When Tocqueville got to have his say, the situation for workers was dire. They would put a person to work on the same task day in and day out, until that was all that person could do. And with no chance for promotion, and no hope for ever getting out. However, this is no longer the case. Nowadays there is still an aristocracy, but it is a reformed one. Now workers can spend many years doing the same task, but there is hope for promotion, and because of the further division of labor, even when they are still stuck doing their job, they can do things after work that will keep their mind active and prevent stagnation.
In the days of old, you were assigned a particular job, and unless you had some great wealth or influence, you would likely be assigned the position that no one else wanted. The people who manufactured the very base essentials of society. A society which considered itself so “reformed”, yet could not exist without the continual effort and destruction of the factory worker. Destruction of their mind, destruction of their spirit, and destruction of any hope they had of being in the society that could not exist without them. But there were those, like Tocquville, who realized this and attempted to at the very least let it be known by future generations what had really happened. And he reported what he saw.
Because of people like Tocqueville, those who saw the darker, more sinister side of society, we now have made not steps, but leaps of progress. In the post-modern world, for the most part has moved beyond such tyranny. And whenever injustice towards workers begins, reporters will let it be known, people will protest, and something that Tocqueville never lived to see, the workers will organize themselves and go on strike. In effect, it is all but impossible for a true aristocracy to develop, for the inequalities shall never grow large enough to allow such an aristocracy to develop.
This is not to say that it is all rosy. There is still a huge number of people whom are forced to work long hours, at repetitive tasks, for the majority of their lives, and without any hope of promotion. And as was the case in the past, they make up the very most base of our society. These people are the most important part of our society, yet the most ignored, and the least thought about. Many of them live in conditions that we would consider uninhabitable, and lead lives that we would think were unlivable. And the worst part? Their misery is completely our fault. It is our fault that they live hoping that tomorrow will be better. Our fault that they must work with little to no hope of something as simple as retirement. And how is it our fault? Because of our insatiable desire for cheapness in money, no matter what the cost is ethically. Because we continue to buy from the companies that own them, they stay in business. We claim to hate these people's plight, yet we complain whenever prices rise. We claim to be compassionate, yet do nothing as more and more companies buy into the scheme. We care for the people, but we care for ourselves more.
When Alexis De Tocqueville wrote his piece, the aristocracy he saw was terrible. Now, the entire world has succumbed to aristocracy, and is simply made up of democracies. Perhaps this is the ultimate end, for every happiness, there is an equal unhappiness somewhere else. Perhaps all that democracy is simply a Sand-castle. You can build it as big and as complex and as stable as you want to, but it will still be destroyed the next time the tide of aristocracy comes rushing in. if this is not so, then how is it that china, the worlds largest aristocracy has an economy matched by none, and the US, now that it has turned it's economy into a democracy, is now floundering? And just think, when you think about it, the entire world is simply one huge aristocracy, with the first world countries on top, being supported by the third world countries beneath.
I still have hope, however. If the human race can evolve past greed, past all prejudice, then all of this is reversible, and a stable democracy can finally be realized.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
General Confusion
I just posted the pre-reading questions. Then I read further back and saw that I had already posted the pre-reading questions. Did we go over them? I can't remember. If we did, then you're supposed to be reading the assignment with an interpretive note source (I posted that with the pre-reading questions).
Here it is...you've got 2 days!
Here are your pre-reading questions for How an Aristocracy May Be Created by Industry by Alexis de Toqueville. Remember you can make this as short or long as you want. The idea is to make your point - so if you can do that in a few words - fine. If you want to explore your thoughts more fully and go into free-form, that is fine, too. Don't do it just to "do" it. These are some really awesome questions, especially now that our world is on the cusp of change.
Following the pre-reading questions, I am posting all of the additional assignments for this reading. Don't do them until they're assigned.
Pre-reading Questions
1. How would you define "aristocracy?"
"Noblesse oblige"?
