Social Problems ch. 7&8

Poverty Line

Developed in 1962 by the Social Security Administration. At this time the poor spent about 1/3 of their income on food, therefore line was set by multiplying low-level food budget by 3.

The means of production (Karl Marx, 1867)

Marx argued that social class revovles around a single factor, the means of production, which is the tools,factories, land, and capital used to produce wealth.

Origins of minority groups

Minority groups come into existence when people who have different customs, languages, values, or physical characteristics come under the control of the same political system. 1. Government expands its political boundaries 2. Migration to a new country (sometimes involuntary)

Individual Discrimination

One person treating another badly on the basis of race-ethnicity. Individual matter, does not qualify as social problem.

Underclass

People who are locked into minimum wage jobs. For most, poverty will remain their lot in life.

Minority Group (Louis Wirth, 1945)

People who are singled out for unequal treatment on the basis of their physical or cultural characteristics and who regard themselves as objects of collective discrimination. Does NOT mean numerical minority.

Culture of poverty

People who remain poor year after year have developed a way of life that traps them in poverty.

Class Consciousness

The realization that workers are workers no matter what their occupation, whether it be garbage-collector or college professor. Realization that they are all exploited workers, they will join together and overthrow the capitalists.

Symbolic Interactionism and Poverty

The social construction of poverty reveals the significance of relativity and perception in the definition of poverty. How poverty is viewed by the "non-poor" is also significant.

Reserve Labor Force

The unemployed, who can be put to work during periods of labor strife or economic expansion and laid off when these conditions change.

Social Inequality

The unequal distribution of wealth, income, power, and opportunies within a society.

Proletariat

The workers who serve the capitalists

Dominant Group

Those who discriminate. This group has more power, privileges, and higher social status. Can be larger OR smaller than minority group.

Secession

Wanting cultural and political independence, the minority seeks to separate itself and form a separate nation.

Assimilation (minority group)

Wanting to be treated as individuals, not as members of a separate group, members of the minority group adopt the culture of the dominant group and are absorbed into the larger society.

How does the subjective definiton of poverty influence social policy?

When poverty was thought to be God's will, the porper response was thought to be a personal religious duty to shelter, feed, and clothe the poor. As people's views change, so do their ideas regarding which social policies are apprpriate.

New Haven Firefighters Case (2009)

Whites and Latino sued the city for throwing out test result to determine promotion because African Americans did poorly. Court concluded that although the city's goal of diversity was fine, by ignoring the test results the city was adopting an illegal quota system.

Social Stratification

A form of social structure which ranks people in terms of wealth, income, power, and opportunies within a socierty.

Pan-Indianism

A movement that goes beyond tribal identity to work for the welfare of all Native Americans

Affirmative action and the Bakke Case (1972-1973)

Allen Bakke argued that the rejection of his application to the medical school of the University of California at Davis was an act of discrimination because he was white. Supreme court ruled that school had to admit Bakke

Pluralism (dominant group)

Also referred to as multiculturalism. Exists when dominant group permits or even encourages cultural differences. i.e. Foreign language newspapers in US; In Switzerland the French, Italian, German, and Romish Swiss living peacefully together.

Proposition 209 (California 1996)

Amendment to the California state constitution that banned race and gender preference in hiring and college admissions. Upheld by Supreme Court.

Discriminaton

An action. Treating someone unfairly based on appearance (age, race-ethnicity, sex, height, weight, disability, clothing, etc.) or on the basis of their income, education, sexual orientation, and religious or political beliefs.

Assimilation (dominant group)

An attempt to eliminate the minoirty by absorbing it into the mainstream culture. Forced assimilation bans minority group's religion, language, and other distinctive customs. (i.e. USSR and Armenians.) Permissible assimilation lets minority adopt at own pace (i.e. US)

Prejudice

An attitude. Usually negative, but it can be positive.

Surplus Value of Labor Conflict Theorists

An item is increased in value BECAUSE the worker added his/her labor to the item.

Eugenics

Attempts to improve humans through selective breeding. Underlying was the assumption of racial superiority. Popular during Hitler's time. Approved by scientists, educators, health specialists, religious leaders, and prominent politicians of the Western nations.

Split-Labor Market

Capitalists weaken the bargaining power of workers by splitting them along racial-ethnic lines. Workers who are fearful and distrustful of one another are unable to unite and demand higher wages and more benefits.

