28 Replies to “Week 3 – Class and Work”

  1. Daralliny Rodriguez
    Introduction to Sociology
    Professor: Lynn Turner

    “Spirits sank along with bank balances. The Great Recession and its dismal aftermath showed unmistakably that a great change had come over the country.”

    The author Bob Herbert a long time New York Times columnist introduce his book title Losing Our Ways in what he called an intimate portrait of America and how after the Great Recession the willingnes of the American people has completely shift and how the American dream of owning a home and have stability had turn into an American nightmare, and where it was once a dream now is just that a dream, a dream that has almost extinguish from the hearts of the American People. The quote about explain how the Spirit, the desires, dreams and hopes of the people sank deep down along with the bank balances and debts, forecluseres, lost of jobs and financial failures the Great Recession aftermath brought during the years of 2007 to 2008. The Great Recession was and still is a wake up call for all the Americans to fight for equality for all and social policies that can will benefit the nation as a whole instead of only benefit one social class, because what was never expect it to happen, It did happened, and will repeat again.

    “As I traveled the country doing research for this book, I couldn’t help but notice that something fundamental in the very character of the US had shifted. There was a sense of powerlessness and resignation among ordinary people that I hadn’t been used to seeing. The country seemed demoralized.”

    The author explained how doing his research for this book he was able to captured how the American people character has changed after the Great recession and he was able to feel how the people felt and witness the demoralization of the country, meaning the lost of confidence, hope, it was and I believe still is a Dishearted and confuse nation, the next quotes simply explained the deterioration and condition of America today.

    “The United States was no longer a place of widely-shared prosperity and limitless optimism. It was a country that had lost its way. By 2012 the net worth of American families had fallen back to the levels of the early-1990s. Poverty was expanding and the middle class had entered a protracted period of decline.”

    The gap between the rich and the poor still growing today between the nation and the one percent who owned all the wealth, history it self showed how the prior to the Great recession and great depression was still a huge gap between the rich and the poor, new rules were pass to protect the middle class and as we learned in our previous class Union were created to help with negotiations between corporates and workers, but in the past decades we have seen how the system of Capitalism has dismantle the Union and perhaps continued to globalized their earnings by taking the work that once was created by the hands of Americans to other countries where the huge corporations under pay the people. Today we have more homeless, more American people going to bed hungry and getting pay minimal hourly salary that are not able to meet their needs.

  2. “So much does labors realizations appear as loss of reality that the worker loses reality to the point of starving to death . so much does objectification appear as loss of the object that the work is robbed of the objects most necessary not only for his life but for his work ”

    Karl Marx talks about how the workers tend to suffer so much that they experience an estrangement from the world. The worker would produce objects for those who own them to the point that they end of starving to death . They are being forced hostile themselves into putting themselves into their object with no choice . which makes them shrink in to existence rather than being apart of the world they are in .

  3. “It is true that labour produces for the rich wonderful things-but for the worker it produces for the workers it produces privation(Marx P34).”In capitalist society,the working class as the main force were creating and building everything. However, all those things would take place of their positions in society. Then they would lose control of it including themselves. Like building a machine, workers devoted their day and night to the machine inventing.But when the machines worked at the factory instead of them, most of them would lose jobs or get less pay then before. Sooner or later, everything they created by hearts and souls ruined their lives. The workers would be poorer and poorer. On the other side, as for capitalists, at the early stage, they can take advantage of the labour workers. The gap between upper-class and working class was smaller; in the latter, the machine became more productive and profitable. The capitalists were richer and the labor worker were cheaper during the machine era. Consequently, the economy inequality led to the gap broadened than ever.

  4. Karl Marx estranged labor
    “For on this premise,it is clear that the more the worker spends on himself, the more powerful the alien objective world becomes when he creates over against himself-his inner world-becomes, the less belongs to him as his own. It is the same in religion. The more man puts into God, the less he retains in himself.”
    I want to use this quote as an example of how in society jobs and the government can own us and it can feel like we aren’t a person but just an object that belongs to a company, etc., and it would start to feel like we aren’t ourselves anymore but a object that belongs to society.