2. What obligation do rich people have to help those with less money?
3. In American, can we become whatever we want, or are we limited by circumstances?
4. How might it be a threat to our democracy for some people to be better off than others?
5. Have you ever had to stay with a job you didn't like?
6. Are the president of a large corporation and his or her employees like a monarch and his or her subjects?
Interpretive Note Sources
Mark places where Tocqueville points out a danger to democracy.
Mark places where Tocqueville describes how the development of industry affects the workers who make the products.
Discussion Questions
1. Why does Tocqueville think that democracy constantly tends toward inequality?
2. Why does Tocqueville say that the worker has been assigned to a certain "position in society" instead of to a certain job? (125)
3. Why does Tocqueville think that "industrial theory" exerts a stronger influence on the factory worker than "morality or law"? (125)
4. Does Tocqueville blame the industrial aristocracy for the brutish existence of the factory workers?
5. Why don't the "impoverished and brutalized" workers revolt against their harsh industrial masters? (128)
6. Why doesn't the industrial aristocracy feel any obligation to help its workers in hard and difficult times? (128)
7. Why does the division of labor make the worker "weaker, more limited, and more dependent"? (125)
8. Why does Tocqueville call the new aristocracy a "monstrosity""? (127)
9. Why does Tocqueville stress that the new aristocracy will be made up not only of the rich, but of the "well-educated"? (125)
10. Why does Tocqueville assume that a worker cannot improve his position in society, no matter how hard he tries?
11. Why does Tocqueville see danger to democracy not in the degraded mass of workers, but in the new aristocracy?
12. Why doesn't he industrial aristocracy "know its own mind," and why can't it act? (128)
13. Why does the workman continually engage in making one object become "more adroit" but "less industrious"? (125)
14. Is there anything the worker can do to prevent the creation of the new aristocracy?
Post-Discussion Writing
1. What would Tocqueville say to Adam Smith about his faith in the division of labor?
2. Can a person be as happy working on an assembly line as owning one?
3. Do you agree with Tocqueville that a person who does a repetitive job loses the power to think?
4. Is a new "aristocracy," based on talent and ambition necessarily a bad thing?
5. Do you think Tocqueville would be in favor of labor unions?
6. Should we use robots rather than workers on assembly lines? Would this help or aggravate the plight of the worker?
Following the pre-reading questions, I am posting all of the additional assignments for this reading. Don't do them until they're assigned.
Pre-reading Questions
1. How would you define "aristocracy?"
"Noblesse oblige"?
2. What obligation do rich people have to help those with less money?
3. In American, can we become whatever we want, or are we limited by circumstances?
4. How might it be a threat to our democracy for some people to be better off than others?
5. Have you ever had to stay with a job you didn't like?
6. Are the president of a large corporation and his or her employees like a monarch and his or her subjects?
Interpretive Note Sources
Mark places where Tocqueville points out a danger to democracy.
Mark places where Tocqueville describes how the development of industry affects the workers who make the products.
Discussion Questions
1. Why does Tocqueville think that democracy constantly tends toward inequality?
2. Why does Tocqueville say that the worker has been assigned to a certain "position in society" instead of to a certain job? (125)
3. Why does Tocqueville think that "industrial theory" exerts a stronger influence on the factory worker than "morality or law"? (125)
4. Does Tocqueville blame the industrial aristocracy for the brutish existence of the factory workers?
5. Why don't the "impoverished and brutalized" workers revolt against their harsh industrial masters? (128)
6. Why doesn't the industrial aristocracy feel any obligation to help its workers in hard and difficult times? (128)
7. Why does the division of labor make the worker "weaker, more limited, and more dependent"? (125)
8. Why does Tocqueville call the new aristocracy a "monstrosity""? (127)
9. Why does Tocqueville stress that the new aristocracy will be made up not only of the rich, but of the "well-educated"? (125)
