Occupy Wall Street Research Paper
Siplin, Gary January 3, 2014 SYG 3002 Paper # 1
The Notion of Consumption
In the process of globalization, the world that we live in today has become more preoccupied with the notion of consumption. Exploitation of the vast majority has led to movements like Occupy Wall Street. The Occupy Wall Street movement was a movement that pinpointed and spoke out against some of the injustices that the working class faces from day to day. Capitalism has become the social norm in just about every country across the globe. This is especially so, here in America. When you stop and think about the true definition of a capitalist society, you usually
envision a society in which the means for production and distribution are controlled by a small group. This small group is referred to as the capitalist class or ruling class (the minority). In turn, the working class (the majority) must sell their ability to work in return for wages or salary. In today’s modern society, just as it has been in the past, the working class is employed to produce goods and services, which are then sold for profit. In this instance, the people that profit most from this exchange are those who are in the ruling class. The ruling class profits from this exchange because the products and services produced by the working class can be sold at a marginally higher rate than what it actually costs to pay for the actual labor. A prime example of this issue can be found in an article that I read in the Huffington Post which was entitled, Walmart Living Wage Dispute in D.C. Undermines Company’s Murky Pay Claims. In this article, the average wages of employees from each faction of the company were analyzed and compared in order to determine if a living-wage law need be put in effect for big box retailers. According to a Walmart spokesman, “Full time employees earn $12.78 per hour on average, or 28 cents higher than the proposed D.C. mandate”. This however is a misleading picture of what a store worker actually makes. The company itself notes, the $12.78 calculation excludes part-time workers, and it includes department managers who are paid hourly and probably earn a good deal more than cashiers, stockers and sales associates. The company claims that the majority of its workers are categorized as full-time or are logging 34 hours or more per week. In theory, 49% of store workers could be part-timers, temps or seasonal workers who would drag down the average wage if they were included in the math”. (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/10/walmart-living-wage_n_3575730.html) When questioned as to why Walmart chooses not to include part-time workers in their average wage figures, company spokesman Kory Lundburg replied, “At this point, it’s just the a decision we’ve made”. It’s in the best interest of those in the minority to put on a face of bewilderment and pretend not to know what is happening or how things got the way that they are. In reality they are fully aware of the way that things. In every facet of life, whether it be politics, religion, education or even leisure; the ruling class seems to always have the upper hand. The ruling class has the means or in other words, has the capital to directly purchase media or other opportunities that directly disseminate advertisements and or political and economic messages that serve their own interests. Basically, the ruling class controls everything that we eat, drink, read about, watch on TV so on and so forth.
Works Cited
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/10/walmart-living-wage_n_3575730.html
The Notion of Consumption
In the process of globalization, the world that we live in today has become more preoccupied with the notion of consumption. Exploitation of the vast majority has led to movements like Occupy Wall Street. The Occupy Wall Street movement was a movement that pinpointed and spoke out against some of the injustices that the working class faces from day to day. Capitalism has become the social norm in just about every country across the globe. This is especially so, here in America. When you stop and think about the true definition of a capitalist society, you usually
envision a society in which the means for production and distribution are controlled by a small group. This small group is referred to as the capitalist class or ruling class (the minority). In turn, the working class (the majority) must sell their ability to work in return for wages or salary. In today’s modern society, just as it has been in the past, the working class is employed to produce goods and services, which are then sold for profit. In this instance, the people that profit most from this exchange are those who are in the ruling class. The ruling class profits from this exchange because the products and services produced by the working class can be sold at a marginally higher rate than what it actually costs to pay for the actual labor. A prime example of this issue can be found in an article that I read in the Huffington Post which was entitled, Walmart Living Wage Dispute in D.C. Undermines Company’s Murky Pay Claims. In this article, the average wages of employees from each faction of the company were analyzed and compared in order to determine if a living-wage law need be put in effect for big box retailers. According to a Walmart spokesman, “Full time employees earn $12.78 per hour on average, or 28 cents higher than the proposed D.C. mandate”. This however is a misleading picture of what a store worker actually makes. The company itself notes, the $12.78 calculation excludes part-time workers, and it includes department managers who are paid hourly and probably earn a good deal more than cashiers, stockers and sales associates. The company claims that the majority of its workers are categorized as full-time or are logging 34 hours or more per week. In theory, 49% of store workers could be part-timers, temps or seasonal workers who would drag down the average wage if they were included in the math”. (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/10/walmart-living-wage_n_3575730.html) When questioned as to why Walmart chooses not to include part-time workers in their average wage figures, company spokesman Kory Lundburg replied, “At this point, it’s just the a decision we’ve made”. It’s in the best interest of those in the minority to put on a face of bewilderment and pretend not to know what is happening or how things got the way that they are. In reality they are fully aware of the way that things. In every facet of life, whether it be politics, religion, education or even leisure; the ruling class seems to always have the upper hand. The ruling class has the means or in other words, has the capital to directly purchase media or other opportunities that directly disseminate advertisements and or political and economic messages that serve their own interests. Basically, the ruling class controls everything that we eat, drink, read about, watch on TV so on and so forth.
Works Cited
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/10/walmart-living-wage_n_3575730.html