MUCH TO DO ABOUT NOTHING...by Jared Hill
"Deep change does not begin in the political process or with single issues; it
begins among ordinary people deciding to change their circumstances." Bill
Moyers, Inequality Matters.....
Do we honestly believe that this kind of change is even a possibility in
contemporary society considering the structure of society in regards to upward
mobility, political participation, and the general inequalities of income and
wealth? Imagine CEO'S being OK with being compensated at the same rate as
individuals in low-income families or the Bush Administration passing up tax
cuts to benefit the wealthy elites while simultaneously putting the poor at
more of a disadvantage for upward mobility. You're better off finding a needle
in a heystack! This is how the wealthy stay wealthy but more importantly it's
how inequality in America threatens democracy.
If these actions were not beneficial to us all this would certainly be a
problem. At the same token, you also have situations where individuals on
welfare will not go out and look for a full-time job with benefits because of
the benefits they do receive that they otherwise wouldn't if they were not on
welfare.
How can we expect change when we have people in this nation (from the poor to
the wealthy) who value self-interests that contribute to inequalities of income
and wealth? The link between ownership of work and inequality of reward
prohibits participation for individuals who are unable to voice their opinions
and have influence on decisions being made regarding their lives as well as
others.
With all due respect, an ideal world for middle class, working class
families is undeniably different from an ideal world for the wealthy and the
elite, not to mention those in poverty. With that in mind, how can we begin to
come to change when the master-servant relationship in this country in regards
to ownership thrives off of power rather than collaboration?
begins among ordinary people deciding to change their circumstances." Bill
Moyers, Inequality Matters.....
Do we honestly believe that this kind of change is even a possibility in
contemporary society considering the structure of society in regards to upward
mobility, political participation, and the general inequalities of income and
wealth? Imagine CEO'S being OK with being compensated at the same rate as
individuals in low-income families or the Bush Administration passing up tax
cuts to benefit the wealthy elites while simultaneously putting the poor at
more of a disadvantage for upward mobility. You're better off finding a needle
in a heystack! This is how the wealthy stay wealthy but more importantly it's
how inequality in America threatens democracy.
If these actions were not beneficial to us all this would certainly be a
problem. At the same token, you also have situations where individuals on
welfare will not go out and look for a full-time job with benefits because of
the benefits they do receive that they otherwise wouldn't if they were not on
welfare.
How can we expect change when we have people in this nation (from the poor to
the wealthy) who value self-interests that contribute to inequalities of income
and wealth? The link between ownership of work and inequality of reward
prohibits participation for individuals who are unable to voice their opinions
and have influence on decisions being made regarding their lives as well as
others.
With all due respect, an ideal world for middle class, working class
families is undeniably different from an ideal world for the wealthy and the
elite, not to mention those in poverty. With that in mind, how can we begin to
come to change when the master-servant relationship in this country in regards
to ownership thrives off of power rather than collaboration?
posted by prof. cgb at 9:31 AM
1 Comments:
I think that Jared brings up a very good point and has a very strong argument of the issue at hand. Thinking from a media perspective, I believe that part of the reason why people think and act the way that they do is because of the mindset that society has adopted and showcased as being how “it’s supposed to be”. The upper class cannot live on the same income as the lower class because that is not how society has portrayed it. So where did society come up with these ideas? That’s where we come in. In my opinion, news, television, radio, and any other form of media shape what society thinks and does. For example, advertisements of size 0 girls force society to think that that is acceptable and all women should be that size, or look that way. Another example could be linked to what is shown on the news…some stations portray the war in Iraq as their fault and not ours. As a result, society gains a biased opinion about people from Iraq which can even become a bias towards anyone not American. I think it is extremely important for all of us to remember as we are going out into the actual broadcast/news world, that what we write and how we write it is going to have a much bigger impact on the world than we may realize. I’m not saying everyone individually, but what we contribute to the news is going to go out in the entire package that the media shows.
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