10. Why does Tocqueville assume that a worker cannot improve his position in society, no matter how hard he tries?
11. Why does Tocqueville see danger to democracy not in the degraded mass of workers, but in the new aristocracy?
12. Why doesn't he industrial aristocracy "know its own mind," and why can't it act? (128)
13. Why does the workman continually engage in making one object become "more adroit" but "less industrious"? (125)
14. Is there anything the worker can do to prevent the creation of the new aristocracy?
Post-Discussion Writing
1. What would Tocqueville say to Adam Smith about his faith in the division of labor?
2. Can a person be as happy working on an assembly line as owning one?
3. Do you agree with Tocqueville that a person who does a repetitive job loses the power to think?
4. Is a new "aristocracy," based on talent and ambition necessarily a bad thing?
5. Do you think Tocqueville would be in favor of labor unions?
6. Should we use robots rather than workers on assembly lines? Would this help or aggravate the plight of the worker?
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Friday, November 21, 2008
Share on blog
I meant to say this with the assignment. Let's try posting your responses and discussin via blogging. If I feel we have enjoyed a useful exchange of ideas in this medium, we go a little faster through the series. So....post your answers.
Pre-reading Tocqueville
Here are the prereading questions. Choose one and answer it in essay form if you can. If you feel the answer lends itself to a paragraph, then you may do that, instead. Then read How an Aristocracy May Be Created by Industry.
1. How would you define "aristocracy"? "Noblesse oblige"?
2. What obligation do rich people have to help those with less money?
3. In America, can we become whatever we want, or are we limited by circumstance?
4. How might it be a threat to our democracy for some people to be better off than others?
5. Have you ever had to stay with a job you didn't like?
6. Are the president of a large corporation and his or her employees like a monarch and his or her subjects?
1. How would you define "aristocracy"? "Noblesse oblige"?
2. What obligation do rich people have to help those with less money?
3. In America, can we become whatever we want, or are we limited by circumstance?
4. How might it be a threat to our democracy for some people to be better off than others?
5. Have you ever had to stay with a job you didn't like?
6. Are the president of a large corporation and his or her employees like a monarch and his or her subjects?
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
homework for this friday
Hi Guys!
Second Reading of Chelkash
Mark places where you respect or pity either Chelkash or Gavrilla.
Mark places where Chelkash tries to corrupt Gavrilla, and places where he shows that he cares for him.
For our textual analysis we will examine an exerpt from page 95 beginning with "Nice, the sea, isn't it," and ending, "and gives birth to great dreams."
Then we will do some dramatic reading! I know! Exciting!! (and dramatic)
We will read pages 113-116 and pages 116 - 188 with feeling :) and then do a textual analysis.
And here are the post-discussion writing questions for the FOLLOWING week. I'm just going ahead and posting now them because I am sitting here and it is convenient.
1. Does a thief like Chelkash emjoy more freedom than someone who follows the law?
2. Do you admire people who refuse to live by any rules other than their own?
3. Is Gavrilla right when he claims that money is the key to "honor, comfort, and pleasure"? (pg 112)
4. Do you think you would make a good professional thief?
5. Why do people become outcasts like Chelkash?
6. Does your world make you choose, like Chelkash, between being a "slave" or being free?
I THINK THESE ARE SOME GREAT QUESTIONS! I look forward to hearing what you guys have to say.
Carol
Second Reading of Chelkash
Mark places where you respect or pity either Chelkash or Gavrilla.
Mark places where Chelkash tries to corrupt Gavrilla, and places where he shows that he cares for him.
For our textual analysis we will examine an exerpt from page 95 beginning with "Nice, the sea, isn't it," and ending, "and gives birth to great dreams."
Then we will do some dramatic reading! I know! Exciting!! (and dramatic)
We will read pages 113-116 and pages 116 - 188 with feeling :) and then do a textual analysis.
And here are the post-discussion writing questions for the FOLLOWING week. I'm just going ahead and posting now them because I am sitting here and it is convenient.
1. Does a thief like Chelkash emjoy more freedom than someone who follows the law?
2. Do you admire people who refuse to live by any rules other than their own?
3. Is Gavrilla right when he claims that money is the key to "honor, comfort, and pleasure"? (pg 112)
4. Do you think you would make a good professional thief?
5. Why do people become outcasts like Chelkash?
6. Does your world make you choose, like Chelkash, between being a "slave" or being free?
I THINK THESE ARE SOME GREAT QUESTIONS! I look forward to hearing what you guys have to say.
Carol
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