Bourgeoisie

Capitalists who own the means of production

Culture of Wealth

Characteristics of the wealthy- such as social connections and education achievements- that help keep them from falling down the social-class ladder.

Relative Poverty

Comparing people's standard of living and concluding that some are worse or better off than others. Not always serious. (i.e. "feel poor" because neighbor drives nicer car.)

Militancy

Convinced of its own superiority, the minority wants to reverse the status and dominate the society.

City of Richmond Decision (1989)

Court rled taht state and local governments "must almost always avoid racial quotas" in awarding construction contracts.

Criticism of the official poverty line (William Julius Wilson, 1992/Patricial Ruggles 1990,1992/Michael Katz, 1989)

-Changing lifestyles (food preferences and cooking patterns since 1962). Food budget should be multiplied by 5, not 3. -The definition is unrealistic since it assumes that everyone is a "careful shopper" who prepares all the family meals and never has guests.

Principles of Martin Luther King Jr.'s Strategy

1. Actively resist evil, but nonviolently. 2. Don't try to defeat or humiliate opponents, but try instead to win tehir friendship and understanding. 3. Attack the forces of evil rather than the people who are doiong the evil. 4. Be willing to accept suffering without retaliating. 5. Refuse to hate the opponent. 6. Act with the conviction that the universe is on the side of justice.

Characteristics of minority groups (Charles Wagley and Marvin Harris, 1958)

1. Ascribed status: Membership comes through birth. 2.Prejudice: The dominant group holds the minority's physical or cultural traits in low esteem. 3.Discrimination: The dominant group treats members of the minority group unequally. 4.Endogamy: Minority members tend to marry within their group. 5.Common identity: Minority members identify with one another because of their shared physical or cultural traits- and the disadvantages these traits bring.

Goals of Minority Groups (Louis Wirth, 1945)

1. Assimilation 2. Pluralism 3. Secession 4. Militancy

Types of Poverty

1. Biological (also known as "absolute poverty") 2. Relative Poverty 3. Official Poverty

Economic Problems Facing the US

1. Booms and busts 2. Stagnant incomes (a decline in purchasing power) 3. A debtor nation

Purpose of Welfare

1. Control the unemployed 2. Maintain social order 3. Provide capitalists a pool of cheap labor

Major Goals of Social Policy Regarding Racial-Ethnic Relations

1. Cultural Pluralism 2.Preventing Discrimination

How does poverty affect one's life chances?

1. Housing and Mortgages 2. Education 3. Jobs 4. Criminal Justice 5. Quality of Life

The Significance of Poverty

1. Millions of Americans live in poverty 2. The definition of poverty has serious consequences 3. Poverty lies at the root of many social problems

Policies of Dominant Group (George Simpson and J. Milton Yinger)

1. Pluralism (multiculturalism) 2. Assimilation 3. Segregation 4. Internal Colonialism 5. Population Transfer 6. Genocide

4 Types of Public Assistance Programs

1. Social Insurance Programs (i.e. unemployment; social security) 2. Teaching Job Skills (i.e. Job Corps) 3. Welfare (i.e. Temporty Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) ) 4. Workfare (i.e. 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportuniy Reconciliartion Act)

Population transfer

Direct population transfer forces minority group into specified area or forces it out of the country. (i.e. King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella drove Jews and Moors out of Spain.) Indirect population transfer occurs when the dominant group makes life so miserable for the minority that they "choose" to leave. (i.e. bitter conditions for Jews in czarist Russia.)

Internal Colonialism

Dominant group exploiting the minority group's labor.

Economic Colonialism

Dominant nations exploitation of weaker nations.

Civic Disobedience

Dr. King led the deliberately but peacefully disobeying of laws considered unjust.

Cultural Pluralism as Social Policy

Ecouraging pride and appreciation of different groups. 1. Cultural centers 2. Ethnic appreciation days in public schools 3. Teaching history from a culturally pluralistic perspective 4. Teaching foreign language in public schools (grade school -> high school) 5. Encourage particpation within the dominant group

Symbolic Interactionists on Racial-Ethnic Relations

Examine how labels affect how we look at life and how we act. Analyze how we learn labels, how we use labels to classify one another, how our classifications create selective perception and sort people out for different kinds of life experiences, and how labels are used to justify discrimination and violence.

Anglo-conformity

Expectation in the U.S. to speak English and adopt other Anglo-Saxon ways of life.

Moore Study and Useem Study of 1979

Found similar interconnections among the board of directors of major corporations. Concluded that there is an interlocking power elite.

