Inequality, Class, and Poverty (final exam)

What is the “culture industry” according to Horkheimer and Adorno?

• Culture (movies, TV, art, books) is made to make money, not just for creativity or learning.

• Free time is spent on entertainment instead of politics or helping the community.

• Big sales (like Black Friday) and mass consumption give fake happiness and teach people to accept capitalism.

• Main ideas: ideology (ideas that shape beliefs) and profit.

culture has been commodified

as film, media, fiction, drama, radio, tv, and art have been developed into corporate industries

people now see themselves in their commodities:

what fandoms they belong to, apple v. samsung, the kinds of cars they drive etc.

Who are the Professional Managerial Class?

• They are salaried workers who don’t own companies but help run culture and capitalist systems.

• Usually don’t do physical labor—work in media, tech, academia, finance, and creative jobs.

• They manage austerity and cost-cutting, which often hurts working-class people.

• Seen as leaders of the “new normal” in the economy.

What is “victimhood culture”?

honor → dignity → victimhood (where people try to show they are the ones being hurt)

• People explain their problems by connecting them to past injustices.

• Instead of talking directly to the person who upset them, they ask a third person (like a teacher or boss) to step in.

• They focus more on impact (how something feels) than intent (what the person meant).

• They want strong safety rules, even for things that aren’t actually dangerous.

What are the “dividends of victimhood”?

• Being seen as a victim can bring attention, help, or even money.

• People may get titles, awards, or special recognition.

• Being treated as disadvantaged can make others see your achievements as more impressive.

• Victimhood can turn into different kinds of social, symbolic, or economic benefits.

What does “hierarchies of victimization” mean?

• Some people are seen as victims because of mean actions by others or things they cannot control.

• Class or wealth differences are often ignored, even though they can also cause real unfairness.

• This creates a ranking of who is seen as more deserving of attention or help.

What is totemic capitalism?

• People get authority or respect because of their identities or “totems” (special symbols that represent them).

• They are seen as having special knowledge or insight.

• The “diverse individual” becomes a product, and identities can be exaggerated or made into stereotypes.

marie moran

identities did not emerge prior to massive growth in consumption in the west but alongside it, identity formation is achieved through consumption

What is the “Oppression Olympics”?

• People compete to show they are the most disadvantaged or hurt.

• Some symbolic capitalists claim victimhood or link themselves to minority groups to get special benefits or status.

• They may stretch the truth and ignore their own advantages to “win” in this competition.

How do symbolic capitalists use identity labels like “queer” or “LGBTQ”?

• They may identify with a group even if they don’t face the biggest disadvantages.

• This helps them claim victimhood and appear less privileged.

• Similar to how some use BIPOC labels, it can enhance status or sympathy in social and professional settings.

What does it mean when someone makes a claim based on totemic identification?

• They say things like, “People in this group think/feel/want…” about everyone in that group.

• They are usually just guessing and not using real evidence.

• They use their own ideas and feelings as if the whole group thinks the same way.

What happens when leaders are very different from the groups they say they represent? (totemic capitalism)

• When leaders are far away socially from the people they speak for, they often push for more extreme or “radical” ideas.

• These ideas may be stronger than what the actual people want.

• This causes an “identity arms race,” where each side tries to seem more loyal or more extreme to prove they are “on the team.”

What are “empathy walls” and “partyism”?

• People from different political parties (like Republicans and Democrats) don’t understand each other as well anymore.

• Many won’t date or marry someone from the other party.

• They sometimes think the other party is dangerous.

• People move to places where everyone thinks the same way.

• Online, we mostly see posts that agree with what we already believe, so we don’t hear other opinions.

the overton window

A box of ideas that people think are okay or normal to talk about in society.

What is the “Red Paradox”?

• Red states often have more poverty, lower life expectancy, higher teen pregnancy, higher divorce, and lower school success than blue states.

• They get more federal aid than they pay in taxes.

• At the same time, they often say the federal government is the problem.

How does the GOP appeal to the white working class?

• The GOP pushes policies that help the super-rich.

• They use culture war issues to gain support from white working-class voters, like:

  • Abortion

  • Christianity

  • DEI/CRT/Wokeness

  • Gender and trans issues

  • pistola control

waiting in line

• the line is a long, uphill pilgrimage (the american dream)

• its scary to look at those in the back of the line-PoC, poor, many without credentials you wish

  • you wish them well-in principle

  • but, you’ve waited a long time, worked really hard, and even then the line doesn’t seem to be moving

  • waiting has tested your patience, while waiting you’ve endured crappy jobs, diminished life prospects, and a shrinking safety net- but this endurance is a testament to your character, your dignity, your honor

Why is the American Dream hard to reach for most Americans?

• Automation, offshoring, and global corporations make it hard to get good jobs.

• A global labor force means more competition for work.

• This “new normal” leads to less income, wealth, dignity, and self-worth.

• For 90% of people, the dream is almost invisible

How is the white working class portrayed and how does it feel?

You are a stranger in your own land

• People often make fun of poor white people (e.g., “dumb redneck” or shows like Duck Dynasty).

• They don’t feel seen or honored in society.

• Even when trying to improve their lives, they feel like they are falling behind through no fault of their own.

How does race show up in the deep story?

Race is central to the deep story!

• Race is a big, important part of the story.

• The respondent felt people from “the North” were unfairly calling them racist.

• They think racism only means hating someone or saying racist slurs.

• They say they want a future where “color doesn’t matter anymore.”

What is the “psychological wage of whiteness”?

• W. E. B. Du Bois

• Even poor white people get a kind of “bonus” that makes them feel better about their lives.

