Marxist Explanations

Question 1

What Marxists discuss ideologies and social control?

Answer 1

Althusser
Box

Question 2

What Marxists discuss capitalism, alienation and criminality?

Answer 2

Marx, Bonger, Gordon, Chambliss

Question 3

How are people ‘brainwashed’ through ideology and social control?

Answer 3

The ‘capitalist ideology’ is seen as fact, and everyone accepts it.

Question 4

What two ways does Althusser say we are controlled?

Answer 4

• The Repressive State Apparatus (RSA)
  —-Formal social control
• The Ideological Status Apparatus (ISA)
  —-Informal social control

Question 5

How does the relationship between the ISA and the RSA work according to Althusser?

Answer 5

The ISA shows those who are ‘deviant’, which divides and scares us, which justifies the use of the RSA.

Question 6

What does Box discuss?

Answer 6

• They explain ‘avoidable killings’, and how many are not seen as murder.
• People who commit legally defined murder are usually poorer and less powerful.
• Avoiding health and safety in workplace, and neglecting employees is often committed by the most powerful.

Question 7

What word does Marx use to describe how the proletariat feel?

Answer 7

• Alienated, powerless, and disconnected through exploitation at work.

Question 8

What does Bonger say crime is caused by?

Answer 8

• There’s a link between crime and economic conditions.
• Crime is caused by poverty, and scarcity of resources.
• Capitalism creates competition and inequality of resources.
• This promotes greed and leads to materialism, racism and violence.

Question 9

What does Gordon discuss?

Answer 9

• There’s little attention on white collar crime.
• Crime was seen as the norm in the USA, with 91% of people saying they had committed a criminal act in 1961.
• Crime is a rational response, and capitalism causes crime to be committed.

Question 10

What does Chambliss discuss?

Answer 10

• Capitalism creates a desire to consume, but also creates the inability to earn enough money, luring people to crime.
• Crime keeps some proletariat off the street, providing them with shelter, and a a job within the prison.
• Crime is committed by all classes, but it is the enforcement of law which makes it look as if it is mainly the lower classes.

Question 11

Who discusses ‘avoidable killings’?

Answer 11

Box

Question 12

Who discusses the link between crime and economic conditions?

Answer 12

Bonger

Question 13

Who talks about the little attention of white collar crime?

Answer 13

Gordon

Question 14

Who talks about the desire to consume?

Answer 14

Chambliss

Question 15

How is Marxism critiqued?

Answer 15

• Too extreme and outdated as the ruling class can’t be involved in a deliberate conspiracy to control and eliminate lower classes.
• Most value laws under capitalism, showing a value of consensus.
• There are laws which protect the powerless.
• Doesn’t see other social characteristics.

Question 16

What do Marxists say overall?

Answer 16

• Do not agree that crime and deviance function for the whole society.
• They look at how capitalism drives people to commit crime, and the crime committed by the rich.