Social Welfare Policy AnalysisSocial Welfare Policy Analysis

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SSW GRAD STUDENT TERMINATION

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NOTA BENE (TAKE HEED!)NOTA BENE (TAKE HEED!)

SLIDES 2-23 CONTAIN INTRODUCTORY MATERIALS.SLIDES 2-23 CONTAIN INTRODUCTORY MATERIALS.

MODULE I BEGINS WITH SLIDE 24.MODULE I BEGINS WITH SLIDE 24.

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THIS PROJECT HAS BEEN WRITTEN AND THIS PROJECT HAS BEEN WRITTEN AND PRODUCED BY DAVID H. KATZ, PH.D., MSU PRODUCED BY DAVID H. KATZ, PH.D., MSU SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK. SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK.

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SEMESTER OVERVIEW (1): MODULE TOPICSMODULE I: CRITICAL THINKINGMODULE I: CRITICAL THINKING

((3 CLASS SESSIONS)

PURPOSE

To familiarize you with opposing perspectives on social reality and social welfare policy (swp) so as to ensure that you have the conceptual overview needed to analyze specific issues.

MODULE II: SOCIAL WELFARE POLICY (SWP) MODULE II: SOCIAL WELFARE POLICY (SWP)

((2 CLASS SESSIONS)

PURPOSE

Introduction to swp origins, types, and trends, as well as the role of politics in the

policy making process. MODULE III: THE WELFARE STATE (WS)MODULE III: THE WELFARE STATE (WS)

((2 CLASS SESSIONS)

PURPOSE

Emphasis on types of WSs and the impact of globalization. Special attention to

“American exceptionalism” as a key to understanding the US WS.

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SEMESTER OVERVIEW (2): MODULE TOPICS

MODULE IV: POVERTY/INEQUALITYMODULE IV: POVERTY/INEQUALITY

(2(2 CLASS SESSIONS)

PURPOSE

Poverty and inequality are the “bottom line” issues for social workers because they are the everyday realities confronted by the profession’s traditional clientele. This module explains the origins and dimensions of these phenomena and relates both to the overall direction of the American political economy.

MODULE V: HEALTHMODULE V: HEALTH((3 CLASS SESSIONS)

PURPOSE

As individuals, professionals, and citizens, social workers have a special interest in health care policy, especially now that managed care has transformed their own role as practitioners.

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SEMESTER OVERVIEW (3): MODULE SCHEDULESEMESTER OVERVIEW (3): MODULE SCHEDULEINTRODUCTION - 5/15

MODULE 1 - CRITICAL THINKNG 5/16 – 22 - 23READINGS::MAINSTREAM:• LIBERALISM – PART II, 8-10• CONSERVATISM – PART VI, 25; PART II, 11RADICAL (called “institutional/critical”) PART IV, 24; PART IV, 26 (393-4/397-99 (TOP)/402-406

MODULE II - MODULE II - SOCIAL WELFARE POLICY - 5/30 – 6/5READINGS: PART I, 1, 4

MODULE III – THE WELFARE STATE 6/6 – 12READINGS: PART I, 2-3; PART VIN-CLASS MID-SEMESTER QUIZ6/6

MODULE IV POVERTY/INEQUALITY6/13 – 19READINGS:PART III 13, 16, 20, 21, 23

MODULE V – HEALTH: PHYSICAL & MENTAL/YOUNG & OLD/PAST & FUTUREREADINGS: PART III, 15, 16, 18.

6/20 – 26 – 27

PAPER + TAKE HOME FINAL DUE 6/27

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SEMESTER OVERVIEW (4): THE CUMULATIVE ANGLE

SPECIFIC SWPSDETAILED SURVEY OF SOME MAJOR U.S. SWPS.

MODULES IV/V

THE WELFARE STATE (WS)THE TOTALITY OF ALL SWPS AND THEIR RELATED INSTITUTIONAL

CONTEXTS WITHIN A GIVEN NATIONAL ENVIRONMENT.MODULE III

SOCIAL WELFARE POLICY (SWP)INTRODUCTION TO THE CONCEPT AND RELATED ISSUES:

TYPES AND POLITICS OF SWP OF SWPMODULE II

CRITICAL THINKNGPROVIDES THE ANALYTICAL FOUNDATION AND FRAMEWORK

FOR ALL SPECIFIC TOPICS ADDRESSED IN THIS COURSE MODULE i

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SEMESTER OVERVIEW (5): KEY CONCEPTUAL DIMENSIONS OF THIS COURSE

1. Theoretical• The functions of swps within the overall “host” society. Key question: Are

swps mere palliatives or are they evidence that sustained social progress is possible in a competitive, individualistically – oriented market economy?

22. . PoliticalPolitical• Who are the political motives and forces supporting or opposing progressive

swps? What are their motives? Why are particular policies enacted? Who benefits and who loses? Key question: Which political direction---liberal, conservative, or ?----are future policies most likely to take?

3. Institutional3. Institutional• What are the institutional contexts and mechanics within which policy is

made. That is, what are the actual procedures of policy making and how does this process affect actual policy outcomes? Key question:: What have been the major institutional changes of recent years and how have these impacted swp legislation?

4. Applied4. Applied• Seeks to understand policy specifics for practical administrative reasons and

to assess the ground level impact such specifics have on client populations. Key question: What are the actual contents of specific swps & what problems are encountered by those seeking to apply them in the field?