  5. “All these consequences are contained in the definition that the workers is related to the product of his labor as to an alien object.“
    This captures a message saying that things happened based off how the worker is doing their work. This quote directly compares the worker and how good of a job their doing, to the result of the work.

  6. “The worker becomes all the poorer the more wealth he produces, the more his production increases in power and range. The worker becomes an ever cheaper commodity the more commodities he creates”. Society has basically set up the working class to be separate from their actions where it can seem as if the results from such actions of labor are not their own. Another person will benefit from your labor way more than you will be paid for. A person should always have a connection to his actions and own them as his or hers own quality. But also be aware of your actions and what were your reasons to have started those actions.

  7. “The worker becomes all the poorer the more wealth he produces, the more his production increases in power and size. The worker becomes an ever cheaper commodity the more commodities he creates.”
    This quote backs up the unfairness between the employer/wealthy and employee/poor. It says that although one can worker harder and be more efficient, their pay would actually decrease . for example I make 10 burgers an hour for $10, if i double my work in that hour, ill probably still receive the same pay.

  8. “The worker becomes a slave of his object, first, in that he receives an object of labor, i.e.: in that he receives work; and secondly in that he receive an object means of subsistence. Therefore, it enable him to exist. First as a worker: and, second as a physical subject. The extremity of this bondage is that it is only as a worker that he continues to maintain himself as a physical subject, and that is only as physical subject that he is worker.” (p34)

    Under capitalism system. The worker become a slave. The new form of slavery in the current time is not different than the past. The name is different but the meaning is the same. Karl Marx believed that the workers lost their freedom when they work. Most of the employee relate their existence to their work. In this case work become their subject of life. The capitalist want to create that sensation over the working class to increase their profit.
    by keeping the working class down and a subject of use will create an over utilization of the worker and an exploitation of the human being in the favor of the bourgeoisie

  9. “The worker becomes a slave of his object, first, in that he receives an object of labor, i.e.: in that he receives work; and secondly in that he receive an object means of subsistence. Therefore, it enable him to exist. First as a worker: and, second as a physical subject. The extremity of this bondage is that it is only as a worker that he continues to maintain himself as a physical subject, and that is only as physical subject that he is worker.” (p34)
    Under capitalism system. The worker become a slave. The new form of slavery in the current time is not different than the past. The name is different but the meaning is the same. Karl Marx believed that the workers lost their freedom when they work. Most of the employee relate their existence to their work. In this case work become their subject of life. The capitalist want to create that feeling over the working class to increase their profit.

  10. “In tearing away from man the object of his production, therefore, estranged labour tears from him his species life, his real species objectivity, and transforms his advantage over animals into the disadvantage that his inorganic body, nature, is taken from him.”

    We as humans have the freedom to decide what we want to do in our lives and have an advantage over other species. We have developed an optimal brain for this to perform and produce what other mammals can’t. In the past, humans strive for survival, procreation, and better the lives of their own. This freedom of choice has become an illusion in society today in which we have to work to have meaning in our lives. Money or a source of income is needed to purchase the products to ensure our survival. This means turning our productivity toward labor and transforming us into a tool to make more money for someone else. We may want to take care of our family, but we can’t because we have to work. One person had a wife who was giving birth, but decides to come to work that day for his boss. His boss was president Trump. Our priorities are changing today in a world where we need to be productive to make ends meet. (unless you’re rich)

    Raymond Tang

  11. “Thus in this double respect he worker becomes slave of his object, first, in that he receives an object of labour, i,e; in that he receives work; and secondly, in that he receives subsistence.” This quote accurately shows that not only in the past but in today as well, you see workers, working for the bare minimum but at the same time making their corporations rich.

  12. “As a result, therefore, man (the worker) only feels himself freely active in his animal functions – eating, drinking, procreating, or at most in his dwelling and in dressing-up, etc.; and in his human functions he no longer feels himself to be anything but an animal. What is animal becomes human and what is human becomes animal.” (Marx 35)

    Mark claims that the worker’s forced purpose in life is to work their humanity off till the point where they can only experience pleasure by what comes easily to them as opposed to what the other class is able to do, that is far from their own capabilities. All day every day is work, so when the workers are off they have no sense of direction in their own lives, leaving them like any other animal who is just there in the world for no bigger objective in a society.

