Vincent Harris

Contemporary Problems in Sociology M-W-F 9-9:50am

Positive Functions of Social Class

In 1971, Herbert J. Gans wrote his essay The Uses of Poverty: the poor pay for all. I imagine some read it with a gaspsome might even to this day be shocked by this authors expressions and opinions. Mr. Gans takes on the uses of poverty in the similitude of Robert K. Mertons functional analysis of continued existence of the political urban machine. He drew comparisons from the services provided to and by the poor, but his argument states that poverty is more maligned than the political machine ever was; yet it too is a persistent social phenomenon. Herbert J Gans describes thirteen positive functions that derive from poverty. Mr. Gans-in my opinion-does a good job at pointing out cultural stereotypes or even what some Americans believe, such as the poor being thought of as more inclined or susceptible to immoral behavior such as promiscuity and dishonesty. He states the function of this is to uphold the legitimacy of conventional norms such as hard work, honesty, or monogamy. He also says that despair motivates uninhibited sexual, alcoholic, and narcotic behavior for the poor. Another statement he allocates is that the poor rarely support Republicans and provides Democrats with a captive consistency that has no place to go, thus providing Democrats with votes. He also goes on to say the poor, lacking in political power, serve as the cost of change in revitalization projects in urban areas. The author also points out some hidden functions of poverty, like prolonging the usefulness of goods such as day old breads, second-hand clothes, and used cars and

Vincent Harris

Contemporary Problems in Sociology M-W-F 9-9:50am

houses. He also points to service jobs such as Section 8 workers and the men and women employed at the County Assistance office that provide things like the Medical Access card and Food stamps. Interestingly, he points to doctors, lawyers, and teachers with low skill to provide their services to the poor at a cheaper rate. Menial jobs or dirty work are reliant on the poor, work that is dangerous, temporary, underpaid, and deadend that still needs to be done for the good of society. Poverty is always an important subject that affects people of all races, religions, and other classifications of division. It is important to acknowledge not only the existence of the lower classes, but the challenges faced by them. Foremost would be the judgments rendered because of appearance which leads to social out-casting and even dividing poor from poorer. If a trend like this were to happen at the work place, the latter might stay at the bottom of what is already looked upon as the bottom of the heap. Least we forget this essay is about how the poor help society in all aspects of life. Take the cultural visage of the mythical hooker with a heart of gold. If it were not for prostitution, the movie Pretty Woman would not have been such a box office hit. Moreover, the poor provide a number of economic attributes to society. Herbert J. Gans uses the example of domestic subsidies which are created for low-wage poor but also used by the affluent by making life easier for employers and freeing affluent women for a variety of professional, cultural, civic, and party activities. In contrast, he also states that the poor support innovation and medical practices as patients in teaching and research hospitals and as guinea pigs in medical experiments.

Vincent Harris

Contemporary Problems in Sociology M-W-F 9-9:50am

Laissez-farie in the truest most pure form is the answer to economic problems. The poor are underpaid to do dirty jobs because government regulation and interference keep it that way. Anyone working in a free market is essentially selling their labor to an employer for a pre-agreed-upon wage. For example, in a true laissez-farie, if you have an employer that hires three janitors for whatever price the employee agrees upon with the employer, the hardest working will get the bigger, timelier and more often raises. In contrast, a company operating in a government regulated free market is less likely to give substantial raises or an increase at all due to the government set minimum wage. As it is looked upon as the minimum amount of money an employer has to pay to keep an employee in that same position. Since the creation of capitalism, big business men had no choice but to cater to an empowered working class, a power that is driven solely by the invisible hand and stiffened and halted by government regulators and bureaucrats.