Reading this next chapter gave me a whole new take on the society I live in and how much change STILL needs to be done in order for TOTAL equality to be exhibited. Chapter 5 defines and examines what power is in a sociological concept and how it affects every level of our society. It also states how power influences our lives on a daily basis. Power is defined as the ability to bring about an intended outcome, even when opposed by others. It is defined by its two components, one being the ability to bring about an intended outcome and the other the capacity to dominate others.
The article, "The Five Faces of Oppression," is mainly about oppression and its
different kinds (exploitation, marginalization,
powerlessness, violence, and cultural imperialism.) It speaks of oppression and
how it does not always mean to be ruled by a cruel person with similar cruel
intentions, but also limiting one's ability to become fully humanized thus
denying their rights to many different opportunities. This article had 5 main
points. 1. Exploitation is having people work for you or do some kind of labor
and not properly compensating them. It is a system which grants the people in
power to remain in power while suppressing others’ opportunities. (The rich get
richer and poor poorer.) 2. Marginalization is the exclusion a group of people from the main population.
This is associated with the idea of one single white race and other groups
being disregarded. I believe that as a Latina
my race is many times subject to marginalization because it is sometimes hard
for Latinos to find jobs if they do not speak English and usually are discriminated
against. 3. Powerlessness is the lack of decision making power and being exposed to
maltreatment because of the lowered status. This is allows believed to be the
most severe form of oppression because people oppress themselves and others and
think very little of them selves. 4. Cultural Imperialism is the taking of the
majority class's culture and establishing as a norm. In other words, it is actively promoting one culture into preexisting cultures declaring it appropriate behavior.
5. Violence is being the most obvious and visible form of oppression, in which people live in fear of being victims of random, unprovoked physical attacks on themselves or their property. Violence is used to damage, humiliate and ultimately break the person on whom it is inflicted on.
5. Violence is being the most obvious and visible form of oppression, in which people live in fear of being victims of random, unprovoked physical attacks on themselves or their property. Violence is used to damage, humiliate and ultimately break the person on whom it is inflicted on.
I can tie this article to the video “The Milgram
Experiment,” because the video was associated with violence and oppression as
well as the powerlessness of those in the experiment. The video was a replicate
experiment in which law abiding citizen were put to the test of inflicting
lethal electric shocks in the name of science. The experiment was misleading
because they were told it was based on memory tests. While those involved where
actors the person applying the shocked was not thus ultimately 9 out of the 12
completed the experiment delivering very lethal shocks to the counterpart. Five
main points which I was able to grasp from the video are as follow. One the
point of the experiment was to see if the “teacher” would call a stop to the
test when they believed the subject was experiencing too much pain. Two the
learner went silent after a certain level of shock to create this idea that
they were unconscious of even dead. Three, throughout the experiment the actor
professor emphasized how important it was for them to continue as it was their
obligation. Though he did not have any physical power, he was a figure of power
present in the room. Four, the influence of this experiment was ideological
concerning what the “teachers” believe science to a beneficial advancement for
society. The fifth and last main point of the video is that violence is in everyone
but it is brought out by different circumstances. Normal people in this
experiment were subject to delivery gruesome pain to others (although no one
was actually shocked) indisputably convincing that violence can be justified
under specific circumstances.
This experiment connects to chapter 5 “Power” as well
as the article “The Five Faces of Oppression,” because they all articulate
about how an intended outcome and the other the capacity to dominate others.
They connect through oppression, conflict and violence. The learners in the
video were powerlessness because the teachers controlled the amount of voltage
they received. I strongly believe if I was in this situation I would have been
one of the three out of twelve people who did not complete the assignment. I
believe this because it goes against my morals in purposely hurt another human
being unless my life depended on it. Is violence necessary? I would say yes in extreme cases, such as school shootings, or when one person is threatening the lives of many, hence North Korea recent threats on the United States. Cases like these makes me few for the future and those in power.
