"The development of an underclass in American society can be linked not only to econmic stratification due to capitalist relations of exploitation but also to racial stratification."
I was sooooo very happy to hear someone say that one of the broad factors for racial stratification is right beneath its surface, economic stratification. And to top it off McLaren even openly convicts the capitalist system as its cause. It ties in Delpit and Macintosh because it not only recognizes the structuralism of the culture of power but calls it and its causes out by name.
"Resistance, then, is a process in which the working-class student further solidifies his or her position in the lowest tier of the class system, helping to confirm the views established by critical theorists that a nations educational system is subservient to its economic system."
I have two things to say about this quote. First is, YES! EXACTLY! when an economic system emphasizes core values as a means of attaining livelihood those values will bleed into every other system under it and human personality as a whole. Second as McLaren continues he goes on to say this emphasize of working-class and manual labor ideals is counter productive. I don't think it this falls into the same pitfall as Delpit in assuming that the way to abolish a culture of power is to first assimilate into it. The working class are still the backbone of society and therefore when they come to see themselves as such in a organized fashion that can thus abolish the system which keeps in the lowest of classes from the outside.
"Because the school system is structured tacitly to reinforce and reward middle-class values, attitudes, and behavior (therefore penalize the "deprived" by omission), educators and the public alike often assume that the failure of schools to educated disadvantaged is really the failure of the girls themselves."
The system is not broken, it isn't failing. In fact it is succeeding brilliantly it keeps the classes were they are and degrades their traditions and ways so as to make children reach for the assertions of the ruling class and imitate them. You can not fix what is not broken, you can only tear it down and rebuild anew.
Kevin,
ReplyDeleteI just finished reading your mid-term and have been spending reflection time about your thoughts. I signed onto the blog to share a video that I thought would interest your and when I opened my blog, I saw that you had posted. I am pleased that you enjoyed this reading! I love the stimulation of the mind.
I thorougly agree wtih you. I find it incredibly interesting that in a society where the middle class is kept in that position and looked down uppon by the upper class, that a riot does not ensue. Most upper class people realize that without the middle class to run their companies, perform the manual labor, and keep the cash flowing, they would be in poverty, but yet ignore that by further pushing down the middle class, or maybe it is because of that knowledge that they act this way. I tended to disagree with you alot in the begining of the semester but as time goes on, i am begining to see what your talking about.
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