Marxism and Social Classes

1. The function of a social class structure is to give people power. Rich higher classed people have more power than lower class people. Higher classes tend to control the lower classes, however the lower classes are the reason the upper class has their wealth. So in this theory each of the classes can keep each other in check. 2. The conflicts that arise are that the wealthy upper class always want more and more from the lower classes and the lower classes want to give less and keep more. Hence the quote "The rich get richer while the poor get poorer". This creates a lot of tension between the classes the Rich want more making the poor turn on them. 3. We associate Kings and Queens with the upper classes. We associate the middle like the American dream of a family with a little house and a white picket fence. We associate the lower class with peasants and homeless people. 4. The only change I wouldn't change the class structure but I would force the upper classes to have to invest more money into charities and the economy than they do and raise taxes to a much higher rate for only the upper class. 1. Ascribed class is when someone is born into their wealth and they don't make themselves they have it given to them. Achieved is when someone "makes their own luck." They fight their way to the top often times moving up through the classes.

Requim for a Dream

This was an awesome movie. In the beginning of this movie it was like I had expected. A deadbeat kid in trouble and scaring his mother. His junkie girlfriend and his thug best friend. They really showed the struggles that people with a drug problem and their families go through. After a while the Junkies get smart and decide they are going to by a large amount of heroin and sell it. This was a good idea for them they began making a lot of money. The problem was that they still used the drugs and they stayed as junkies. I thought the movie represented how quickly someone can make money by selling drugs. I honestly thought they were going to become very successful with their drug business and clothing store. Then a drug war hit, that sent their lives spiraling down. Nobody in the city had drugs. Junkies started going crazy and doing anything for money. Finally when a large shipment came in they thought they were going to score I however expected they wouldn't. I was right some junkie to desperate for the drugs messed up their operation. The next thing that happened I had also expected, The girlfriend started prostituting herself for drugs. The boys heard there were drugs in Florida so they decided make a trip. They didn't even make Florida. The stupid junkie kept injecting his infected arm making it worse and worse. He is the reason that they got arrested and wind up in prison and dying in a hospital. His girlfriend continues to have to prostitute herself for money. All of this was stuff that I honestly did not see coming. It all surprised me and made it really interesting. The part I didn't like was the involvement of the mother. I knew she was going to go crazy the second the doctor prescribed her those little uppers. I honestly thought that it was a side story that just made the movie weird. Over all I thought the movie was a good way to scare young kids away from drugs. That stupid infomercial was amazingly annoying.

Heroin

Drugs are sadly a hug part of this world. I believe though with proper tasking the war on drugs could be won. It would take many hard decisions and close to Marshall law. First the opium fields would need to be carpet bombed and all at once. Next every import and export needs to be checked. Considering that those to things can be done maybe not to completion but to close completion there is one more step. Addicts, dealers, and sellers need to be harshly punished. Our laws are far to soft on junkies and dealers, they aren't afraid of a little jail time. The punishment in Singapore for drugs is that a policeman get to beat you severely with a stick until he feels you have learned your lesson. I for one would promote this punishment in the U.S. people are going to want to stay away from it. It is a simple scare tactic nobodies going to willing subject themselves to something that could get them beaten within an inch of their life. I do however like the programs that are doing needle exchanges and supplying narcan. These programs should be governmentally  funded. I think by giving clean needles, providing a cheap antidote, and being much harsher with the punishment the war on drugs can take a massive turn for the better, because lets face it we are losing.

TRASH

Wow. this article was very humbling. It makes me very happy to live in a community were heroine is not an epidemic. In fact we have never really had a drug problem around here. These cities were hit by heroine like it was a plague. I don't know what could cause people to think it socially acceptable. A young man died. Many young people died and are still dying because of the terrible effect drugs have on people. These cities should have a sort of marshall law imposed on them to stop an epidemic like this from happening. There were many good people who tried to help, that is true. There were also many who just let it happen or encouraged it. We need not fear evil, what we must fear is the indifference of good men.

xbox and lead and crime!?

I have always had a similar thought as this article did. It actually makes sense how videogames reduce crime rate. If someone can sit at home playing a videogame where they get to kill people that would more than likely reduce the angry thought that everyone gets. If a teen is sitting at home with his buddies playing video games then he isn't out on the streets tearing up the town and throwing trash on teachers streets. As for the housing question, it is a tricky situation. If you bring public housing to people who need it your doing a good thing and you will probably prevent some from committing crime. But it is also giving a place for drug dealers to house themselves and for criminals to move in. The whole lead thing I have to throw a huge BS flag on. I mean really these people think crime is reduced because there is less lead. what about all those people who lived through the 50's they were practically drowning in lead and they were just fine. I think that the reduction of lead does have a positive effect on humans but I do not think it can be directly related to a decrease in crime.