  13. “Therefore the worker only feels himself outside of his work, and in his work feels outside himself… his labour is therefore not voluntary, but coerced; it is forced labour” (Marx pg 4)
    This quote relates to the workforce now as well as in the 1800’s in a sense that a lot of people who are working are only working because they have to. Working does not apply to most as something they want to do, and wake up every morning excited to do but instead comes as a burden and just as the way known to keep getting by in life.

  14. “As a result, therefore, man (the worker) only feels himself freely active in his animal functions – eating, drinking, procreating, or at most in his dwelling and in dressing-up, etc.; and in his human functions he no longer feels himself to be anything but an animal. What is animal becomes human and what is human becomes animal.”

    This quote best illustrates that, workers feels tied down to their jobs and having a problem expressing how they really feel in their life. They are so focus on their job that they lose the aspect to have fun, and all they think about is work. The workers almost feels like a slave to their job.

  15. “The worker becomes all the poorer the more wealth he produces, the more his production increases in power and size. The worker becomes an ever cheaper commodity the more commodities he creates.”
    doesn’t matter how hard the employee works or how much they produces, the employer will always remind rich off their work

  16. “So much does the appropriation of the object appear as estrangement that the more objects the worker produces the fewer he possess and the more he falls under the dominion of his product, capital”
    I think what is trying to be said is that the more they work and the more products they produce, the more the power goes into the product. Because without that product the person wouldn’t have a way to pay for living. So the product is in a way controlling that person.

  17. “jobs have only grown worse: Pay has dropped precipitously in the manufacturing sector, the share of middle-income jobs has declined while that of low-income jobs (in such industries as restaurants and retail) …”
    I chose this quote because I feel that this goes well with the main idea of this article, it also connects to the title it was given but not only that. Also, I agree with what is being mentioned that wages aren’t fair especially in retail environments where employees don’t make enough to support a whole family if they had to. It also seems to be the only jobs people stay stuck on and never progress other than that. People know they aren’t getting enough but they still settle for less, they might have their reasons. These conclusions are the ones I come up after reading this and these issues are important because it is the world we are living in.

  18. “it is clear that the more the worker spends himself, the more powerful the alien objective world becomes which he creates over-against himself, the poorer he himself- his inner world- becomes, the less belongs to him as his own”. Here Marx mentions all types of alienation. The worker’s life basically becomes a waste as he continues to do the same thing again and again. A cycle, a process.

  19. “The worker puts his life into the object,but now his life no longer belongs to him but to the object…”
    Humans when working, they are no longer human beings. They are object basically to the company’s eyes.

  20. “More than any nation, the United States has long provided benefits not through the state but through contractual relations between employers and employees. Once workers are no longer employees, the likelihood is that they’ll have no benefits at all.” not everyone have benefits” I think lot of employers don’t provide any benefits and people usually have to resort to the government for benefits due to not being able to afford it because their job doesn’t pay enough for them to pay for their own benefits.

  21. “The direct relationship layout to its produce is the relationship of the worker to the objects of his productions. The relation of the man of means to the objects of production and to production itself is only a consequence of this first relationship- and confirms it.”
    “The worker becomes all the poorer the more wealth he produces, the more his production increases in power and range. The worker becomes an ever cheaper commodity the more commodities he creates. With the increasing value of the world of things proceeds in direct….commodities generally.”
    To me this sums of the topic of this article because I feel like it focuses on the subject that the working mans sole purpose was to create produce for its employer to feed their pockets. They were being worked day in and day out with little to no pay and as their produce created went up, their wealth in money either stayed the same or went down. While the wealthier who did no work made all the profits.

  22. Daralliny Rodriguez
    Weekly 3 Assignment
    March 19, 2019

    Estranged Labor

    The worker becomes all the poorer the more wealth he produces, the more his production increases in power and range. The worker becomes an ever cheaper commodity the more commodities he creates. with the increasing value of the world of things proceeds in direct proportion the devaluation of the world of men. Labour produces not only commodities; it produces itself and the worker as a commodity – and does so in the proportion in which it produces commodities generally.

