1. Critical/Conflict Perspective
Chapter 3

2. Fundamentals of Conflict/Critical Perspective
Karl Marx ( )
Critical of existing institutions
Personal life was a struggle
Lived in extreme poverty- children died of malnutrition
and disease
Factory dominates- not the farm
Factory based on profit
Society is fundamentally divided in to two classes
Factory is at the center of the conflict
Exploiters- bourgeoisie
Exploited- proletariat
Alientation
Workers must overthrow the class system

3. Marx’s View on Religion
“Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people”- Marx.
-“Highly critical” of religion
-During upheaval and stratification, religion dulls pain
-People don’t realize seriousness of situation
-Keeps poor from engaging in social change

4. Major Focus of Critical/Conflict Theory- Concepts to know
Inequality and stratification
What is social stratification?
Structured rankings of groups of people
Example: Social class
Wealth- material assets
Prestige- status linked with a particular occupation
Power- the ability to influence others to do one’s will
Wealth, prestige, and power are interconnected, but not always
Example: El Chapo and a priest

5. Stratification Terms to Know
Social Class
A group of people with relatively similar access to wealth, prestige, and power.
Upper Upper Class – 1% - earning millions to billions
Lower Upper Class- 2%- earning millions
Upper Middle Class- 14% - $ 76,000 or more per annum
Lower Middle Class- 26% - $46,000- $75,000 per annum
Working Class (Blue collar)- 30%- $19,000- $45,000
Lower Class-
Working poor (13%- $ 9000-$18,000) and Under Class (14%- under $9000)

6. Stratification Terms to know
Absolute Poverty
The absence of enough money to get the one or more of the basic necessities of life.
Examples: shelter, water, sanitation, food
Relative Poverty
“Refers to a standard which is defined in terms of the society in which an individual lives and which therefore differs between countries and over time.” (The Poverty Site, n.d.)
Example: Relative poverty not the same in U.S. and India 
1 $11,770 ($32 per day) $876 ($2.40 per day)
2 $15,930
3 $20,090
4 $24,250
5 $28,410
6 $32,570
7 $36,730
8 $40,890

7. Back to Critical/Conflict Theory
Functionalists: Stability and equilibrium
Critical/Conflict: Continual struggle
Social behavior best understood as tension between groups over….
Tension need not be violent
Conflict perspective became predominant during 1960’s

8. Marxist View & Feminist View
Expanding on Marx’s work
Conflict is not merely class phenomenon
Conflict is a part of everyday life
Questions asked:
Who benefits?
Who suffers?
Who dominates at the expense of others?
How do societal institutions (family, government, media, religion) help maintain privileges of some groups and not of some others?
Critical Thinking question: How does education/higher education maintain the privilege of the dominant group?
Feminist view- allied with conflict perspective- focuses on one clear aspect of inequality
Inequity in gender is central to all behavior and organization
Moves women from the margins of scientific inquiry to the center
Example: Research on violence/teenage mothers

9. Using The Perspectives
Topics: Prostitution, Rape, American Dream
How would a functionalist, conflict, and feminist theorist explain ________________?

10. Pop Culture and Critical Theory
Critical approach emphasizes darker aspects of pop culture
“the ascendance of certain types of pop culture can be explained primarily on terms of their ability to reflect and reinforce the enormous economic and cultural power of the mass media” (Grazian, 2010).
Marx- prevailing norms and values reflect the ideology of dominant culture
Benefits those in power and helps them stay in power
“…the class which is the ruling material force of society, is at the same times its ruling intellectual force.”
Antonio Gramsci- Italian political philosopher- power of culture as a means of social control
Mass media- nonviolent way to control people- create and sell popular
consensus- use persuasion
This form of dominance is called Cultural Hegemony.

11. What is this thing called Hegemony?
Hegemony: dominance

12. Hegemony- An Example- Colonialism
Britain secured control over indigenous populations
Impose British culture
Instituted English as the “official” language
Actively persuade

13. Hegemonic Messages in Popular Culture
What are some brands/events/things that we are told we MUST have and which are seen as NORMAL?

14. Top Down Model Theory of Mass Media
Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer
Compared American pop culture to political propaganda
Films and other media products help media companies maintain dominance
Popular culture is homogenous and hegemonic
Pop culture is used to invent and promote desire for “new (and largely useless) desires”
“Formulaic entertainment” of pop culture hinders consumers imagination, deludes them

15. The Power of Media Sony Corporation of America Time Warner
Walt Disney Company
Viacom
CBS Corporation
General Electric
News Corporation
Due in part to their lobbying efforts, in 1996 Congress passed the Telecommunications Act of which eliminated many of the caps on media ownership that formerly limited the number of newspapers and radio and television stations a single firm could control.
The Gatekeeper

17. Internet = Diversity of Views?
With all the options available, we still see most people going to the wealthiest media giants 

18. Culture Industries, Inequality, and Enforcing ism’s

19. Popular Culture as Social Control
Planned Obsolescence
Credit Card Debt- Keeping up with the Jones’s and celebrities
Body image and esteem- bulimia and anorexia
What is the primary motivation for designing pop culture and
media?
Creativity
Fun
Freedom of expression
Profit