SOCIOL 3 Lecture 6: SOCIOL 3 – Lecture 6 Notes
Document Summary
Belief that the place of people in the stratification system is a function of their ability and effort. The poor are poor because they"re weak. Modern day proponents: arthur jensen, richard herrnstein and charles murray. *race based arguments that had to do with genetics why some were poor. Strongly suggests that blacks are less intelligent than whites. Claim that occupational attainment and ses depend on mental ability. Uncritical acceptance of iq test as legitimate measure. Encourages policy-makers to ignore poverty or attack its effects rather than its causes. Poor have qualitatively different values and lifestyles form the mainstream. These cultural differences are crucial disadvantage that explain continued poverty. The poor largely share the dominant values of american society. Those values that are different are a result of adaptation to conditions of poverty. Despite sociologists" skepticism of both biological and culture deficiency theories these assumptions are widely shared by the general public.
