Is the notion of underclass merely another name for the most underprivileged people in the working class?
Is the notion of 'underclass' merely another name for the most underprivileged people in the working class? Before discussing whether 'underclass' is merely another name for the most underprivileged people in the working class, it is important to define what is meant by the terms working class and underclass as their definitions hold an understanding to what sociologists mean when discussing these groups. Firstly the working class, defined in the dictionary as 'the social group consisting of people who are employed for wages, esp. in manual or industrial work'. This use of the word 'working class' differs from place to place but generally this definition is adequate in explaining what most people think of when referring to the 'working class' as a whole. Marxists comment that the working class in society acts as a labour force for the ruling class, and have a distinctive class identity. The 'underclass' then can be viewed as being part of or existing within the working or on the other hand as being a class on their own, situated below the working class. Mann (1992 :2) defines the 'underclass' as ' a section of society which is seen to exist within and yet at the base of the working class' . Here it is clear that the position that the 'underclass' holds in society is one of ambiguity. The idea of an 'underclass' in also one of debate in sociology as many believe the term to
How Thomas Hobbes views human nature and concludes the best form of government is monarchy
SÜKRAN PARLAK, ID: 20102204 How Thomas Hobbes views human nature and concludes the best form of government is monarchy Leviathan (1651), Hobbes's most important work and one of the most influential philosophical texts produced during the seventeenth century, argues that civil peace and social unity are best achieved by the establishment of a commonwealth through a social contract. Hobbes's ideal commonwealth is ruled by an absolute sovereign because humans in the state of nature are not noble savages; in order to survive they are in a state of war in which every man is against every man; for this reason there must be an absolute power over them to govern and to provide them with security. This essay will focus on the conditions under which, according to Hobbes, an absolute monarch is a necessity to achieve civil peace and social unity, and then disprove his position by explaining that unless the power of the state is divided into sections political stability cannot be achieved, as well as unquestioning obedience to an absolute monarch cannot establish civil peace since the monarch is still remained in the state of nature. According to Hobbes, humans are innately equal. Although some traits such as physical strength or mental abilities may differ, the harmony of them makes humans equal- one may be more intelligent by the way less physically strong and another one may be
A Survey Report on Literature Reading of Chinese Students
A Survey Report on Literature Reading of Students in Chinese Language and Literature Department of Peking University Part I Research Background . Formation and Significance of Question Approved by the General Administration of Press and Publication (??????), the Chinese Institute of Publishing Science (?????????) carried out the National Surveys on the Reading Situation of the Chinese Citizens for five times in 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005 and through August 2007 to the beginning of 2008, respectively. This "durative and large-scale fundamental research project of the state",1 together with other surveys and studies in recent years on the reading situation of different groups of people, have evidently demonstrated that citizen's reading situation has caught much attention in contemporary China. Most of the students currently studying at universities2 ("University Students") were born during 1985 to 2000. They witnessed the publishing of the so-called "combo books" such as the New Concept Composition Contest Series (???????), the Series of Reading Materials Under the New Chinese Curriculum Standards (?????????), 100 Masterpieces of Chinese Literature in 100 Years (????????????), etc. At the same time, they have been confronted by an environment in which the internet technology is rapidly developing and the "internet literature"3 is widely spreading, hence have specific
Hobbes and Locke Essay
Hobbes and Locke Essay Both Hobbes and Locke wrote their political theories in the 17th century, and there are similarities between their works. They both believe that men enter a contract in order to improve their lives; however there are also important differences between their theories. Hobbes believed that without a sovereign there can only be chaos, which leads him to conclude that men should give up their rights to an absolute sovereign. Lock, on the other hand, wrote that there was some arrangement of order before a sovereign was established. He believed that sovereign was primarily put in place for protecting property. This essay shall outline Hobbes and Lockes theories and clarify their similarities and differences. To understand Hobbes's theory of contract we must first understand his concept of the individual. Hobbes said that "man is nothing more than matter", and he compared society to the universe. He thought that the actions and impacts of men moved like the planets in the universe. This suggests that people do not have control over their own actions, which could explain why Hobbes believed that good and evil were nothing more than terms which humans frequently used to describe things they liked and disliked. Hobbes believed that everyone is equal in mind more than body (at the time of his writing people had poor nutrition and little or no education, it would
Why did Hobbes believe that fear was the basis of political obligation?
