amazon and its CEO Jeff Bezos provides millions of jobs and his earnings are Significantly more than what the average worker earns in a warehouse when they are the ones who are make company and him money.

1. Based on Reading 4.3, the difference between owners and employees is the amount of labor they do and the amount of money they gain. Firstly, owners are considered as wealthy stockholders and refer to big businesses. For example, owners are the ones who “own wealth of society” and compose the owning class because they can live off of investments such as stocks and bonds. However, employees live off of their hard earned income through labor. The employee class consists of service workers and these workers experience exploitation by the owners. The owners like managers and executives will push their employees for “more value producing performance” in order to create wealth. While the owners have people work for them and gain capital, employees must work in order make a living just like in slavery times.
2. I agree with Adam Smith when he stated “labor is alone the ultimate and real standard by which the value of commodities can at all times and places be estimated and compared. It is their real price, money is their nominal price only.” This means money has less value than the labor that was put into making the money. In the reading, the example of how a tree can be turned into a “profitable commodity” such as furniture or paper was described. In order to gain profitable commodities, it is the labor that leads to the production and distribution in order to create money. I believe as people we need to stop holding materialistic things like money at a higher value than appreciating the labor that people do in order for us to have the commodities we do.

3. I do agree with the idea that class is not an identity as formed in Reading 4.4. I agree with the socialist belief of how class is really a structure which gives everyone in society specific duties. The Liberals view class as a ladder where you are ranked based on wealth, income, and education. I do not believe class should be classified based on those factors alone. If we are not wealthy or did not finish college, should that alone place us at the bottom of the ladder ? The answer is no because in reality there are two classes that depend on one another. Those classes are capitalists and workers. Capitalists depend on the workers to make profits and the workers depend on capitalists to keep them employed. This is a form of dependency where the two are relying on one another for their benefit.

4. Class structures are built around a close form of dependency which means there is an invisible agreement between the capitalists and the workers. This agreement ensures both parties benefit from one another. The workers make profits for the capitalists and the capitalists keep the workers employed. Something I found interesting about this is if the workers feel exploited, they have two choices, they can either put their head down, continue to work and ignore it or they can collectively address the capitalists together and fight back by forming a strike. An example of dependency would be my personal experience of working in the justice system, there are hundreds of people who work in the courts and offices, who do not get paid enough for the amount of labor they do. Additionally, the DA is the capitalist because he/she profits off of the work we do to get cases handled. Our labor does not get recognized because the value of our labor is less than the value of the title and power the capitalists holds.

Reading 4.3, the distinctions between owners and employees is made around their roles in the economic system and the resulting disparities in wealth and power. Starting off with who they are, owners are People or companies that have businesses or assets. They make money from profits and investments. On the other hand employees are People who work for others and get paid a salary or wage. They sell their time and skills. There is also a distinction between owners and employees when it comes to their power in the economy. Owners Have a lot of control over business decisions and can influence the market. Their wealth lets them shape economic conditions. Employees Have less control and influence.
Their job security and income depend on their employer’s decisions.

The quote by Adam Smith emphasizes that labor or the work that people do is the only true way to determine the value of something, it’s not about how much people are willing to spend. The effort, time, and tools used is more meaningful than the price. Smith makes it clear that the value of  items can be compared through the labor put into making them rather than the price.

Reading the article I can see why Heidman thinks social class isn’t an identity for several reasons. One of the reasons being, class can change over time. Heidman states that class can change over time due to things like job opportunities and education. Therefore class isn’t a permanent identity.

In the article, a close form of dependency is referred to because people’s social classes are intertwined and rely on each other in many different ways. An example of this would be a school setting. Schools get money from local taxes, often based on wealthier neighborhoods. If those areas have financial problems, the school might lose funding, which can lead to lower pay for teachers and fewer resources for students.

1. The distinction between owners and employees are owners refer to live off of their riches in stocks, bonds, rentals and property income. Everything valuable and more than the salary of a working class. While employees live mostly on wages and salaries.

2. I understood Adam Smith reading on labor as the true value of certain things. For example the tree mentioned , to make that into paper its a long process. In that process its time and certain placed needed. Certain material and marketing that goes into the extensive labor. It’s not easy but can be estimated and placed a value on already because it’s to expensive. The companies owned by the wealthy are gibing the opportunity , the labor and extra work steps just makes you more profitable. Human labor the act of making something from any job you are in most important in what we rely on. Everything in our daily life is being made by the working people it goes into our survival. What we need is the cost of labor. Using more specialized work goes into certain business because we want more value in it so its more money and effort put into. Anything with value is based on effort and the true work placed into it. Human labor is the most important.

3. What are your thoughts on the main argument of Reading 4.4 that class is NOT an identity? My main thought on the main argument is that class structures are built around close form of dependency. The wealthy own the assets and businesses are needed to have jobs to create labor amongst the people. The rich depend on the working class , as much as the working class depend on the wealthy. The intense dependency is more than the class is different from identity because the dependency on social class position. It’s more harsh than the gender identity it must be determined as different because class is not is not identity. For example whites depend on blacks, as much as blacks depends on whites. Class is identify as depending on the capitalism to maintain wealth. These businesses have goal to depend on the people for a protitable company.

4. I understand the argument by an owner and workers depend on each other. Workers must go to work to make the boss rich. And a worker needs the job/ business to work. I don’t want to repeat myself more . Showing you work hard and never take risk because you want to show your boss you have the value by working. The owner depends on you. In order to show class, racial identity and gender work in different way. In order to determine the differences you must see these things as they are. An example would be the rich stay rich without working while you work hard in the company they are employed to. Mutual dependent relationship in the workforce. Race cannot be used to force someone to treat you differently. Connected things to who we are Liri race, gender, and identity. Not all the same very differently.

When looking at Reading 4.3, one of the main points is the difference between owners and employees. Owners are the ones who control businesses and collect profits, while employees sell their labor in exchange for wages. Owners can make money even without working, but employees only get paid for the hours they put in. For example, a restaurant owner profits from every plate sold, while cooks and servers just earn hourly pay. I can relate to this because I’ve had jobs where I worked hard, but the company always made much more than I ever took home.

Adam Smith explained that all wealth really comes from labor, and on page 28 he makes it clear that the goods and services we use exist because of people’s work, not just because someone owns a business. For example, construction workers build the homes and offices we live and work in, but the profit from those buildings mostly goes to the developer. I connect with this idea because my own paycheck depends directly on the labor I do, and without workers like me, companies would have nothing to sell or profit from.

Reading 4.4 also makes the point that class is not simply an identity like race or gender. Instead, class is about economic relationships and struggles between groups. Saying “working class” is not just a label—it means surviving on wages while another group gains wealth from that labor. I can relate to this because most people in my community, including myself, live paycheck to paycheck. That shows me class is more about survival than identity, and I agree because it matches the reality of my family and neighbors.

Finally, Reading 4.4 explains that class structures are built on dependency, where both groups rely on each other. Workers need employers for jobs and paychecks, while employers need workers to keep their businesses running. A retail store, for example, cannot make sales without employees, but the employees still depend on that job to survive. This creates a close but unequal relationship. I’ve seen this in my own retail work, where both sides needed each other, but the employer always had more control.