Economic inequality as the basis of social dysfunctions

By Bethany J. Royer Florida Institute of Technology Social Problems SOC2 ! Professor Chine"e J. Onye#e$%e &ec. !' 2(!)

Abstract This *a*er %ill loo$ into %hat %ill be sti*ulated as a $ey factor in terms of social dysfunction in the +nited States' one element that o,er and o,er stands out as a base cause of high crime' une-ual education' *oor health' high di,orce rates and more .economic ine-uality. /hether ta$ing into consideration negati,e beha,ior and *oor academic *erformance in children li,ing in *redominantly *oor neighborhoods 01e,enthal 2 Broo$s.3unn' 2(!!4 due to *o,erty. Or issues re,ol,ing around *o,erty that includes generational longe,ity' meaning immediate families are not only affected but subse-uent generations. 5n element %hich leads to disad,antages including lesser years obtained in *rimary or secondary education and earlier *arenthood 0Scaramella' 6e**l' Ontai 2 Conger' 2((74' along %ith a correlation bet%een high crime rates and *o,erty 08hao' Feng 2 Castillo.Cha,e"' n.d.4' %ith im*lications of *o,erty ha,ing negati,e affects against health 0Sac$er' /orts 2 9c&onough' 2(!)4. Or lo% economic em*o%erment in e,entual di,orcing cou*les' 09ooney' :no; 2 Schacht' 2(!)4 im*licating a higher di,orce rate amongst *oor families. 5ll re,ol,e around the lac$ of a li,ing %age for a gro%ing number of the %or$ing class. 5 %age abo,e and beyond the federal minimum re-uirement of <=.2 0on a,erage4 that %ould raise families abo,e the *o,erty line and out of need for *o,erty.related *rograms such as S65P or Su**lemental 6utrition 5ssistance Program' formerly $no%n as the food stam* *rogram' /IC or /omen' Infant and children su**lementary food aid and >BT or >lectronic Benefits Transfer cards for food *urchases 0>"adi' 2(!!4 to name but a fe%. Programs and aid that is subsidi"ed ,ia ta;*ayers by an astounding <).7 billion a year due to such

businesses as fast.food %here em*loyers only *ro,ide em*loyees lo% %ages' little to no benefits and no ability to mobili"e u*%ard 06>1P' 2(!)4.

Economic inequality as the basis of social dysfunctions

On 5ugust 2?' 2(!)' some @( cities %ere %itness to thousands of fast.food %or$ers ta$ing to the streets %ith *rotest signs in hand. Their demand' double the federal minimum %age of <=.2 an hour to <! an hour' or %hat many %ould consider to be a li,ing %age 05brahamian' 2(!)4. This recent effort to *roduce a li,ing %age high.lights a gro%ing issue in the +nited States' the %idening ga* bet%een the rich and *oor' the em*hasis on those struggling to li,e on a minimum %age and the determination of %hether or not a career choice Asuch as fast food or retail %or$ and similar em*loymentA constitutes a higher salary. Bo%e,er' %hile the argument of %hether or not a *articular #ob #ustifies a higher or lo%er salary is the general conte;t of discussions related to a li,ing %age' oft. o,erloo$ed reasoning needs to be addressed. That being a li,ing %age abo,e and beyond the current set federal minimum %age of <=.2 an hour %ould relie,e many societal *ressures andCor social dysfunctions beginning %ith Denabling a family to li,e abo,e the *o,erty lineE 09ooney' :no;' 2 Schacht' 2(!)' *. !?24. Such social dysfunctions related to economics include ,iolence related to #ob insecurity %hether in the form of unem*loyment or insecurity related to lo% %ages. This form begins %ith automation of #obs that is boo$end by only a modest increase in management.related #obs %ith higher *ay against a large increase in minimum %age #obs 0Sch%ebel' !??=4. This has created an imbalance regarding those holding secure' %ell *aying' high0er4 *o%er and ty*ically benefit.laden #obs in com*arison to those %ho may hold *art.time' *oor *ay' little to no *o%er #obs %ith also little to no benefits a,ailable.

