Question

• What is the most important issue facing government today?

Power• Power is the ability to carry out your

will, even over the resistance of others• C. Wright Mills, power elite refers to

those who make the big decisions in U.S. society. (Pres. Obama)

• People of power and wealth tend to share the same ideologies & values

• This shared interest reinforces their idea of the world and of their special place in it

Question

• What career do each of you want to have after high school, college or trade school?

• Look at Table 10.2 on page 265

What is noticeable about those jobs?

• All of those job at the top of the level share four common features

1.They pay more2.They require more education3.They entail more abstract thought4.They offer greater autonomy (freedom or self

direction)

Prestige• People want others to acknowledge their prestige• Ancient times, only certain people could wear

certain colors • Today we see the President of United States• What happens when the President enters a room?• What happens when a judge enters a court room?• Many people pay more for designer clothing• Students attend universities for their name alone

Prestige• Generally people have similar rank on all 3

dimensions (status consistent)• People do try to maximize their status or their

social ranking• We do see people rank high on some dimensions of

the social class while low on others (status inconsistency)

• Garbage man $20/hour ($42,000/year) compared to a journalist, teacher, clergy and etc…

Prestige

• Through status inconsistency, people are likely to confront the situation after another

• College Professors• Important people in society, highly educated

but don’t make the high level money• Professors of business or medicine make more

than other professors