• They get more respect from people of color.

• They have easier access to public places and civic life.

• They feel a sense of superiority.

• They get symbolic honor, like being part of “middle America.”

COVID-19

highlighted viscerally how intricately implicated we are in each other lives-how vulnerable we are to one another and how responsible we ought to be to one another-however, what unfolded was an apocalypse of mundane selfishness (not masking, wanting to go on vacation, etc.)

“an elite disease”

Covid–19 did not originate in ghettos and barrios, it was spread via the international movement of monied elites who passed it to their domestic workers, caretakers, and service industry employees–folks who didn’t have the same resources to manage or protect themselves from the virus. 

social distance

Economic power enabled social distance without significant disruption to one’s lifestyle

• Spacious homes

• Gated communities

• Private modes of transportation

• Knowledge economy jobs that allowed for remote work

• The ability of affluent whites to especially distance hinged on a longer history of them benefitting from patterns of racial segregation which concentrated public resources in affluent neighborhoods and left poor communities of color beleaguered 

essential workers

Low-wage workers found themselves on the front lines of the pandemic as “essential workers”

Many worked in the gig economy and were left with no choice but to risk their lives in order to survive. 

They became “essential workers” without hazard pay or any other incentives or restitutions for risking their lives 

• Poverty created health conditions (e.g. hypertension, diabetes) that were comorbid with COVID, meaning that not only were poor PoC hyper exposed, they were also more vulnerable to protracted disease

corona capitalism

“…refers to the economic conditions and institutional arrangements that made the vulnerable more likely to experience premature death during the Covid-19 pandemic. Corona capitalism also speaks to the ways that human crises are exploited by the powerful, who coordinate with governments to create policies that enable them to profit during such moments” (Hill 2020:21).

Centuries of racial capitalism and decades of neoliberal policies not only created the conditions of the Covid-19 pandemic but also informed our legal, economic, medical, ecological, cultural, and social response to it

What is “Corona Capitalism” and how does neoliberalism shape pandemic response?

• Neoliberalism treats free markets as the solution to all problems.

• Austerity, efficiency, and privatization are seen as normal.

• Private companies are trusted to manage public goods.

• COVID-19 is framed as an individual problem, not a collective one.

• CARES Act ($2 trillion) gave $500 billion to big companies and small checks ($3,200) to regular people, which were quickly spent.

• People without banks faced delays and extra fees, showing unequal access to aid.

What did COVID-19 reveal about society and inequality?

• The pandemic showed problems in a system that focuses on profit over people.

• Essential workers like nurses and delivery drivers faced the most risk, while CEOs and CFOs stayed safe.

• People questioned why the top 1% control so much wealth, while workers who keep the economy running get so little.

• It made us think about who we value and protect in society.

Who are “symbolic capitalists” and what do they do?

• They control and make money from symbols, ideas, and culture (not factories or products).

• “Wokeness” becomes part of their rules and beliefs.

• They don’t see themselves as elites, even though they have power.

• They focus on social justice symbols and words more than real-life money or material issues.

• They use social justice language to help themselves.

• They try to look like they speak for groups that have been treated unfairly in the past.

symbolic capitalists: people think their opinions are more important because

sometimes seen as: more interesting, more creative, and more “special”

often get: extra help, special programs, special chances that other people want too

exaggerate or bend the truth to make their background seem harder than it really was

When they tell these stories, they usually leave out important facts—especially the fact that they belong to a wealthy or privileged class, which doesn’t fit the “victim” image they want to show.

How do educated elites use wokeness?

• They use “woke” language to look smart, moral, and caring.

• It helps them gain power, status, and sympathy.

• Focus is on words, labels, representation, and feelings, not real-life changes.

the privileged poor

 already accustomed to navigating elite academic arenas, already familiar with the ways and customs of the rich

doubly disadvantaged

both poor and unfamiliar with the new world

scholarship plus

• ironically created visible separations where it was meant to promote integration

shaming the “underserving poor”

cafeteria closures

Students went hungry at the most affluent university in the country because they didn’t keep dining halls open during Spring Break–contrast this with the $35 per diem given to student athletes

What did Community Detail (CD) show about class and race on campus?

• Poor students had to do janitorial work, cleaning up after richer students, showing who has to work and who doesn’t.

• CD paid well and had flexible hours, but came with social costs and racist class assumptions.

• Some poor White students could “pass” as middle class, while upper-class Black and Brown students were assumed to be poor.

• Material conditions limited students’ choices for work or activities.

What is “conspicuous consumption” and why does it matter?

• ways in which consuming things stops being about human needs or less about needs and more about aesthetics

• It means showing off your money by buying fancy things.

• People try to look “higher class” by staying far away from regular, everyday work.

• What you buy and what you like become signs of your class.

• Moran says this kind of “showing off” helped create the identity politics we see today, where people use what they buy and like to show who they are.

What is virtue hoarding among symbolic capitalists?

• When rich or powerful people show off how “good” or “moral” they are.

• They do this to seem better than others, especially workers they have hurt or fired.

• It often involves criticizing other people’s habits, tastes, or families to make themselves look superior.

What is the “Behavior vs. Identification” critique?

It argues that broad identity labels (like “queer,” “LGBTQ,” or “BIPOC”) let people who aren’t heavily disadvantaged group themselves with those who are, boosting their claims to victimhood and hiding their privilege.

What does “Dishonor” refer to in this context?

It refers to how negative stereotypes of the white working class (e.g., “redneck,” “white trash,” “bible-thumper”) are widely accepted, making this group feel unseen, disrespected, and left behind—even though their struggles aren’t their fault and are often hidden.