SOC 101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 23: Free Rider Problem, Social Stratification, Meritocracy
Document Summary
The idea that everyone has an equal chance to achieve wealth, social prestige, and power because the rules of the game are the same for everyone. The game monopoly, everyone started off equal and the rules apply to all. Just like society, inequality is fair as long as everyone plays by the rules. Bourgeois society a society of commerce (modern capitalist society) in which the maximization of profit is the primary business incentive. Rallying cry for equality of opportunity resonates with overall capitalist ideology. Ex: want best heart surgeon, not just the rich one. The idea that everyone should have an equal starting point. Sat scores of one group vs. a more advantageous group looked at differently. Social engineering based on race, class, gender, or other social sorting category as long as it"s proven the playing field is tilted. A position that argues each player must end up with the same amount regardless of the fairness of the game .