Why did Hobbes believe that fear was the basis of political obligation? In Hobbes' conception of the world, the natural state of mankind is that of "the miserable condition of war"1. The basic passions within us - Pride, Avarice, Greed - doom mankind to lead "nasty, brutish, and short"2 lives, and to live in dismal insecurity. The only way to escape this state of nature is to bind men together "by feare of punishment to the performance of their covenants and observation of those Lawes of Nature"3. Only by transferring certain freedoms, and physically enforcing the new collective agreement amongst men, can man be lifted out of this inexpedient state of nature. The only way to enforce this, he argued, was through fear. In order to understand why this fear was the basis of political obligation in Hobbes' conceptual framework, one requires a knowledge of what Hobbes thought it necessary to achieve. Hobbes' goal was to provide a rationale for moving man out of the aforementioned "state of nature". The "state of nature" is lawless and stateless. There is no morality, or reason, nor progress. It is an inherently belligerent situation where anarchy rules. In such a time, "there is no place for Industry, because the fruit thereof is uncertain" and "no Knowledge of the face of the Earth; no account of Time; no Arts; no Society". In it, mankind is doomed to a "continuall feare" of
Discuss the definition of and development of community and arising the definition of community development: Outline and discuss the contemporary issues affecting Community Development. Critique one community development project with which you are familiar
Community Development Module Assignment AD509 In groups of not less than 2 and not more than 4 please address the following assignment: Community and how we interact with community is undergoing fundamental change. In this assignment you are required to address the following: Discuss the definition of and development of community and arising the definition of community development Outline and discuss the contemporary issues affecting Community Development Critique one community development project with which you are familiar and draw conclusions relating to 1 & 2 above from an applied perspective. Include a personal reflection on the task, process and learning. Introduction In social sciences it is believed that one's philosophical underpinning determines or influences h/her views, foundational values, conceptual and theoretical framework that tend to inform professional practice in one's chosen discipline. Therefore, this essay will attempt to analyse Community and community development based upon the author's ontological and epistemological stand, which is predicated upon constructivism, interactionism, interpretive perspective and critical theory. The essay will also outline contemporaneous issues affecting community development and analyse them in light of current understanding and knowledge. This assignment is a group work comprising four members and we have
All Are Equal
Drew Chambers November 14, 2008 Paper #3 Purcellville Effective Writing All Are Equal Three Ways the Illegalizing of Segregation Impacts Us Today The year is 1892 and Homer Plessy, a black man, boarded a train car designated for white men. After being asked to move to the car designated for black men and women yet refusing to move, Mr. Plessy was then arrested and jailed. Homer then filed a case in court in which he declared East Louisiana Railroad guilty of denying him his rights reflected in the 13th and 14th amendments of the United States Constitution. Plessy v. The State of Louisiana was found in favor of Louisiana.1 The year is now 1954 and the case Brown v. Board of Education has overturned Plessy v. State of Louisiana, declaring racial segregation a direct violation of the 14th amendment; racial segregation is now illegal2. In 1953 black men, women, and children used separate bathrooms, train cars, and schools than white men, women, and children. In 1954 everyone in the U.S. no matter what skin color used the same bathrooms, train cars, and schools. This groundbreaking decision impacted the United States forever, paving the way for integration. This impacts U.S. citizens in the workplace and education, and not only for the African American race, but also for other races. Equal Opportunity in Employment for Every Man Imagine a black man applying for work at a
A Critical Analysis of Laud Humphreys The Tearoom Trade
A Critical Analysis of Laud Humphrey's The Tearoom Trade In 1970 Laud Humphreys, then a Washington University Phd student, wrote his infamous thesis 'Tearoom Trade' which was a study of homosexual behaviour between men in public toilets in a U.S. city. Perhaps not surprisingly, given the topic, the research was highly controversial, however this was not just due to its sensitive subject matter. A number of criticisms were made of the study on the basis of its ethically dubious research methods. Nicholas von Hoffman, writing for the Washington Post at the time of publication, accused Humphrey's of 'snooping around and spying on people' (1970, p.6) and compared the research to J. Edgar Hoover's alleged phone tapping scandal. While Warwick (1973, p.35) stated that 'the net effect of Humphreys' study on the research environment is likely to be negative'. However to others it represents 'a great achievement' (Hoffman M, 1971, p.100) and is a 'rich study that adds much to better understanding of sexuality and human behaviour.' (Schacht, 2004, p.5) It is also worth noting that 'Tearoom' won the C. Wright Mills Award for research. Clearly then there are some radically differing views of Humphreys' study and is perhaps one of the reasons as to why it has been so frequently written about by other academics. This essay aims to critically analyse the 'Tearoom Trade', it will examine the
DESCRIBE AND DISCUSS THE EXTENT OF RACISM AND RACIAL DISCRIMINATION IN BRITAIN.
DESCRIBE AND DISCUSS THE EXTENT OF RACISM AND RACIAL DISCRIMINATION IN BRITAIN. The term 'racism' cannot be defined in one way, but the simplest way defining it is, as "the determination of actions, attitudes or policies by beliefs about racial characteristics" (Abercrombie, N 2004: 316). The sociology of race in Britain began taking shape in the 1950s and 1960s, where scholars such as John Rex carried out studies of 'race relations.' They concentrated on the interaction between minority and majority communities in employment, housing and other social contexts. However, after the development of some theoretical debates since the 1980s, it was found that these early studies lacked clear theoretical perspectives on "the absence of a wider socio-political perspective on the interplay between race relations and other kinds of social relations" (Solomos, J 2003: 18). Miles (1989) in Solomos (2003) discusses the way in which the concepts of racism and racial discrimination have been merged to such an extent that in practice they have come to mean almost the same thing. Michael Banton (1992) in Solomos (2003) supports this view when he "criticises the tendency to treat racism and racial discrimination as interchangeable notions." For Banton and others there is a danger that racism will become a catchall term for quite disparate social, political and economic practices. Miles (1989)
Formation of an Identity through escape
Ezel Poslu 7 December 2005 A World Elsewhere FORMATION OF AN IDENTITY THROUGH ESCAPING Every one of us needs exits for escaping from our own identities for a while to be relieved and we create these exits by forming new identities. Philips presents the idea of escape by forming a new identity through using body language in Houdini's box. "Every modern person has their own repertoire of elsewhere...to make their lived lives more than bearable1" states Philips. As humans our aim in life is to live in a more peaceful way, to create bearable lives for ourselves. The ones who choose to escape can obtain better lives escaping from identity or changing the identity by imagining the self elsewhere. People can create new worlds for themselves by denying their background or forming new identities. As a result a person can transform into someone different than the original self , which can result being saved from unwanted situations and creating a more bearable life for the individuals. Houdini transformed into a different person each time he hid himself to escape from his situation. Houdini was a foreigner who came to United States to live and he faced identity problems during the adjusting process like every foreigner does. Adjusting to a different culture and becoming distant to own culture slowly are difficult for a person to deal with. As a result, person ends up