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Power, by definition, is the "ability to control the behavior of others, even against their will" (Thio, 2000, p. 179). The relationship between power, and our belief system or ideology is quite simple - this control that can be exerted over another person, group, country, race, or religion is most often associated with wealth. The majority of sociologists believe that with wealth comes power, and with more wealth comes more power (Thio, 2000, p. 179).
Power is intertwined into our system of beliefs throughout - our political system is one prime example of that relationship. Most of the top government positions are occupied or funded by someone who is wealthy. George W. Bush hails from Texas, land of oil millionaires, and he once was the owner of the Texas Rangers. Yes, the owner of a Major League Baseball team. You might say he has some money. Wealthy persons are surely more likely to feel powerful. This feeling of power only fuels their need for more wealth, and more power, which can cause them to become more active in local and national government - "working to retain or increase their power" (Thio, 2000, p. 179).
Of course, on the other end of the spectrum are the lower-income people who feel virtually powerless. Their lack of money, their lack of status, and their overall lack of the means...
The idea of involving themselves in politics is foreign. Literally, they feel as if politics, and government doesn't affect them so "why should I care?" Of course, the catch-22 is that this attitude prevents them from gaining any power in the future. Their indifference causes them to have even less power than they already had, making their situation worse. On the other hand, it gives more power to those who were already in power - it unevenly distributes the power in America, which isn't a new idea.
Karl Marx, and following Marxists saw that there is a small group of people in the United States that hold the power of the entire nation (Thio, 2000, 179). Marx believed that the capitalists in the U.S., the Fortune 500 businessmen, were the most powerful men in the country (Thio, 2000, 179). These men may not be in the Senate seat, or work with the President directly, but it is their money that is being used to protect their own interests, and fund the campaigns of the politicians.
C. Wright Mills had a similar idea in his theory regarding the "power elite" - a "small group of top leaders not just from business corporations but also from the federal government and the military" (Thio, 2000, p. 180). These individuals all…
There are some kinds of power that may not be negative, such as the power that is labeled as "legitimate" by Thio on page 358. Legitimate power is when the person believes the control being exercised is with their "consent" or permission (Thio, 2000, p. 357). This type of power is either influence, which is the "ability to control others' behaviors through persuasion rather than coercion or authority" or authority, which is power represented by organizations or institutions, such as our government (Thio, 2000, p. 358). Influence is a more subtle approach to power, such as a professional athlete attempting to influence his fans to purchase a certain brand of sneaker or apparel.
Just as there is consensual yielding of power, there are the kinds of power that someone uses without the permission of the other person. This type of power is defined as illegitimate (Thio, 2000, p. 357). The use of this sort of power is called "coercion" - the "use of force or the threat of force to compel obedience" (Thio, 2000, 357). For example, when someone commits sexual violence against another person, it is typically their threats of harm that prevent the victim from yelling out for help.
Obviously, our entire lives and belief systems are centered around power, and its control of our actions. Someone always holds power at all times, and for some sociologists, it is the power elite with all of the control, or to others power is evenly distributed among large groups in our nation. Regardless of which theory is believed, it is undeniable that power struggles exist daily, and can bring positive as well as negative repercussions for those in power, and those without power.
Ideology in the News Ideology vs. Discourse on Affirmative Action The fact that ideology is first based on society and politics in today's media is fairly easy to understand. The role of the journalist is to suspend their viewpoint and remain autonomous in constructing the angle offered by the story. Though most media news outlets newspapers, journals, magazines and such claim that the viewpoint of the journalist reporting is unbiased, this will
McKinley, according to Herring (2008) was the first "modern commander." He worked to advance America's status as a power, using the war to advance America. His goals consisted of eliminating Spain from the Western Hemisphere, keeping rebel forces in Cuba and the Philippines at arm's length to ensure "maximum U.S. control and freedom of choice." Until the war finished, he said: "We must keep all we get; when the war
" (Strom, 1996) From the view of adult education the purpose of the liberal thinker is development of intellectual powers of the mind. Within this framework the learner is a seeker of knowledge on the conceptual and theoretical base and the teacher is the expert which transmits knowledge. The Progressive view holds that transmission of cultural and societal structure is the path to promoting change on a social level therefore
Only then will the more effective use of knowledge occur and its value is de-politicized, making it more potent in generating profits (Chartrand, 1985). It is a paradox that the more challenging, disruptive and uncertain a given industry is the more organizations fractionalize their structures, creating splinter groups and politically volatile structures that only accelerate a company's demise. The paradox is that in the toughest and uncertain of times in
Social power without capital under capitalism does not exist, unlike previous eras where, for example, the medieval church exerted great influence over policy as a class, in greater proportion than the (not inconsiderable) wealth it held. However, today, land, capital, and the ability to make money off of money are the primary means by which influence is leveraged. Having money perpetuates money. This is how rich hold onto their places
Power of Graffiti and Images Every day, people read the news in the papers or hear reports on television about various crimes. It is easy to dismiss the words on the page or the anchor people. It is much harder to run away from an image. Long ago, people discovered that images were more potent than written words could be. There is the old expression that a picture is worth one