SOCI 210 Lecture Notes - Lecture 14: The Power Elite, Elite, Mass Media
6 Nov 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Movie
Connection between women in politics and media
The media's objectification and treatment of women causes
women to become self-objectifiers
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Self-objectifiers have low political efficacy
Belief that they can hold political power and can make a
change
§
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Women are reluctant to put themselves forward as candidates,
or even participate in elections
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Language and the media - part 1
Media
The technological process facilitating communication between a sender
and a receiver
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Mass media: media that send a message from one source to many
people
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Socialization and "the medium is the message" (McLuhan)
Not just the content but the means by which the content is
communicated
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There are physical and psychological effects that affect our
interactions
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Through technological change
Led to a broad shift in society
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Changing the relationship between individuals
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The power elite
C. Wright Mills
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Social stratification results from the elite-mass dichotomy system
Pareto and 80/20 rule
80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes
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Saw this as a good thing
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This distribution of power as the most able individuals
'driving the car'
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The most able and capable should rise to the top
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Success to individual attributions
§
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Mills
Dichotomy neither natural nor beneficial
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3 major institutions where power has become concentrated
Economic
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Political
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military
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Lack of mobility and meritocracy
Positions are determined by unequal power and rewards
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Becoming members of the power elite has nothing to do with
talent, it has to do with personal and privileged networks
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Example
Weinstein scandal and timing of exposure
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Political and economic elite (entertainment, media, journalism)
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This issue has been known for years, why exposed only now?
Interest of protecting him and the business
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Those who like him are apart of the elite group and share
this interest
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Journalists are interested in whatever he's doing so that
they can approach him for their articles and to forward
their career
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Politicians were interested because he would donate a lot
of money to the democratic party
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Not because it’s a moral revolution, but because the media
that once protected him, has collapsed, there is not much
more to be gained
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The democratic party doesn't have as much power
anymore
Possibly, if Hilary Clinton won the election, perhaps
this story wouldn't have broke because the Clintons
were close with Weinstein
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§
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Lecture 14
Tuesday, October 24, 2017
10:06 AM
Document Summary
The media"s objectification and treatment of women causes women to become self-objectifiers. Belief that they can hold political power and can make a change. Women are reluctant to put themselves forward as candidates, or even participate in elections. The technological process facilitating communication between a sender and a receiver. Mass media: media that send a message from one source to many people. Socialization and "the medium is the message" (mcluhan) Not just the content but the means by which the content is communicated. There are physical and psychological effects that affect our interactions. Social stratification results from the elite-mass dichotomy system. 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes. This distribution of power as the most able individuals. The most able and capable should rise to the top. 3 major institutions where power has become concentrated. Positions are determined by unequal power and rewards.
