Which particular form of inequality are Marxists interested in?
Social and economic inequality - this inequality can be seen in society in contexts such as wages, where the politicians get £80k+ a year and the reserve pools of labour are on minimum wage or 0 hour contracts. Also it can be seen when there is a hierarchy in social classes such as higher classes who penalize the lower classes.
How does Marxist thought divide society?
Marxist thoughts can divide society into two roles, proletariat and bourgeoisie.
Bourgeoisie: Those who have an effective and active role in governing society, controlling those lower than them. These people have the upper hand in the production.
Proletariat: Those who do not have an effective and active role in governing society, controlled by those higher than them (the bourgeoisie). Need to sell their labour for the people with higher power.
What is an example of what a Marxist would see as exploitation?
Marxists would see the selling of products for profit an exploitation of the working force who sell their labour to the company's and receive nothing back. An example of this is Cadburys, where all the profit from the chocolate sold goes to the company and not the loyal workers that have been there 30/40 years. Suddenly all of the workers were made redundant so the company could make more profit from employing cheaper staff members in Poland, which a Marxist would see as an exploitation of the original work force.
In what ways does Marxist thought suggest we are in false consciousness?
Marxist thought suggests that we are in false consciousness as we are distracted by the false needs placed on us through capitalism. Marxists state that equal society is not a Utopian ideology, but an achievable goal if we open our eyes to recognize that capitalism is making us consume more than we need to. Russell Brand touches on this in his Revolution book, asking how are we allowing this to happen? Upgrades on phones and everyday appliances are seen as false needs which capitalists force us to buy into.
What benefits might a market liberal (capitalist) system bring to the population?
Escaping poverty through working, earning and saving for your living. Also, it allows people to buy labour saving devices through the market price(a fair price in a capitalists eyes), such as dishwashers, washing machines, microwaves and so forth, making life easier for us westerners.
How are false needs reinforced, according to Marxist thought?
False needs are reinforced to society through basic agents of socialization, which capitalist markets target to address the widest audience and get the biggest profit from. These agents of socialization are things such as the media and our peer groups, where if one person has a trend, everyone must have a trend, otherwise we are deemed 'uncool' or we don't fit in. This false need imposed on us by capitalism is links with the Pygmalion effect or self fulfilling prophecy.
Illustrate Baumans ideas about the 'perpetual non-satisfaction' of consumers?
Baumans ideas on perpetual non-satisfaction basically mean that as long as consumers are not satisfied with a product for a long time (as the product does not last), the consumer will repeatedly have to put money into the large companies to replace their items, a cycle purposely placed by the capitalists that run the large companies, such as the first light bulbs ever made, which were given 1500 less hours of light so that customers would have to buy more.
Definition: Perpetual - never ending or changing, reoccurring.
Explain why we might pay more for a product than we think it is actually worth?
We may do this to increase our self-esteem, part of the self-fulfilling prophecy touched upon in the AS year of the course. It could be argued that we are not actually aware that we are paying more for something than its worth, as it could be said that we are falsely conscious and not aware of what capitalism is doing to us.
What do critics of late capitalism such as Paul Moore and Bill Gates suggest is needed to make capitalism more acceptable?
What does market liberalist thought suggest when it criticizes Marxism as promoting a 'utopian ideal'?
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