Lauren Berg
Reader Response 2
SOC 310
10/20/11
Class, Status, Power
In the paper The Distribution of Power Within the Political Community:
Class, Status, Power, Max Weber critiqued past theories on economic
determinism arguing that social stratification is not based completely on
economics. He believed that social stratification was based more on a person’s
status and power in the society. Weber believed that the wealth a person
obtains is not directly related to the amount of social and political power
they have. He believed that person could have power and dominance over a more
wealthy person because of their social status. Weber’s theory is believable
in some situations, but is not valid in many arenas of today’s contemporary
world.
The United States power system is based on legal authority. Looking at who has
power from a legal standpoint, it is obviously the republicans and democrats
who are highest on the government’s hierarchy of authority. That
is, the president, the people of the senate, the house, congress, generals, the
secretory of state, etc. These people make important decisions that are
enforced throughout the country affecting everyone. These are the people who
should have the most status and political power in our country, but do they?
Quite frankly, I believe that a large amount of business owners, CEOs,
television stars, and even drug lords have more power than government officials
do.
Warrant Buffet is a great example of a wealthy person who has shown dominance
over people of higher social status. He has made a huge fortune through his
business partnerships and investing in stocks, and has used his money to
exercise power and dominance. Buffet is not as well known to the general public
as one may think the third richest man in the world would be. He doesn’t have a
great amount of status, but he certainly does have a great amount of power. For
an example of how he exercises his power, he has defended a bill to tax the
rich to the point that it became to be known as the “Buffet Bill”. Anyone that
has an U.S. national bill named after them obviously has power. He also has
helped finance Barak Obamas election, he was the finical advisor for Governor
Arnold Schwarzenegger, and has been heavily involved in politics for a
long time. Buffet is one of the top decision makers
for our government, and he isn’t even a government official. The example of
Warren Buffet directly contradicts Max Weber’s theory of class status and
power, because it proves the power of class and economics over the political
and social spheres.
Most celebrities, on the other hand do not completely contradict Weber’s theory
of class, status, and power. Oprah Winfrey is extremely rich and powerful, but
her power does not come from her money alone. She has a great status among the
people of the U.S. and the world mostly because of her talk show. She has such
a great status that many people idolize her, buying any book or facial product
that she recommends and gobbling up her advise as if it is fact rather than
opinion. She is a loveable person that has great power because of social
status, not because of her wealth. Some even argue that it is because of her
great social status that Obama was elected into presidency instead of Hillary
Clinton. She is a very influential person because of her status; if she says
that something is good or bad, people tend believe her. So Winfrey and a
handful of other celebrities are examples that reinforce Weber’s theory, but
that isn’t enough to prove it to be correct.
Wall Street and stock markets are specifically economical industries, in which
the fate of the economy of the U.S. is determined and the entire global economy
is affected. Mostly greedy old men, who are looking out for themselves rather
than the welfare of the economy, run Wall Street. There have numerous issues
and scandals with this system, because the people who run Wall Street are
seeking and gaining power for themselves rather than running the stock exchange
fairly. The people that run Wall Street don’t have a good social status, but
they do have a lot of money and power.
It seems to me that it is the people who have money who are the most
influential, powerful and dominating in the political arena. Sure it is true
that having a good social status helps a person gain power, but I do not feel
that it does so as well as having wealth. The phrase “money talks” I feel is
definitely true in the political sphere, as it is the billionaires and the
large corporations who are the ones funding elections, bribing politicians, and
protecting their self interests. It is true that good social status gives
people, such as Oprah Winfrey, power, but it is also true that money gives
people power. I do not completely disagree with Max Weber’s theories of class,
status, and power, but I do not think that it applies to contemporary America
as well as it did in Weber’s time and age.
