Interview methodology and qualitative data collection approaches

¶ … political system is perfect. Many illustrious figures in world history have uttered this statement, time and again. Among these figures was Winston Churchill, Joseph Stalin and, perhaps, even Adolf Hitler. Yet all these men, in their own way, whether limited or otherwise, believed in the righteousness of their political system and with it, the right of the social and economic system. History has told us, as students, which man was right in his assumptions. Yet even in today's world, and today's country, in a capitalistic society, with a democracy, one finds elements that are best resolved by other systems. The following paragraphs will present summaries of three interviews, and will attempt to place a Marxian analysis upon the three individuals' words below, and therefore aim to find whether these respective interviews demonstrate a persisting, ever-perpetuated class struggle.

The three individuals interviewed for the purposes of this exercise were all employed in a large metropolis. For this reason, their jobs were varied, and upon them they had the added pressure of lack of convenience and privacy. The individuals interviewed here were in the service field, and served as hotel and restaurant employees. All three were below the managerial level and were thus paid through hourly wages. All three individuals were asked the questions requested by this study, namely, whether they were exploited at work, whether the employers' interests were different, and whether they believed in those higher up to be serving them to their best abilities. All three individuals replied yes to the first question, and no to the subsequent two. Though their justifications for their answers were very different, all three persons exhibited a dormant, yet strong, understanding and knowledge of a class struggle, as defined by Mark and Schactman, though none of the persons actually defined it or identified it.

The reason that I can say that these individuals replied in the same way was that their circumstances were very similar. As aforementioned, they were in the service industries, and, because of their roles of hotel security guard, barman and waitress, these individuals were often disrespected, even abused by those above them, and even by clients. The hourly wage that these individuals received, to their opinion, did not match the troubles they sometimes had to undergo. For this reason, they felt that others were benefitting greatly from their troubles, and did not see allies in their bosses or in politicians or other persons claiming to fight for the good of the population. In fact, these individuals, as aforementioned, were somewhat aware that there was a rift between the haves and have-nots, even in America, and especially in today's economy. Many referenced the ways in which they were exploited and utilized words that would, by many standards, be identified as socialist, often referencing union and the necessity for universalization of various social needs, such as healthcare.

Again, though none of the three individuals interviewed actually mentioned a class struggle per se, all were aware that there was something unfair about their positions, given their hard work. There was, in other words, no true reward, other than a meager wage. Because of their ability to recognize this inherent 'unfairness' these individuals did not exhibit a false consciousness. To repeat, they were very much aware of the inequalities within their respective societies, whatever those may be.

Schactman states, "The capitalists therefore create, stimulate and exploit every possible difference, every prejudice, in the ranks of the working class." To these individuals, this statement range true. When they were asked to agree or disagree with it, all said that they agree with the statement. Only one person stated that this is a necessary evil, that capitalism is, as imperfect as it may seem, the best way in which to raise oneself up, even if it is through hard work. However, the other two individuals were of the belief that in a capitalistic society there is often too much unfairness and only the few will be able to eventually combat it. The answers rendered here may have been skewed by both the gender and the race of the persons speaking, for those factors too affect the way in which society perceives individuals, and vice versa.