Marx’s False Consciousness

Karl Marx theorized that the working class did not rise up and over throw the ruling capitalist class because of “false consciousness”.  I am definitely not an expert on the topic of Marxism so please excuse the possibly crude analysis of my reaction.

 

In our capitalist society there are the added factors of  Government jobs, academic, and management jobs that many people can attain with relative ease. The idea that one must either own capitol or work for the capitalist is not very accurate. Also our particular society provides a very high degree of class movement. Within a generation it is easy to see a shift in class within a family for instance, either upward or downward. This makes the idea of false consciousness seem dramatically over simple. That said I still think that there are many who don’t realize that the current capitalist system is not very congruent with the idea of social justice.

Canadian White Knapsack

I have become aware that part of the white privilege discussion involves white people very carefully guarding their tongues. I say that with respect and not flippantly in any way. White privilege exists, and I am not a denier. I think that as a white person involves taking care of my own personal responsibility, briefly voicing agreement when it is appropriate, and keeping quiet when I disagree. That said I have been assigned by my professor to respond to this link about white privilege.

 

http://www.kzoo.edu/praxis/emptying-the-white-knapsack 

 

The only thoughts that I would like to contribute are these. I think that there are different dynamics at work in Canada and most definitely in different parts of Canada than those which are working in the USA. I’m not suggesting that it is better here. Just different. I would like to see a list emptying the Canadian White Knapsack.

I am not willing to make the list. If I were willing to make such a list I would include many points on the following broad topics :

1. Aboriginal Rights / Issues, 2. Poverty Among New Immigrants, 3. Interculturalism 

With that being said, I do not disagree with the list, nor do I think that it is unable to speak to Canadian issues. It would just be very insightful to see a perspective that speaks to the situation where I live more specifically.  

My Reaction to UNESCO (World Day of Social Justice)

This is a response to an article on the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization website. It is titled World Day of Social Justice only because it was posted on that day (February 20, 2014). The article is about UNESCO’s initiatives and planning program to eradicate global poverty and global social injustice. It isn’t clear what exactly their plans are other than to attempt to call global leadership to account. “Governments should not point to processes outside of their immediate control, such as global recession, to abdicate their responsibility …[p]overty, inequality and social injustices … should be fought and that would need to address power asymmetries and the reduction of the privileges of global economic and financial players”(par4). They are planning a meeting of experts and casting vision for the short and long term.

I like the philosophy behind UNESCO’s agenda for global social justice. Unfortunately for me global finance is a topic that is well beyond my understanding. It does remind me of the millennium movement that happened in the late 1990’s where people campaigned for the relief of unbearable debt in the developing world.

Two things worry me when people talk about financial growth in the developing world. First, the financial system in the so-called developed world seems to be broken. The lifestyle of most people in my part of the world is determined by their ability to borrow. When people stop borrowing, the people in the media start forecast financial gloom. The other thing is – who stands to gain from economic growth in the developing world? I think it’s the elite ruling class. As I confessed I am not an expert on this topic so it is an area that I need to grow in. Hopefully the experts will have many tools and resources to set the course for justice.

Reference

http://www.unesco.org/new/en/social-and-human-sciences/themes/sv/news/world_day_of_social_justice_2014/#.Uxot_D9dXAK

A Place for the Poor

We watched a five minute video in class which was an excerpt from the musical The American Ruling Class (2005).  I was surprised and a bit upset with myself for not yet having reflected on the issues it brought up. It was a great learning experience. There are two issues which I felt were key; Liveable wages and affordable housing. There were many other issues to be sure but these are the ones that really stood out to me. Here’s why.

If jobs exist with wages that are not liveable and housing is too expensive to afford while working at these jobs then what we are saying is there is a place for the poor. They belong in our society. It is right to have people who can’t make it even if they are working full time. That sounds ridiculous, right?

In the discussion after the video the following idea was presented. People can get better jobs. It is within their power. It just takes hard work. This is a philosophy that I recognized from my own thinking in the past. These statements may have some truth to them. Equally true, however, is this;  As long as the low paying jobs exist they will be filled by someone.

To summarize my learning I have recognised that a society with sub-liveable wages is one which believes that there is a place for people who can’t survive on their own.

The Body Ritual Among the Nacirema: Summary

The Body Ritual Among the Nacirema: Summary

Written  under the pretence of being a sociological alien The Body Ritual Among the Nacirema is a satire of sorts. The author Horace Miner is writing about the society of America in the 1950’s but he uses backwards spelling to create the feeling of social distance from his subject. The point that Miner makes is that the society is full of magical rituals which its members perform or partake in. “The fundamental belief underlying the whole system appears to be that the human body is ugly and that its natural tendency is to debility and disease.”(para5) Miner talks about rituals preformed in shrine rooms, visits to holy mouth men and imposing temples called latipso.  He references the gifts that must be given in exchange for rituals preformed by medicine men and holy mouth men. Also Miner observes the faith that people have in this magic regardless of the fact that it sometimes doesn’t work or in some cases could kill them. There is another witchdoctor which Miner calls the listener. Who listens to peoples problems and reverses curses. Miner observes that ceremonial feasts and fasts are preformed to change peoples body size because of their “pervasive aversion to the natural body and  it’s functions”. Miner’s conclusion is that his study of  the Nacirema has “certainly shown them to be a   magic-ridden people”(para20). The essay is then ended with a quote from Malinowski’s Magic, Science, and religion.  The essence of the quote is that magic is crude, irrelevant and part  of lower civilizations.

Reference

Horace Miner, “Body Ritual among the Nacirema.”  American Anthropologist, vol. 58 (1956), pp. 503-507

Bio and Thoughts About Social Justice

My Name is Craig Perkin. I am thirty-five years old and I live in North Langley with my wife of nearly ten years and our big dog Buddy. I work full time at a limestone plant which is right on the mighty Fraser River.

I have been out of school for ten years now. My education includes a diploma in Christian studies from Christ College and one semester at Kwantlen in 2003. After I got married in 2004 I decided to work full time and help my wife go to school. My plan is to work towards a double minor in Sociology and Counselling. I am slowly easing my way back in to it.

As I was processing my thoughts on social justice it occurred to me that all justice is social justice. Societies do justice. That said, there are certainly very different ideas about what is and is not just depending on the ideals and philosophical undercurrents of a given society. I am curious about how this course will approach different cultural perceptions of justice.

My personal belief is that justice is humanity flourishing in the fullest way possible. I think usually Social Justice refers to efforts to aid marginalized, oppressed and underprivileged people. In my view these are some of the most important aspects. I am also interested the idea of corporate responsibility. I agree with the trend that sees corporations being called to account for their treatment of employees, communities and the environment.

Another thought I had was about international/ethnic issues. What I am thinking about are the effects of national and ideological imperialism. Is it just that some countries are able to exploit citizens of other countries. Also colonization has left many countries war torn with violence and ethnic tension. I don’t have much in the way of answers for this one and I may be barking up the wrong tree to think it has to do with social justice…what do you think?