Page 281 - Sociology and You

Chapter 8 Social Stratification
Later conflict sociologists have proposed that stratification is based more on power than on prop- erty ownership. America’s legal system, for example, is used by the wealthy for their benefit, and the po- litical system is skewed toward the interests of the powerful. For followers of the conflict perspective, stratification occurs through the struggle for scarce resources.
Symbolic Interactionism and Stratification
Symbolic interactionism helps us understand how
people are socialized to accept the existing stratifica-
tion structure. According to this perspective,
American children are taught that a person’s social
class is the result of talent and effort. Those “on top”
have worked hard and used their abilities, whereas
those “on the bottom” lack the talent or the motivation to succeed. Hence, it is not fair to challenge the system. In this way, people come to accept the existing system.
Understandably, people in the lower social classes or social strata tend to suffer from lower self-esteem. How could it be otherwise when messages from all sides tell them they are inferior? Remember that, in the symbolic in- teractionist view, self-esteem is based on how we think others see us. In other words, the looking-glass process is at work. Those at the top blame the vic- tims; the victims blame themselves. (See pages 116–117 for an explanation of the looking-glass self.)
The reverse is true for the higher classes. Those profiting most from the stratification structure tend to have higher self-esteem. This, in turn, fuels their conviction that the present arrangement is just. In short, people’s self- concepts also help preserve the status quo.
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These South Dakotans are protesting the unequal treatment of Native Americans in the criminal justice system. How could the protestors use conflict theory to support their viewpoint?
It isn’t always easy being out of the “in–group.”