Mirror Sites:
CSUDH Habermas UWP

California State University, Dominguez Hills
University of Wisconsin, Parkside
Created: June 6, 2001
Latest update: October 29, 2001
jeannecurran@habermas.org

My First Job:
"I always went to lunch by myself . . . "

On Monday, October 29, 2001, Cynthia Taylor, wrote:

Hi Jeannie. I hope you're doing better. I went to thurs. class and saw the note on the door. What exercise were you referring to? you mentioned slavery in your weds. class and I'm interested in finding out how slavery and capitalism can be linked to social theory.

Thank you, Cynthia. I do feel better, and I'm glad I did give myself some rest time. I suspect that the exercise referred to in the note on the door last Thursday was Week 9 for the Readings and Suggested Measures of Learning. There's a Week 10 up now, too, so you should have plenty of choice.

It should not be hard at all to provide some conceptually linking both slavery and capitalism to social theory. For tonight, let's just say that slavery is the ultimate colonialization, the taking of an Other's work, existence, in the belief that the Master is entitled to the benefits produced by the Slave. In theory, that takes us straight to colonialism and imperialism. In sociology of law that takes us to the recognition that laws are made by and for those with "legitimate" power, meaning those that the "state" recognizes as being entitled to benefits.

Capitalism is the economic system that is based on supply and demand and markets. That comes into theory as one of the underlying assumptions of the means available to human societies for the distribution of available resources. Rawls believes that social justice requires fairness and equity in that distribution. Nozick represents the libertarian perspective that individuals are sacrosanct and should be permitted to accumulate all the resources they can, for those who can do so are the models of "success." In sociology of law, capitalism and its hidden assumptions underlie most of of our institutions and the dominant discourse of our structural context.

love and peace, jeanne

On Monday, October 3, 2001, Cynthia Taylor wrote:

My first job after graduating from high school was at a hospital. I was the only African American that worked in my department. I always went to lunch by myself.and was seldom invited to join the office chat. I noticed that when there were special events given by the company i was the last person to find out about them. First, i thought that it was because i was so young. and then i felt that it was also because i was black. sad to say, i quit that job when i was asked to do the work of a newer employee so that she could be promoted to a higher position. It was hard for me to admit that i wasn't accepted because of the color of my skin. i understand how the little red hen felt being different.

Cynthia Taylor, Soc 355 and 367.

On Monday, October 29, 2001, jeanne responded:

Cynthia, that's a very touching story, and I can see how you relate to the little red hen. That was not my intention when I painted her. I never even noticed that I made her red, and the other chicks yellow. That is the beauty of art, that once created it belongs as much to the viewer as to the creator. That is the concept from which the "death of the author" comes, that once created, the work of art belongs to all who take it in.

love and peace, jeanne