Domhoff Study of 1978

Found that Yale and New Haven's businesses and its other social instituions were interlocked extensively. Concluded that power elite shapes NEw Haven's economy.

Who said: "Millions of families are trying to live on incomes so meager that the pall of family disaster hangs over them day by day...I see 1/3 of a nation ill-housed, ill-clad, ill-nourished." ?

Franklin D. Roosevelt, 32nd President

Dirty Work (Herbert Gans, 2007)

Functionalism Society's physically dirty or dangerous, temporary, dead-end and underpaid, undignified and menial jobs.

Racial-ethnic stratification

Functionalism The unequal distribution of a society's resources based on race-ethnicity; helps get society's dirty work done.

Division of Labor (Emile Durkheim, 1893/1964)

Functionalism People performing different or specialized tasks.

Official Poverty

Income level that makes someone eligible for welfare benefits. People below this poverty line are defined as "poor".

Institutional Discrimination

Inequality built into the social system that oppresses whole groups. (i.e. whites denied African Americans the right to vote, join labor unions, work at higher-paying more prestigious jobs, attend good schools, or receive care at decent hospitals.)

Structural Inequality

Inquality built into our social institutions. (i.e. some jobs in our economy pay higher wages and others lower wages, so automatically some poeple will receive more, others less.)

Risidual Poverty

Pockets of poverty among the most industiralized nations, which are wealthy.

Functionalists and Poverty

Point out that poverty is functional for society. Some positions in society are more important for society's welfare than others. Distributions of wealth and income are a function of a capitalistic society.

Mass Poverty

Poverty in the least industrialized nations. These people are malnourished, chronically ill, and die young.

Pluralistic View of Power (David Riesman, 1951)

Power is dispersed because the country's many groups are divided by essential differences. This makes united policy or action impossible.

Biological Poverty

Refers to malnutrition and starvation. It also refers to housing and clothing so inadequate that people suffer from exposure. (i.e. homeless people)

Racial-ethnic group

Refers to people who identify with one another on the basis of their ancestry and cultural heritage. Sense of belonging centers on unique physical characteristics, foods, dress, names, language, music, and religion.

Dahl Study of 1961

Research found little overlap between the social elites of Yale and the town (New Haven) and little influence by either of them on the city's policies. Research became classic in support of the pluralistic view of power in the US.

Feminization of Poverty

Single mothers or women of divorce living in poverty.

Power Elite (C. Wright Mills, 1959)

Small group made up of the top military, political, and business leaders make decisions that direct the country.

Functionalists on Race-Ethnic Relations

Social benefits that come from negative behaviors, such as discrimination, can be viewed as justifying that behavior. Functionalists do not defend discrimination, but by uncovering the functions, they give us a better understanding of why this behavior continues.

Conflict Theorists on Race-Ethnic Relations

Stress that racial-ethnic antagonisms divide the working class and strengthen the position of the powerful. The split-labor market pits one racial-ethnic group against another, preventing the solidarity that would allow workers to challenge control of the US by those who own the means of production.

University of Michigan Decision (2003)

Supreme court ruled that universities can give minorities an edge in admissions, but they cannot use a point system to do so. Race can be a "plus factor", but in the Court's words, there must be a "meaningful indivisualized review of applicants."

Selective Perception

Symbolic Interactionism Seeing certain things, and blinding us to others. (i.e. labels and stereotypes)

Progessive Taxation

Tax rates progress (increase) as income progresses (increases).

Ruling Class (William Domhoff, 1990)

The 1% of Americans who belong to the super-rich. They are worth more than 90% of the rest of the nation.

War on Poverty

The War on Poverty is the unofficial name for legislation first introduced by United States President Lyndon B. Johnson during his State of the Union address on January 8, 1964. This legislation was proposed by Johnson in response to a national poverty rate of 22%.

Melting Pot (Gordon, 1964)

The blending of stocks and folways of Europe into a new cultural and biological blend.

Income

The flow of money people receive from their work and investments

False Consciousness

The idea that workers will start their own business and become wealthy.

Race

The inherited physical characteristics that identify a group of people.

Pluralism (minority group)

The minority wants to live peacefully with the dominant group, yet maintain the differences that set it apart and are important to its identity.

Conflict Theorists and Poverty

The powerful exploit the poor. The prolems of the poor are due to their deprived position in a system of stratification, to their relative powerlessness and oppression.

Wealth

The property, savings, investments, and economic assets that people own.