Humanities Homework Help

WRITE A DISCUSSION

1. What is your immediate reaction when you think about the fact that one in four households with children, report an inability to buy enough food? Why? How can more people become informed about this social problem, and take action to alleviate it?

Reply to this discussions

1 The reason why so many who would not be effected but would actually benefit from higher taxation on the 1% oppose it is due to a multitude of reasons, most of which point to where their influence comes from. Due to the interdependence capitalism has created, a fear exists that if wealthy people are taxed more, the companies will move overseas and American workers will lose their jobs. While this fear is not entirely unfounded, it is more than likely coming from a source who the taxation would actually directly effect, since we know that the wealthy control most of the power and the ability to make rules and do this by influencing public opinion. This narrative is also incomplete, given the fact that many American businesses moved overseas when taxes were lower and businesses saw great expansion during time periods of higher taxation than is even being proposed. I also think that due to the social hierarchy, people generally admire the 1%. They want to be them, they’re aspirational, they have celebrity status. This is why the conspicuous consumption market is so high. In thinking about marketing, celebrity endorsed products tend to sell better because of the idea that if you can use the same product as a rich person, it makes you feel like you have something in common, that you are part of their social strata. People don’t want to tax the rich because they want to be the rich and through various modern channels, people feel alignment with the rich. I believe this point bleeds right into Marx’s concept of “false consciousness”. I do agree with the essence of the concept, that an individuals interests can be distorted, causing them to align with their oppressor. I would go further to say though that however we interact with wealth, which doesn’t necessarily mean actually having any, contributes to our views about it and whether it is fair or just that the few hold so much more than the many.

2 I feel like my life would be very difficult. Personally, I would like to own my own business one day so I do not have to work under anybody’s hours or wage. I feel as though it may affect my future because I won’t be having the greatest amount of income. I don’t think that it would affect who I would marry. If I would marry somebody that has a higher source of income that may help me and my kids but it may also affect them and the home I would live in since I won’t have a higher source of income. Working full time for that job may help me at the slightest but it would be very stressful to work full time at a low wage hourly job while having kids and other responsibilities I would have to maintain.