This e-uates to a gro%ing ga* bet%een the rich and *oor' the ha,es and the ha,e.nots' %ith a riot of *sychological re*ercussions' including ,iolence. The latter not necessarily referencing *hysical connotations but may ta$e on the form of *sychological attributes such as intergrou* conflict resulting from those in *o%er against those %ith none. >conomics *lays a $ey *art in social dysfunction in the manifest of de,elo*ment' for e;am*le' a child gro%ing u* in a *oor neighborhood is more li$ely to *resent %ith negati,e beha,ior and academic under*erformance than their better off *eers 01e,enthal 2 Broo$s.3unn' 2(!!4. 5 child in a *redominantly *oor neighborhood has less access to an assortment of *otentially *ositi,e contributing factors to their mental and *hysical %ell.being such as -uality education' access to higher -uality foods due to a lac$ of surrounding choice mar$ets' a greater *ro*ensity of crossing ,iolence due to higher crime rates. 1ater' as an adult' if the child is unable to esca*e this negati,e en,ironment' lac$ of em*loyment o*tions due to a mi; of the residential area and *oor0er4 education. In short' children li,ing in *o,erty are e;*osed to De;treme en,ironmentsE that result in negati,e social influences and outcomes into adulthood 09c1oyd' !??74. Crime rate statistics sho%s correlation %ith *o,erty' and %hile researchers may im*lement *ossible other factors such as *olice force number 0Sherman' 3ottfredson' 9ac:en"ie' >c$' Reuter' 2 Bush%ay' n.d.4' di,orce rates 09ooney et al.' 2(!)4 and education 0Taylor' 2((@4 these aloneCeach' couldCcan be attributed or correlated to *o,erty. +nfortunately' the %idening ga* bet%een the rich and the *oor in the +nited States is the result of se,eral factors including the sub#ecti,e determination of ,alue in

%or$. 5s the *re,iously mentioned fast.food %or$ers struggle to obtain a li,ing %age so too do they struggle for a sense of res*ect from society at large. 5mericans' o,er%helmingly' do not ,alue minimum %age #obs and societyGs res*onse to the demand by lo%.%age em*loyees has gone mostly un.res*onded to due to Dclass biasE. Those of high.*o%er continue and assure the *ros*erity of their *ositions through such means as discrimination' defining and setting society rules' derogatory labeling' stereoty*ing' broad assum*tions' e;clusion' and *sychological *o%er.*lays. The latter done through dehumani"ation by assessing those of lesser *o%er to be ,oid of Dsecondary emotions such as guilt' shame' embarrassment' delight' and sensiti,ityE 01ott' 2((24 among other methods including *itting those in lo%er socioeconomic states against one another. This is often done through the use of myths or assum*tions about their associated class. For e;am*le' the myths associated %ith *o,erty' the *oor and minimum %age %or$ers in the +nited States Abeyond *re,alentA are used as a method of social control' ignoring the social dysfunctional re*ercussions for the *er*etuation. One such *er,asi,e myth concludes the *oor are la"y and *refer their status in *o,erty' %ith a s%ee*ing generali"ation the ma$eu* is largely based on minority races' all of %hich is incorrect. D9ore than !(. million *eo*le in *o,erty formed the %or$ing *oor in the +.S. in 2(!( %ith a larger *ercentage of the %or$ing *oor consisting of blac$s and Bis*anics o,er %hites and 5siansE 0+.S.' 2(!24. Just as those in D*o%er are able to define %hat is criminal and %hat is notE 09ooney' et al.' 2(!)' *. !( 4 so too do they define the ,alue of %or$' the *ayment of said %or$' and those %ho may or may not recei,e aid. Those in *o%er ha,e the ability to

sha*e the societal res*onses to the *roblem of *o,erty through subtle and indirect methods. The *ossible resolution to the *roblem' at the indi,idual' legislati,e' and community le,el' may ,ery %ell reside in the raising of the federal minimum %age across the board to <! an hour' *ro,iding a li,ing %age not only to fast.food and retail em*loyees' but anyone earning less. /hile a $nee.#er$ reaction is the initial res*onse to doubling the federal minimum %age the numbers related to subsidi"ing minimum.%age *aying com*anies is astronomical. /hen ta$en into consideration' <!.2 billion a year is *ro,ided by ta;*ayers to the fast.food com*any 9c&onaldGs to aid their em*loyees ma$ing federal minimum %age. For the fast.food industry as a %hole' a total of <= billion is s*ent by ta;*ayers to aid said families in *ublic assistance 0Bousel' 2(!)4. Put into further *ers*ecti,e' retail and fast.food com*anies are the largest em*loyers in the +nited States. The largest 5merican em*loyer is /al.9art' follo%ed by H+9 Brands 0:FC' Taco Bell and Pi""a But4 and 9c&onaldGs coming in thirdI all three com*anies are lo%.%age 0Bess' 2(!)4. 5s aforementioned %ith subsidi"e %ages at 9c&onaldGs' so too at /al.9art. 5s an e;am*le' a /isconsin.based /al.9art store of a**ro;imately )(( em*loyees is estimated to cost the ta;*ayer <)'(! *er em*loyee or <?(F' F2 *er year in subsidi"ation or aid 0+.S.' 2(!)4. /hile these are but a fe% e;am*les the issue is ram*ant %ith those %anton of continuing their status -uo in their D%ealthfareE state. 5s the *o*ulace fastens their attention on the D< ? billion for traditional social %elfare *rograms and housing assistance'E they fail to loo$ to the other end of the s*ectrum' the aid that comes at a tune

of' D<?2 billion *ro,ided to cor*orationsE during the same 2((@ *eriod of research 0Buffington' 2(!24. Thus the use of e;*loiti,e means u*on those in lo% socioeconomic status %ill continue by $ee*ing them blind as to the reasons behind their *ositions and *itting them against one another 0Sch%ebel' !??=4. 5nd until such a time as the horse blinders are remo,ed' the economic structures that breed ine-uality %ill continue and the ga* bet%een the rich and *oor' the ha,es and the ha,e.nots %ill continue to %iden 0Sch%ebel' !??=4.

