Reflections on the Influence of Classical Sociology on Marcuse Herbert Marcuse of the Frankfurt school analysed contemporary society using key elements of Sigmund Freud’s theories filtered through the classical social theory of Karl Marx as a jumping off point. However, he turned that on its head into three areas: the decline of the individual, the deranged logic of capitalism, and a promise of liberation. … Read More
Reflections on Barthes And Structuralism Structuralism is essentially the study of Saussure’s linguistics applied to the study of the underlying structure of a society’s means of communication(s) that give that society’s words contextual meaning.1 Roland Barthes may not have been the first to analyse Saussure, but he penetrated its implications more than anyone at the time. Barthes defined structuralism as… Read More
Reflections on bell hooks’ Where We Stand In order for propaganda to be effective, it must contain an element of perceived truth. Goebbels understood this, Karl Rove understands this, and bell hooks understands this as she abundantly explains in Where We Stand: Class Matters. The intent is to help us understand how and why we live in a class society. Analyzing every… Read More
Reflections on Weber On Rationalization Max Weber’s study of history, economics, and law allowed him to analyse social movements in their microcosm, especially his views of Rationalisation. Critics have argued that Weber viewed rationalization as progress, while, I would counter that Weber described it as a modern reality, much as Machievelli described power and the state in The Prince. Weber’s… Read More
Reflections on Stiglitz’ The Price Of Inequality: Part 3 In chapters 8-10 of The Price of Inequality, Stigitz concentrates on the battle of the federal budget, monetary policy, and fixing what is described throughout the text as woefully desperate and dire. He addresses many varied points and somehow misses a few others that some would deem obvious such as what some would describe as… Read More
Reflections on Giddens Analysis Of Durkheim Anthony Giddens, in Capitalism and Modern Social Theory, reintroduces us to the first self-described sociologist, Emile Durkheim. Giddens, analyses the three areas of importance that Durheim fixated on: 1) He worked to establish sociology as an academic discipline in order to advance his belief that sociology has value and that it should be studied, 2)… Read More
Reflections on Stiglitz’ The Price Of Inequality: Part 2 In chapters 4-7 of The Price of Inequality, Stigitz concentrates on the importance of inequality, the fragility of democracy, influence and propaganda, and the rule of law. Here, he continues to utilize sweeping generalities but fails to analyze those generalities in detail. In fact, he uses some of the same tactics that have been used… Read More
Y Tu Mama Tambien Analysis From the outset, director Alfonso Cuaron tests and questions collective sexual mores and taboos in Y Tu Mama Tamabien, forcing us to question, forcing us to think, forcing us to reevaluate. Full frontal nudity confronts us almost before the opening credits have finished. And given that graphic violence in U.S. media is an accepted norm… Read More
Reflections on Anthony Giddens On Marx Anthony Giddens, in Capitalism and Modern Social Theory, discusses the development and evolution of Karl Marx from a youth to a theorist with Marx analyzing his own time and specific epochs in history to determine what he later determined to be patterns of economic development towards capitalism. Marx’s focus was on three subjects: 1. His… Read More
Reflections on Stiglitz’ The Price Of Inequality: Part 1 In The Price of Inequality, Joseph Stiglitz focuses primarily on the economic and the political, on why the US economic system is failing, rather than other factors that may contribute to inequality. Although he admits to sweeping generalities, his analysis of inequality is probing. His explanation of grievances could be used to explain how a… Read More