The Marxist theory of racism and racial inequality Much of the social analysis on the injustices and inequalities in U.S. and Caribbean societies has been influenced by the ideas of Karl Marx and the Marxist tradition. Racism directed against people of color has been a central and continuing feature of the global society. Its forms have changed but we need to look no further than infant mortality rates and life expectancies, unemployment, poverty rates and incomes, and stereotypes in the mass media to understand that racism and racial inequality remain here in the Caribbean and are still present around the globe. Interestingly, the article chosen entitled “Bishop scoffs at racism” rejects the popularly known Marxist quote “religion is the opium of the people” as the Bishop vigorously points out with evidence that the effects of discrimination based on race and color may be keeping black entrepreneurs in Barbados from progressing. Conflict theorist believes that “society is an arena in which struggles over scarce commodities take place.” The affluent and wealthy (the bourgeoisie) will always try to preserve and improve their position while the poor and destitute (the proletariat) will be attempting to survive and this attempting to survive is often done by any means possible.
The class struggle’s which Marx refers to above is that of the Bourgeoisie, who own the means of production and the proletariat, who sell their labour. Marx believed that the two classes are based on a contradiction, this ascends from the fact that the workers who make the commodities do not get the profit that is made. Instead the profit goes to the Bourgeoisie, over time
Racial ideologies compare and contrast essay Racial ideologies have tremendous impact on the societies, particularly those with mixed races. The practice of racial prejudice and stereotypes changing a society can be seen from 1500-1830 in North America, and of Latin America and the Caribbean. In both regions, the effects of racial ideologies can best be seen in the treatment of natives to the region and of slaves. But, because of the strong influence of different European nations, and their differing standards, contrasting societal effects can be observed depending on who was responsible for the colonization of the region. The idea of European superiority and dominance drove the social structure of the "new world", (consisting mainly of North and Latin Americas and the Caribbean).
It was developed by other sociologists in the 20th century and was a popular idea until the 1970s when it came under criticism from new ideas. Functionalism is most often associated with sociology and sociocultural anthropology. Functionalism focuses on the structure and workings of society. Functionalists see society as made up of inter-dependent sections which work together to fulfill the functions necessary for the survival of society as a whole. People are socialized into roles and behaviours which fulfill the needs of society.
One of the pioneers of conflict theories is Karl Marx. He sought to explain the struggles between social classes. Marx saw society as a polarization between two dominant classes: the Capitalists and the Workers (Robbins et al., 2012). Marx defined these classes as: property is concentrated in the hands of the Capitalists and the Workers are forced to sell their labor to the privileged owners (Capitalists), thus creating a divide between the classes and creating oppression (Robbins et al, 2012). The effects of the class differences include exploitation, poverty, and the control of ideas by the wealthy.
The penetration of the colonialist was not welcome by various indigenous communities who resorted to resistance to guard their resources. However, the dominant nations established successful rule over their colonies that led to controlled exploitation of the resources. They contained these resistances and introduced slavery as a means of achieving their primary objective of exploiting resources. Moreover, many European nations adopted slavery and employed it as a form of oppression and persecution. The period between fifteenth and seventeenth century marked and witnessed an increase in adventures between nations of the world to explore new territories, which might contain invaluable resources.
Pluralists believe that the mass media is reflective of social reality, and acts as a 'mirror'. They state that it has a functional role in meeting the demands of its mass audience, and thus owes a duty to the people. Marxists on the other hand would argue that the media constructs desires and creates social reality. In other words it is a sculptor of a worldview and distorts social reality which is based on exploitation of a powerless majority, thus it is an ideological tool of the powerful bourgeoisie and reflects their interests. Over eighty percent of the media is owned by Trans National Corporations.
Max weber was strongly influenced my Marx’s ideas, but rejected the possibility of communism, arguing that it would require an even greater level of social control and bureaucratization (tendency to manage an organization by adding more controls) than capitalist society. Weber also critized the presumption of proteriat revolution, believing it to be unlikely. Weber defined social classes as clusters of occupations with similar life chances and patterns of mobility, meaning peoples opportunities are able to move up or down the occupational ladder. Weber divided society into four different social classes. Firstly, those privileged through property or education.
Seen through a marxist lens, the issue of crime and deviance is rooted in the criminogenic nature of capitalism and its exploitation of the proletariat working class by their bourgeois rulers. Marxist views are useful in their linking of crime to societal structure and explaining why the working class appear to be high offenders. However, this view often excludes the effect of gender and ethnicity, neglects the victims and downplays the seriousness of 'blue-collar' crime, and can be partially disproven using contemporary examples. Capitalism, according to Robert Merton, provides certain values for society, most commonly seen as the 'American Dream' and when the proletariat seek to achieve the goals society sets for them, many cannot and must find a way around this 'strain'. This happens in many ways, but Merton most pertinently mentions 'innovative' citizens who commit crime to achieve society's goals, 'rebels' who actively reject society's values, causing them to commit crime and a 'retreatist' form of living that often involved law-breaking via drug consumption.
According to Marx – in a capitalist society, the economic relationship of exploitation requires ideologies in the superstructure to cover up inequality – they are not innocent/neutral because they justify inequality and serve the interest of powerful groups. Marx argued that the organisation of production in a society shapes the nature of society – refers to this as base/superstructure. The base of the infrastructure is the economy – determines the ideas of society and superstructure – social, cultural, political and ideological parts of society. All history can be divided into five epochs/period; primitive consumerism – everything is shared, in class