Assignment 3 Paper

Romy Solomon

Assignment 3 Paper

Power is a complex concept that is critical to all systems and institutions in society. Power is a social relationship of influence and control, and can be latent (reserved, inactive) or manifest (active). There are many different sources of power, such as political, economic, social, economic, geographical, racial, and psychological. The power relationship helps to organize society and differentiate between the marked and unmarked categories. The marked category refers to the powerless, subordinate, and oppressed group of people that are marked because they are different and excluded from the norm. The unmarked category, however, refers to the more powerful, dominating, privileged group that is included in the norm. The matrix of domination classifies marked and unmarked categories through the institutions of gender, class, race/ethnicity, sexuality, nationality, able-bodiedness, language, and age. In each of these institutions, certain groups of people are privileged while others are oppressed. In everyday life, I am surrounded by different systems of power and belong to different marked and unmarked categories. I am both privileged and oppressed by identifying myself as a white, upper class, heterosexual, female, Jewish, English-speaking, U.S. citizen.

Power is significantly present in politics and the law in the United States. The American system of government is organized into three different branches- the legislative, executive, and judicial. The legislative branch makes the laws, the executive branch implements the laws, and the judicial branch interprets the laws. While all of the branches have a significant power in the government, the system is designed so that one branch does not have more power or control over the others. A system of checks and balances is used to keep the branches in line by giving each branch a check, or multiple checks, on the other two branches. While powers of the branches may be in check, a certain group of people demographically have the most political power in the U.S. Government officials like legislators, senators, congress members, governors, and judges, have significant power due to their involvement in producing and controlling the laws and policies of the citizens. Government officials are comprised of the elite of society, and a vast majority of these people belong to unmarked categories through their race, social class, gender, and nationality. The majority of government affiliates are white, upper-class men, all of whom are U.S. citizens. Such people are at the top of the government and have access to the most power. People belonging to marked categories, thus, are not adequately represented in the government, and their needs are often not looked out for. Especially with the high cost of political advertising to encourage citizens to vote, people of lower class and economic status are excluded from participating in politics because they can not compete with the elite.

While America was founded on the principles of liberty, freedom, and equality of all individuals, it is evident to see that this does not hold true in the eyes of the law, even in today’s modern society. There is a biased treatment in criminal justice systems; statistics show that blacks, Hispanics, and other people of color are more likely of being convicted of crimes than whites, due to racial profiling. While blacks are responsible for only twenty percent of the drug activity in the United States, they make up over fifty percent of the drug convictions in the country. It is extremely sad that these minorities are oppressed by their country’s own system of law and justice. Thus, people of color belong to the marked race/ethnicity category because they lack political power and are subjugated through the law and government.

As an eighteen year old citizen of the United States, I have the power to vote in presidential primaries and elections. As a white citizen, I am not oppressed in the system of law, and automatically gain privileges over my black and Hispanic peers. I am privileged because I have greater odds of being elected into government positions because I am white, and thus unmarked. As a white woman, however, these odds are slightly reduced because the majority of politicians are men; I am considered marked in terms of gender and am subordinate to men in terms of political opportunities. The fact that I was born in the United States includes me in the unmarked nationality category; I have privileges and greater opportunities than many immigrants who are struggling to get their green card and gain the rights of American citizens. Especially in terms of the law, U.S. citizens are favored in comparison to immigrants- this includes legal immigrants. Like people of color, immigrants are also discriminated and oppressed by governmental law.

Economic status is a significant source of power in America. People with higher economic positions have greater power, control, and opportunities in our capitalist society. A person’s economic rank determines his or her social class and whether they are of upper, middle, or lower and working-class standing. The people who are most oppressed in society belong to the lowest economic status, just as the people who are most privileged in society belong to the economic elite. In today’s society, social mobility is getting more and more difficult and “the American dream” is getting more impossible to attain. Due to inflation and the increasing costs of education, housing, health care, and living necessities, lower class families are given little opportunities to raise their economic and social status. As the old saying goes, “the rich get richer, while the poor get poorer.”

Immigrants and minorities, in particular, have greater difficulty moving up in society and gaining economic status than their unmarked white counterparts. Statistics show that poverty rates among blacks remain at nearly 30 percent, which is three times that of whites. White people, in general, do not face the same kind of racial profiling and discrimination that minorities do when applying for jobs. A study was done in 2005 that found that white felons were called back to job interviews more than blacks and Hispanics without a criminal record. Also, the minority candidates were subjected to downward channeling; they were told they were more suitable for lower-end positions in the company than what they were applying for[1]. Thus while many of us would like to believe racism is a concept of the past, race remains a significant factor in determining who has power and who is powerless in society. Blacks, Hispanics, and other marked minorities are oppressed in our society where unmarked whites have control over good jobs, income, wealth, housing, and upward socioeconomic mobility.

People from a higher financial position have greater opportunities and advantages both in social relations and financial situations. The economic elite can afford proper housing, health care, great education, among other living amenities that people from low- working class usually cannot pay for. The marked are further exploited by the marked through the elite’s social connections and financial ability to buy their way through life. For example, I know extremely wealthy parents whom were able to donate a wing or building to a university to guarantee their child a spot at the school. Due to their financial situation, these people are given more opportunities than others of a lower socioeconomic background. People from the marked category of the working-class poor are oppressed in society and do not hold power in relationship with the unmarked upper and middle groups. Belonging to the upper financial class also provides a greater social network at the top of the economic spectrum. Many people rely on their connections and the people they know to help them gain a job in the upper circle. People from low socioeconomic standing usually do not have access to the same connections at the top of the economic rank, and are thus excluded from work opportunities.

Belonging to the white upper class, I am not one of the many people who are oppressed in the capitalist system. I don’t have to worry about managing my school work with a job or even multiple jobs. When applying to colleges, I didn’t have to pick the school that offered me the most scholarship money; rather, I was able to attend the school I liked the most because financial cost was not of foremost concern. I will never have to worry about being a victim to racial profiling, and will never have to assume I wasn’t hired for a job because of the color of my skin. Due to my social connections in the upper class, I will have more opportunities and windows open leniently for me in life. I can admit that I was hired as an intern this past summer at a major financial company because my father was good friends with my employer there. The power I have as a white upper class individual with social connections helped get me a job, while possibly oppressing someone else who was just as qualified but did not have the same social connections as me. These privileges I am given is because I identify myself in the unmarked upper-middle social class, and the unmarked white race/ethnicity.

While my race and socioeconomic status may place me in the unmarked categories, my gender does not. As a woman, I am oppressed in the work force compared to men. Statistics show that women as a whole are paid less in the work force than men with equal skills. It is harder for women to get management and supervisory positions, as men usually dominate these roles. Women are subordinate to men in this manner, and are restricted in the job titles they can take. Such a situation is defined as the glass ceiling, which limits the upward mobility women may travel in their positions at work. While women face the oppression of the glass ceiling, men are given the privilege of the glass elevator, which favors them in management and supervisor positions, and helps them climb up in their jobs. In this sense, I do not have power in the work force and will be restricted and discriminated against because I am a woman.

Gender stereotypes and expectations are significantly reflected in the institution of the family. While the woman’s role in the family is no longer the same as it was in the 1950’s, when women were only expected to cook, clean, cater to their husbands, bear children, and raise a family. Now, it is far more common for women to balance family life with a job of their own. However, men are still very much considered the bread winner in the family. Even in today’s modern society, there is less expectations for women to earn money to support the family than there is for men. The man of the household is expected to be the primary bread winner and earn the most money. Additionally, men are not expected to stay at home once they become a father. On the other hand, it is much more expected for women to sacrifice their job in order to become a stay at home parent. Thus when I become a mother and a wife, I will be oppressed by these cultural norms to put my family before my work; something that men are privileged not to have to choose between.

Education is an institution that unevenly stratifies power of the marked and unmarked categories. As mentioned earlier, people from a higher socioeconomic can afford a better education, not only on the collegiate level but on the primary and secondary level as well. People in the upper economic rank can afford great private school educations, while those in the lower socioeconomic class are confined to lower education standards. There is also a significant gap in test scores between whites and blacks, which has remained constant since 1990. Various explanations for this phenomenon are biased testing, discrimination by teachers, test anxiety among black students, socio-economic and family structure disparities, and cultural differences. Blacks are once again marked in the institution of education, as whites statistically have the privilege and power over them. Gender disparities also are prevalent in education. The vast majority of graduate school students are men who will have greater opportunities of a high income in the work force. While men may be in the unmarked category for graduate school, it is the opposite for undergraduate school. These days, there are more women at undergraduate universities than men, thus making college acceptance rates far more competitive for women than men. As a woman, I am oppressed by this system that favors male admissions. Additionally, education, especially at the university level, is catered more towards men than women. There is a specific major titled Women’s Studies that includes a number of courses geared learning about women and their influences and roles in different aspects of society throughout history. This however, implies that all the other classes and courses in different majors are geared towards Men’s Studies. It marks Women’s Studies while leaving all other courses and majors unmarked.

While collegiate athletes do not maintain an authority figure on campus, they have significant power and privileges over other students at universities. Because Maryland is a public university, it relies on athletic recognition in the nation to initiate money revenue- either in donations, or grants from the state. Athletes are given almost star treatment on campus- they live in the best dorms on campus, they are given favorable treatment by their teachers, they are allowed to miss classes, and they register for classes earlier than almost all other students. Such privileges give athletes power over other students.

In my own experiences in life and at the University of Maryland, I am able to observe how I classify with marked and unmarked categories and where I witness power in my everyday life. Being a woman on campus gives me less power than my fellow male students. In registering for housing, male students register first and thus are more likely to get better housing than women who are required to register for housing on the second day. Campus safety also is a crucial issue that demonstrates how men have more power than women on campus. College Park is a relatively dangerous area at night, with high crime, rape, and robbery rates. Women are much more subjected to be victims of these crimes than men, and thus fear walking home at night greater than male students do. We are oppressed because our gender puts us in greater fear than men. We are at greater risk of being raped by men then men are of being raped by women.

While growing up, I was always marked one of the few Jewish girls in my class. I was often subjected and ridiculed about my religion when classmates would tell me Jewish jokes making fun of stereotypes that Jews had big noses and “Jew fros.” This put me in a situation of oppression because I was often mocked for doing something Jewish. I remember while growing up, I tried to portray the opposite of the stereotype that Jews were stingy with money, and often leant money out to my friends and never mentioned for them to pay me back. It was only when I came to Maryland that I was surrounded around a lot more Jewish peers and was able to get over the powerless and oppressed feeling I had for not fitting in the majority of Catholics or Christians.

My heterosexual preference also places me in an unmarked category. I have never been placed in a situation where I was mocked, teased, or subjected to hate crimes because of my sexuality. I have had the privilege of being able to fit in with the majority, never fearing my friends and family will abandon me if I come out to them, and not defining myself through my sexuality. I have the privilege of never having to tell anyone my sexuality upon introduction, because it is implied. I am not oppressed by society that considers gay marriage a taboo. I have the privilege to marry the person I love in any state I choose, and have it legally recognized as a marriage and not just a civil union.

Other systems like my ability, language, and nationality classify me in the unmarked category. Because I am in fine physical condition, I do not have to worry about wheelchair access or disability support at all the locations I visit. Because English is my first language, I am not made fun of because of my foreign accent. Because of my U.S. citizenship, I am not oppressed and written off as an immigrant, taking work from the American people for lower wages. Rather, I am able to find job opportunities more easily and have power over disabled, non English-speaking, and immigrant people.

My identity and position in society completely revolves around the power I have access to in different systems and institutions. In terms of politics and the law, economic status, work force, education, and family, I am unmarked based on my race, nationality, language, class, sexuality, social class, yet marked because of my gender and religion.

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[1] Pager, Devah and Bruce Western 2005. ‘Race at Work’, NYC Commission on Human Rights and JEHT Foundation, pages 2-12.