Lecture Notes
Values article by Phyllis Day
Ida B. Wells
Policy Framework
SOCIAL POLICY AND THE STATE
Systems Perspective - look at individual and all groups/structures impacting the individual - gender, class SES, etc. not complacent w/ status quo, sociologists tend to study more vulnerable groups
Welfare - state of well being (knee jerk response is $ given to ppl-not so in this class)- not just dpt public welfare and the benefits they provide, so it's how we use our own and societies resources to improve our state of well being. We use many benefits of society.
Chocolate cake- deboroah stone - if brought in to class & thinking of welfare of class, how would we divide the cake- typically we divide in equal pieces, we had to figure out -eligibility type criteria decisions - similar to policy makers. Their values play into the decision - article from Day...should we require drug testing, should we provide benefits to single mother who refuses to name father, how much help shud we provide & to whom? social control -Abramovitz- Personal is political ie married women couldn't have birth control, often ppl making decisions aren't part of vulnerable group, their groups voices aren't taken into consideration
Social Welfare- state of well being in which all members of society use their own resources and society's resources to achieve their goals
Zero Sum Gain - some people gain at expense of others - not enuf pie to go around
Social Welfare Policy- decisions about the prg that need to be in place
Ideology-set of beliefs about how the world works- add values- set of beliefs about how the world 'should' work. remember the droopy pants law in VA
As economy, politics, social conditions change - desire to 'help' swings back and forth from we should help to it's their own fault they are poor. We socially construct how we define and view the poor
Murray-Bell Curve- best thing that we can do as society is to repeal all laws since '65 - welfare, affirmative action, legislation for equality - our interventions have done more harm than good
Advocacy (educating) vs lobbying (influence legislation)-
Conflicting Tendencies: when creating social policy you will have the following:
A. Competing Values
B. Competing Political Ideologies
C. Conflicting Economic Interests
Two Main Ideologies:
A. Conservative
1. Government should not intervene in family affairs
2. Support status quo
3. Laissez faire
B. Liberal
1. Gov should intervene in family affairs
we have an obligation to citizens to intervene in family affairs
Think about these questions:
Ida B. Wells - A Passion for Justice
Who was seen as stranger? What was view of them
Worthy, Unworthy
Social Political Economic arena (1862-1931)
Values
Heroic figure- fought for fair play, freedom of opportunity, freedom from mob rule
campaign against oppression
after civil war-marriage allowed, wells mother 'rewed' father-mulatto, white teachers from north served as example of Christian courage, father was active, @ 16 yellow fever killed parents- she acted like and got job as teacher- 2 yr later moved north-Memphis, [Dr. Duster-grandson]- she became editor of newspaper Evening Star, won then had case against railroad reversed- she then wrote articles/story published widely, IOLA - self help, social reform, advocate, Princess of Press, Free Speech newspaper, racism & power were subjects she often wrote about, police participated in mob violence against blacks,
The pen is mightier - Wells wrote against Memphis lynching of grocers, > Wells mobilized people> led to migration west- left Memphis went to OK,KS - businesses didn't have black customers and so went out of biz, she told blacks not to use the street cars, investigated the lynchings and wrote about the real truth. She was hired by New York Age.- Black women's club movement. She went to UK & helped launch London Anti-lynching committee - She roused public opinion in London, sent English papers to Memphis & they had to respond- mob rule became matter of public debate and lynchings ceased for 2 decades. Columbian Exposition- left out Blacks - she wrote pamphlets that showed truth - it embarrassed ppl, she moved to Chicago and continued writing esp on moral assault against Black women. southern preachers didn't fully support her - she organized Alpha suffrage movement-Black Women. Children led to what Susan Anthony called divided duty. Radicals & Accomodationists. Helped found NAACP but pushed out of power. She ran a settlement house in Chicago. Autobio-Crusade for Justice
What is social justice? Some people think it is socialism - means to redistribute wealth - negative perspective- remove wealth and give it away... way to equalize - don't have to take from wealthy - acknowledgement of 'other' group, funny how socialism is a pejorative that just stops debate - ppl think the term is used by ppl w/ an agenda to get something they don't deserve, social injustice- we look at all faults/reasons/bs what do we do to take responsibility for our situation, deviance literature- study why ppl use/abuse substances & why they don't use,
Does poverty have to exist?
Are prisons similar to indoor relief?
What does it take to resist like Ida B. Wells?
Who is your brother - what happened to the samaritan?
Does focus on gender separate those oppressed.
why haven't poverty levels moved up- what structures keep them that 'low'
how do some agitate and not get killed?
We all have story to share
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