#2: Social Class

Question 1

How does Marx define Social Class?

Answer 1

Marx: Capitalists (Bourgeois) and Workers (Proletariat)

Question 2

How does Wright define Social Class?

Answer 2

Wright: Capitalist class, Managerial Class, Small-Business class and working class.

Question 3

How does Weber define Social Class?

Answer 3

Weber: Multidimensional model (wealth, income, power, prestige)

Question 4

What is Social Stratification?

Answer 4

Social stratification is the arrangement of large social groups on the basis of their control over basic resources.

Question 5

What is Social Mobility?

Answer 5

Movement between social classes (upward vs. downward)

Question 6

What is the Ideology

Answer 6

Ideology is a set of assumptions about how the world works ( a world view)

Question 7

What is Meritocracy?

Answer 7

Meritocracy is the system of social stratification based on personal merit.

Question 8

The ideology of meritocracy:

IDEAL vs. REALWORLD:

Answer 8

Equality of opportunity (ideological)

Inequality of condition (material)

Question 9

Why use the “SOCIOLOGICAL IMAGINATION?”

Answer 9

Because is can help us from “blaming the victim”

Question 10

what is “Blaming the victim”?

Answer 10

It is a practice suggesting the cause of a social problem emanates from within the individual or group who exhibits the problem, by virtue of some inherent lack or flaw on the part of the individual group.

Question 11

What is Wealth and Income Inequality?

Answer 11

It is unequal access to: money, food, shelter, safety, security, etc.

The Gap between the rich and poor is growing.

Question 12

What is poverty?

Answer 12

Poverty: the condition the lowest on the stratification hierarchy.
Absolute vs. Relative Poverty.

Question 13

Dealing with Poverty:

Welfare State:

Answer 13

A nation in which government intervenes in the welfare of its citizens through various policies, programs, standards, and regulations.

ex: Government funding of programs like EI and Social Assistance.

Question 14

Dealing with Poverty:

Currently we are witnessing the “_______” of the welfare state.

Answer 14

Retrenchment: meaning decrease, or reduction.

Question 15

THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES ON POVERTY

Symbolic Interactionist

Answer 15

Meanings, definitions, and labels
Culture of Poverty Thesis
Cultural Capital
Reminder: Blaming the Victim

Question 16

THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES ON POVERTY

Functionalist View on Poverty

Answer 16

Poverty serves functions:

It motivates people to work hard
We need poverty to keep a pool of people to do shitty work no one else wants to do
and it provides jobs to people who try to “deal” with poverty.

Question 17

What are the conflicts with Poverty?

Answer 17

There is constant conflict between rich and poor in society, and there is globalized capitalism increasing gap between classes.

Question 18

Feminization of poverty

Answer 18

Feminization of poverty: women disproportionately affected by poverty.

Question 19

Socialist Feminism:

Answer 19

Private property lies at the heart of Patriarchy. (defn; hierarchical system of social organization in which structures are controlled by men)

Question 20

FEMINIST

Intersectionality:

Answer 20

Recognizes multiple colliding forces or social marginalization and disadvantage.

Question 21

What was the first film we watched? and what was it about?

Answer 21

Things i Cannot Change 1986, and it was about the Bailey family and a documentary of their life as a lower class family struggling in poverty. and the everyday challenges they have to face in terms of social class, and privilege.

Question 22

In the film “Things I cannot Change” How have things changed for the Bailey Family?

Answer 22

Watch film part 2 (: