Michael Parenti's Criticism of the Pluralist Perspective - Essay Example

MICHEAL PARENTIS CRITICISM OF THE PLURALIST PERSPECTIVE Origin of the Constitution of the United States of America According to Parenti, many people hold to the knowledge passed to them regarding the United States of America; it is the somewhat idealized United States’ version of governance. Parenti discusses this version of government in a summary as put below. The establishment of the United States of America was upon a constitution designed to clearly define the limits for political authority, as well as for checking on the possible abuses of power. Notably, the very constitution has proven functionality over generations, as a “living document”, but through amendment and reinterpretation. The registration of people’s desires is via political parties, elections, and a liberalized press. Decision-makers in the government remain in check by the requirement of satisfying the electorate, so that such decision-makers in the government remain in office. The electorate rules indirectly through the few select. Government decisions, therefore, are fully grounded rule of the majority abiding to the constitutionally imposed constraints in order to protect the rights of minorities. The United States of America imply an entity manifold economic and social groups; every group is considered significant, and with a say, there is no chronic domination by a single group over others. The then realized institutional arrangements have led to the realization of a sovereign government of laws, not of individuals. Individuals, whereas far from perfect, permit a high level of liberty, as well as popular participation. The above view concerning the U.S as a delightful, pluralistic polity takes the assumption that political institutions function with benign impact; power is not heavily skewed nor highly concentrated toward the very people with control over vast wealth; the state presents a neutral entity without any special linkage to owners of technology, land, and capital belonging to this, as well as other societies. Surely, Americans are not usually passive victims (or even willing accomplices) to all such issues. The population of ordinary Americans has accomplished significant economic and political gains, often bitter and long contests which tend to extend beyond the election process. This may be described as democratic struggle. Parenti demonstrates each integral of the nation’s politico-economic system, such as lobbying, the media, overseas intervention, criminal justice, or environmental policy, presents a reflection such as a system’s nature, and it acts to sustain the overall system, particularly the interests of the basic class. The political system integrates the varying arms of government together with the political parties, lobbyists, laws, as well as private-interest entities which affect public policy – government involving socially incurred costs which are rarely equally distributed. Budget shaping, law passage, as well as the establishment of a program of administration, consists of policy decisions, and all are political decisions; there is no approach of executing such decisions with neutral effect. In an analogy, if all wants of every person were automatically satisfied, setting of priorities would be of no necessity; no one would bother prioritizing certain interests in precedence of other interests. Ideally, politics would be of no need. Politics goes beyond campaigns for elections, as well as the government actions. Decisions which act to confine certain matters - including rental costs and health care – within the private market, tend to be highly political, although rarely organized to portray political essence. In the private realm, power is generally undemocratic and inequitable, and it usually acts as the origin of conflicts which spill over affecting the public arena. Such elements of the public arena witnessed include management-labour conflicts, and gender, as well as racial discrimination. The Influence of the Economic System The nowadays politics covers a variety of issues, raging from social matters to economics. The political aspect of the economy is referred to as the “politico-economic system.” The government assumes the vital functions of taxation and spending, amongst other functions. The federal government’s organization indicates a close concern with the economy: therefore, one can find such departments concerned with Commerce, Agriculture, Labour, Transportation, and Treasury amongst others. The so realized close interaction of economics and politics is neither merely coincidental nor neutral. Governments evolve via history, so as to guard wealth and property accumulations. In hunting and nomadic societies, with little wealth surplus governance tends to be rudimentary and often communal. Regarding the societies where property and wealth are left under the control of a select-few, a state tends to develop to guard the haves’ interests – from the have-nots. John Lock, in 1689, is quoted to have said that the great, as well as the chief end…into men’s act of uniting into Commonwealths, putting the government and themselves is ultimately the property preservation. Another contributor, Adam Smith, in 1776, said that the civic government’s necessity develops along with the acquisition of the so considered valuable property in the society. And it is until a property is realized, then the government cannot be said to be in-existence, with the very end of securing the wealth of the rich, as well as defending the rich from the disruption of the poor. Surprisingly, many political scientists tend to ignore the prevailing government-wealth relationship, addressing the corporate giants as though they were integrals of the existing interest groups. Such political scientists label corporate giants as “Marxist”; perceiving a dignified approach that perceives the government as extensively an instrument to guard the interest of the available wealth. Incidentally, as Karl Marx perceived the state to be emulating the very defined instrument, other conservative theorists including John Locke, Adam Smith and Thomas Hobbes had the same perception as Marx’s. Corporate Plutocracy In America, capitalism extends beyond economic system; it is better referred to as a plutocracy, implying a system of social order, reigned mostly by and for the rich. Alongside banks and business enterprises, the cultural institutions of a nation; publishing houses, mass-circulation, magazines, universities, radio stations and televisions, foundations, amongst many judgment regarding institutional matters. Almost every institution is run by trustees, or regents; the Board of Directors, who are also non-elected corporate representatives. In a society characterized by capitalism, mass advertising sells both specific products and certain way of life; which is a form of acquisitive glorification of a consumer. The capitalist culture, realized from a market economy, plays down cooperative efforts as well as human interdependence. Although the expectation upon people is to function individually, ultimate goals tend to be similar. People compete against each other, but in order to realize a common end. The term “Individualism” is featured in a capitalistic society, referring to the careerism and acquisitiveness. “Individualism” allowed certain persons to gain much control over other people’s lives. The decisions such as the quality of food, goods to purchase, breathing air, the prices of commodities, value of the wages earned, the manner of labour division, modes of the available transportation, images cast by the media, all produced by some people, in order for others to consume – not for the latter producing for their own consumption. Examples of Cooperate rule and ruins: i) Wal-Mart: the company is ranked the largest global retailer, yet it is renowned by its exploitative behaviours – international sweatshop labour, discriminating against women, regarding payments and promotions, and paying of subsistence wages. ii) ExxonMobil: For long, the organization has been one of the worst Big Oil’s polluter. Additionally, the organization has supported the renowned “junk science” of ring leader groups which protested in an effort of denying their contribution on the phenomenon of global warming. ExxoMobil reported one of the humongous annual income in the history of the United States of America; stating a mark of $45 billion, in 2008. The Human Costs of Economic Injustice In the United States, approximately thirteen million children dwell in poverty, registering the highest rate of children living under the poverty, amongst the twenty highly industrialized countries. Such children suffer from low birth weight; die while infants are plagued with critical ailments, mostly ailments allocated with malnutrition. A report dated 2007, by UNICEF indicated that the United States of America is the worst place for a child to live, while compared within a group of twenty one nations of its caliber. The Function of the State During the Globalization Era. Government is one of the many agents of political socialization. Frequently, in the U.S, the president and/or several other officials address varying audience, reassuring them regarding the economy, or prevailing alarming assertions from threatening enemies from within or abroad. They also assist in the government’s effort of political self-perpetuating the economy, or prevailing alarming assertions from threatening enemies from within or abroad. They also assist the government’s effort of political indoctrination through the media. Most committees constituted in Congress may, therefore, be distinguished on the basis of economic roles, vitally the taxation and spending of government funds. Economics and policies form the two sides of a coin. Economics concerns production of scarce resources and distribution, integrating conflicts which exist among individuals and groups, as well as between social classes. Such a struggle becomes the input of much of the ingredients of politics. Both economics and politics concern the material and survival well-being of citizens; address the basic conditions (features) of social life. Michael Parenti, in his work Democracy for the Few, discusses that the U.S government often attends the privilege of the few instead of serving the general public. This phenomenon, therefore, principally expound the haves’ interests, at the rest’s expense. The manner, in which the law is documented and enforced, reveals a lot of discrimination. The featured “democracy for the few,” as stated by Parenti, is a resultant of the venality exercised by specific officeholders, and a picture of the wholesome politico-socio system; the manner in which the power resources are utilized and distributed. Work Cited Parenti, Michael. Democracy for the Few. Boston: 20Channel Center Street. 9th ed. Print. Read More