Conclusion 5merican *hiloso*her and *sychologist /illiam James once said' D5 chain is no stronger than its %ea$est lin$' and life after all is a chain.E So too is a community' a city or an entire country a chain of life that is only as strong as its %ea$est citi"ens. If so much as a single indi,idual is unable to *ut food on the table' ha,e a roof o,er their head' then the country at large is not near as strong as it may *rofess. 9uch of this chain is bro$en under the conte;t of ,alue' the ,alue of the %ea$est in the eyes of the strongest' those holding the most %ealth' *o%er and in turn ma$ing the rules in this country. Indi,iduals %ho li$e%ise determine societyGs ideals and reali"e this *osition or status can be *recarious in nature' thus %or$ to continue the status -uo by D#ustifying their socio*olitical systemE e,en at the detriment of others 0:ay' 3aucher' Peach' 1aurin' Friesen' 8anna 2 S*encer' 2((?4. 5s status is e,erything in %estern society' Daffecting oneGs self.esteem' self.%orth and is a *rimary moti,ating factorE 0Christie 2 Barling' 2(!(4 %ith an indi,idualGs %or$ .occu*ational title or master status. being es*ecially contributory to their *lacement in social structure. 5 *rime e;am*le of the dis*lacement of ,alue is reflected u*on fast.food and retail em*loyees %ho are o,er%helmingly denied a li,ing %age. The reasons often sti*ulated they do not deser,e a higher %age abo,e the federally mandated minimum %age as they are seen as not *roducing a necessary or ,aluable commodity %hich is often ,erbali"ed in the abusi,e e;*ression of Dburger fli**ingE 0Times' 2(!)4. 9ean%hile' the C>O on the other end of the Dburger fli**ingE s*ectrum recei,es accolades for hisCher share' all due to their holding not only a *osition of *o%er but one that is an ideal in the socio*olitical landsca*e.

Put into *ers*ecti,e' according to a recent Bloomberg re*ort' C>O *ay a,erages 2(F to ! o,er %or$ers 09ichaels' 2(!)4. /hile front.line %or$ers made minimum %age such C>Os as 9c&onaldGs &onald Thom*son %as com*ensated %ith <!).= million for the fiscal year 2(!2' Burger :ing C>O Bernardo Bees <@.F million' and /endyGs C>O >mil Brolic$ < .7 million 06>1P' 2(!)4. Or' in another conte;t' such indi,iduals as &%ight 9urray' father of one' ma$es <7 an hour at a 9c&onaldGs restaurant in Indiana*olis' ma$ing Thom*sonGs C>O salary ?F7 times greater than 9urrayGs front line %or$er *ay 0Juigley' 2(!)4. If %e say those on the front.line such as &%ight are not contributing to society in these em*loyment areas than neither are C>Os such as Thom*son or anyone else %ith any ties to the industry as a %hole but fe% seem to loo$ at it this %ay. Because those at the to* ma$e the rules' set the ,alue' create the ideal. Failing to reali"e or consciously determining to loo$ the other %ay %hen it comes to the fact that their social status creates an ine-uity in society. One that allo%s a significant *ortion 0and gro%ing4 number of indi,iduals to be left in *o,erty %hich has a direct tie and association to social dysfunctions such as ,iolence' child abuse' *oor health' lac$ of -uality education' harmful home and %or$ en,ironments' e;*loitation' racism' se;ism and *er*etuates class elitism 0Pilisu$' !??74. Bo%e,er' such gross com*ensation differences may be coming to an end as S%it"erland %ill soon ha,e before ,oters an initiati,e of fair *ay' to *ut a ca* on C>O salaries 0Pi""igati' 2(!)4. S%it"erland %ill be one to %atch' ho%e,er' until such a time as those holding *o%er and monetary resources in the +nited States reali"e that their *o%er rests u*on e;*loitation of the %ea$est lin$' and their *recarious nature rests not in continuing the

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status -uo but in e-ual means and *ro,isions for all' the gro%ing di,ide amongst the rich and *oor %ill continue and so too %ill discord and social dysfunctions that %ill ine,itably find its %ay to the elitist doorste*s' .it is only a matter of time.

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