    The author Karl Marx explained how the political economy and private property has arise and become powerful but does not explained the resources used to obtained the capital and the wealth.

    The workers accepted the exchange value labor and affliction to be able to sustain the must basic human needs, food and shelter. The more they work, less they received and less they owned, everything the worker is producing does not belong to him, so he becomes estranged with his own labor and unhappy.

    Today in our daily life we can see many people frustrate it because they are working hard producing a lot of produces but he inequality in salary is not acceptable, non profit organization usually under pay their employees, while the administration salary are incredible high. I believe individuals should earn according to the capacity of producing and the quality of work they offer.

  23. “The worker becomes all the poorer the more wealth he produces, the more his production increases in power and range. The worker becomes an ever cheaper commodity the more commodities he creates. With the increasing value of the world of things proceeds in direct proportion the devaluation of the world of men. Labour produces not only commodities; it produces itself and the worker as a commodity– and does so in the proportion in which it produces commodities generally.

    While reading this quote from the reading I couldn’t help myself but think of how this reminds me of present day. A person can work for forever and he/she will still be poor. The worker is still a commodity which can be replaced unfortunately.

  24. “[…] The worker becomes a slave of his object, first, in that he receives an object of labour, i.e., in that he receives work; and secondly, in that he receives means of subsistence. Therefore, it enables him to exist, first, as a worker; and, second, as a physical object. The extremity of this bondage is that it is only as a worker that he continues to maintain himself as a physical subject, and that it is only as a physical subject that he is a worker.” (34)

    The relationship between worker and the products which he produces is extremely close, one creates and defines the other. This relationship was described as a new form of slavery, which workers are considered as the “physical object” in order to produce goods. The lives of workers still depend and rely on the product which he created. The question is: Does worker create products or product create worker? In other words, which one has more power and control over the other?

  25. “That America has now vanished into the mists of memory. “

    The message that both articles are portraying is vivid, the working class are losing benefits and money. While originally being created after the world war as the first type of “middle class”, having decent salary, benefits and insurance, this “class” has diminished from its original goal. Nowadays, people lack proper jobs. Instead, they have “gigs”. In which they work a certain amount of time, make a fixed amount of money and have temporarily benefits. However, once the” gig” ends, the reality is , that indivual is practically jobless until his/her next gig. I found this particularly interesting because I can relate to this quote. A lot of my family lack proper jobs and have “gigs”. During these gigs that can stretch from a few months to a couple of years, they make decent amount of money, sometimes close to 100k annually. Which roams around the upper middle class range. However, when the gig ends, they resort to their old side “jobs” and barley make 30-40k, which is a dramatic drop to lower middle class or even poor-working class range.

  26. “We have to grasp the essential connection between private property, avarice, and the separation of labour , capital and landed property; between exchange and competition, value and devaluation of men, monopoly and competition, etc; the connection between this whole estrangement and the money system.”

    I chose this quote from the reading because I believe it explains a few great points as to why we have such an imbalance of power with our employees and employers in the work environment.

  27. “The worker becomes all the poorer the more wealth he produces, the more his production increases in power and range. The worker becomes an even cheaper commodity the more commodities he creates.” I chose this quote because I feel it represents how the corporate world now works. The CEO of your company does not see you as a human being anymore, they now only see you as a number. That number would be your performance, and if they can find someone who can produce more than you for a cheaper price they will gladly cut their ties with you regardless of your history or whats going on in your life.

  28. “Finally, it is worth noting that while workers have had some success getting wage increases through strikes and organizing, it has been much more difficult to win unions”
    -Stephanie Luce(P77)
    The fight for worker’s rights and increased pays are ongoing, especially in these dying times, with varying degrees of lost promises, corporations committing mass firings to avoid having to pay for temporary leave, and the unemployment rising more than the ocean, which is who is benefiting from most of the working class not working. But I digress, CEOs like Jeff Bezos are quite admen about not letting unions get inside their companies, as records show that they have, and probably to continue, not care for their employee’s health, interests, and just EXPECT them to work through it all. Disgusting.

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