final Flashcards
Lynch Law in America- Ida B Wells Barnett
blacks would be put to death without a trial. lynch law was the unwritten law back then, especially in the west. the purpose of written law was to stop blacks from voting in the south. they were public and popular events. in many cases foreigners were hanged and the us had to pay countries large sums of money
On Being Sane in Insane Places- D. L. Rosenhan
- notions of normality and abnormality are hard to label. normality usually stands out among abnormality
- in this case, normal people pretended to hear voices- be schizophrenic. once they were admitted to the ward they acted normal
- all were discharged with schizophrenia in remission. by definition, they arent and never were sane. most of the people working there never realized the patients were sane, they were operating with a strong bias, thinking everyone who entered was sick.
- the label of abnormality causes people to look over normal behaviors
- it is not clear we can distinguish sane from insane, especially in mental hospitals
- there are consequences to labeling. the labels last and those in remission are thought to go back into illness at any minute. legal consequences
Globalization and the race to the bottom
people claim that free trade is the best economic strategy. countries will specialize and prices will fall. in reality, when they spread in these areas, companies can force workers to compete to low labor and countries to worse environmental and social costs. countries will offer lower taxes
-new world economy
nation based economy is becoming a world economy. companies expand to seek to evade taxes and pay lower wages. nations have less clout in the world economy as a result
–downward spiral-reduced wages means reduced spending-stagnation
–polarization of haves and have nots- gap between rich and poor expanding worldwide
–loss of democratic control– govs cant control their own economies
–global conflict- economic globalization is creating global rivalry
Self Fulfilling Prophecy- Merton
- –If men define situations as real, they are real in their consequences
- -financial crises can occur when nothing is wrong. a bank run or panic happens when people all try to withdraw their money at once and it is a self fulfilling prophecy
- –the self fulfilling prophecy does not exist in nature, only in human society
McDonaldization
it is the process by which the principles of the fast food restaurant are coming to dominate more and more sectors of the american society as well as the rest of the world
===It has affected the food we eat at home. many of us now eat frozen microwaved food at home, similar to the food at mccdonalds
===it has led to the adoption of the franchise mccdonalds model across the world
===mcdonalds has become a symbol of american culture
US Social Problems in Comparative perspective
==social problems in the us getting worse- unemployment, inequality, levels of child abuse. this does not compare well with other countries
==we are number one in the magnitude of our social problems when compared with industrial nations. we are the only industrialized nation with out some form of universal health insurance. high inequality etc. high poverty among industrialized nations
==barriers to adoption of more generous welfare policies- belief in individualism and conservative legislators. high defense budget
===European Social Model– the believe in a shared commitment to the welfare of the population (cradle to grave). have lowe poverty rates. great benefits.
How Canada Stole the American Dream
==they work shorter hours and get paid more, with more time off for vacation
==they are healthier, wealthier and have smaller magnitudes in their social problems
==the reason for all this is because they have less debt than us
==they dont have the same values of materialism and therefore, dont bury themselves in debt
How other countries fight poverty
==in the us, social factors like race, geography and gender can correlate with higher poverty
==the us poverty rate is the highest in the industrialized world. we have less benefits for the poor than most industrialized nations
==social benefits are used by countries to decrease poverty rates. paid for by high taxes. Scandinavian model
==social benefits hurt the economy is a myth. he uses the example of canada. its economy has only improved since it expanded social benefits
Savage Inequalities- Jonathan Kozol
Kozol talks about her experience in east St Louis which is 98% black and very poor. the buildings on the main drag arent occupied. most of the workers have been laid off from their jobs. fumes from factories –> high rates of child asthma. lost city hall to creditors. sewage slowed into the school and much of the city. kids dont know what time school starts or even what grade they are in. kid says her sister was raped and killed. the school had to be closed because of the sewage floods, hundreds of teachers laid off from district.
==rye new york- very wealthy area. it is mostly white and asian. school is 12k per year tuition. students say diversity is only a goal but wouldnt make a actual distance
whats wrong with the american dream- Hoschild
the american dream is that if one works hard, they will succeed.
==there are many flaws with the american dream. people cannot really start over in life. even if one works hard, the chances of success in life are not guaranteed. people believe success is virtues. people who achieve success arent necessarily virtuos.
==the american dream is a deception. it gives people the illusion that anyone can attain success. it is out of most peoples control. family positions, race gender etc
Why are people poor in America: Herrel Rodgers
2 Theories of Poverty: cultural/behavioral or structural/economic reasons
behavioral/cultural- poor reflect those who have not adopted society’s values. they are failures. welfare makes people lazy, robbing them of iniative.
structural/economic theories: moderates and liberals explain poverty in terms of limited and unfair economic opportunities, inadequate and unfair educational systems, lack of political power and discrimination
Tobin’s structural theory of poverty: says that the performance of the economy is important in prevalence of poverty. says in recent years, the economy has decreased the impact of slavery
The World of the New Urban Poor- Julius Wilson
==People who inhabit ghettos innately face dim prospects
== chronic joblessness has deprived those in the inner city of skills necessary to obtain and keep jobs
== Poor public transportation often fails to provide access to job locations
==racial segregation in the ghettos has made the problem worse
===deprived of leaders/ best ethnic people who would have been leaders in the ethnic communities moved into the suburbs
The Corporation as Invisible Government
private business cant be totally controlled by government and has a far more important role in most peoples lives than public government. it, unlike public government, is not limited in its actions against individuals. it was a large topic prior to WW2 but it dropped out of public discourse.
==every form of legal control over private government, like anti trust laws has failed. labor unions have been undermined and are now powerless.
story of Lauren Allen, a single mother who worked at walmart and fell in love with a coworker. both were fired and unable to attain employment elsewhere.
==corporations are not democratic and dont reflect the majority. ruled top down
==they go beyond the workplace. and its punishments can be horrible
==private and public government connected. its elite switch between the public and private world.
The Power Elite- C Wright Mills
framework of modern society limits ordinary men. they are powerless. the elite control these peoples lives directly and have the ability to hire or fire thousands. this elite is bound by (not part of) any community.
===the power elite are people whp have the ability to make choices which affect many. they are people who occupy strategic command posts of the social structure. the power elite is often unaware of its true power. they can be economic, political or military leaders. these domains are related to eachother. they often intervene into the other sectors. the inherit wealth through these institutions
The Soul of Black Folk- WEB DuBois
- People ask him the equivalent of what its like to be a black from the south. How does it feel to be a problem
- One day in new England a girl refused to exchange visiting cards when he was a boy. He realized he was different
- Said he would live above the problem, beating his peers in academics and sports
- He still wanted their opportunities
- He says that blacks have a double consciousness because they can easily see how others view them.. prejudice
- The process of learning and education that occurred in the black community brought about a new sense of self consciousness- what they had to do, what they lacked