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SEMESTER OVERVIEW (6): MID-SEMESTER QUIZ

Purpose

The 40 minute in-class mid-semester quiz (to be completed in bluebooks) will account for 20% of your final grade. Its main purpose is to help acclimate you to the standards expected in this course. Most of you should have no problem meeting those standards, but for those who do, the quiz will alert you to the need to upgrade on the final exam and semester paper.

YOU WILL CHOOSE 1 OF THE 2 FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:

1. Discuss why politics is so important in understanding social welfare policy and why one variety of politics---the conservative one---has been so dominant in shaping policy in recent years.

2. The welfare state is being rapidly transformed both here and abroad. What are the main factors accounting for this change. Also discuss the likely direction the welfare state during the first quarter of the 21st century?

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SEMESTER OVERVIEW (7): FINAL EXAM AND FINAL PAPER CHOOSE 1 OF THE FOLLOWING 3 QUESTIONS FOR YOUR FINAL EXAM AND 1 FOR THE PAPER. EACH WILL BE WORTH 40% YOUR FINAL GRADE UNLESS YOU DECIDE TO SUBMIT ONLY ONE, WHICH WILL THEN BE WORTH 80% OF YOUR FINAL GRADE.

1.Apply either a mainstream or radical perspective to one of the issues addressed in this course. (You can also choose an issue not covered in class, if you so desire.) Explain why you think the approach chosen does a better job than the alternatives in analyzing the selected issue. 2. What exactly is “American exceptionalism” and how has it influenced U.S. social welfare policies?

3. Discuss in documented detail how the contents of this class have affected your thinking as a future social worker.

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FINAL EXAM AND FINAL PAPER: SPECIFICATIONS FINAL EXAM AND FINAL PAPER: SPECIFICATIONS

1.Both the exam and paper will be completed at home.

2. Each should be 2x spaced, typed, and stapled or other- wise securely fastened.

3. The paper should be no more than 10 pages in length; the exam, no more than 8 pages.

4. You may elect to submit only one of these assignments, but if you do, its results will constitute 80% of your grade.

5. You cannot use the same question for both.

6. Please do not ask me to discuss hypothetical answers to the exam or paper.

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WHAT DOES THIS GUY WANT FROM ME?

ANSWER• RELAX – I’M YOUR TEACHER, NOT YOUR PERSECUTOR ABOVE ALL, I WANT YOU TO THINK ABOUT WHAT IT IS

YOU ARE LEARNING. INDEED, IF YOU DO NOT THINK YOU ARE NOT LEARNING, AND IF YOU ARE NOT LEARNING, YOU ARE WASTING BOTH YOUR TIME AND MINE.

LOGICALLY AND COHERENTLY COMMUNICATE WHAT YOU THINK ON THE EXAMS/PAPER.

CONVINCE ME THAT YOU HAVE REALLY THOUGHT ABOUT THE DIFFICULT ISSUES IN THIS CLASS.

ANY QUESTIONS?

OTHER PRELIMINARYMATTERS

(SLIDES 16-22 CAN BE SKIMMED)

THIS VERSION OF SOCIAL WORK 821 IS IN STRICT CONFORMITY WITH THE:

CSWE GUIDELINES ON SOCIAL WELFARE POLICY EDUCATION

NASW CODE OF ETHICS

MSU GUIDING PRINCIPLES

CSWE GUIDELINESM6.10 SOCIAL WELFARE POLICY/SERVICES

THE FOUNDATION SOCIAL WELFARE POLICY AND SERVICES CONTENT MUST INCLUDE THE HISTORY, MISSION, AND PHILOSOPHY OF THE SOCIAL WORK PROFESSION. CONTENT MUST BE PRESENTED ABOUT THE HISTORY AND CURRENT PATTERNS OF PROVISION OF SOCIAL WELFARE SERVICES, THE ROLE OF SOCIAL POLICY IN HELPING OR DETERRING PEOPLE IN THE MAINTENANCE OR ATTAINMENT OF OPTIMAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING, AND THE EFFECT OF POLICY ON SOCIAL WELFARE PRACTICE. STUDENTS MUST BE TAUGHT TO ANALYZE CURRENT SOCIAL POLICY WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF HISTORICAL AND CONTEMPORARY FACTORS THAT SHAPE POLICY. CONTENTS MUST BE PRESENTED ABOUT THE POLITICAL AND ORGANIZATIONAL PROCESSES USED TO INFLUENCE POLICY, THE PROCESS OF POLICY FORMULATION, AND THE FRAMEWORKS FOR ANALYZING SOCIAL PROCESSES IN LIGHT OF THE PRINCIPLES OF SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC JUSTICE.

CSWE GUIDELINESM6.7 PROMOTION OF SOCIAL/ECO. JUSTICE

PROGRAMS OF SOCIAL WORK EDUCATION MUST PROVIDE AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE DYNAMICS AND CONSEQUENCES OF SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC INJUSTICE, INCLUDING ALL FORMS OF HUMAN OPPRESSION AND DISCRIMINATION. THEY MUST PROVIDE STUDENTS WITH THE SKILLS TO PROMOTE SOCIAL CHANGE AND TO IMPLEMENT A WIDE VARIETY OF INTERVENTIONS THAT FURTHER THE ACHIEVEMENT OF INDIVIDUAL AND COLLECTIVE SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC JUSTICE. THEORETICAL AND PRACTICE CONTENT MUST BE PROVIDED ABOUT STRATEGIES OF INTERVENTION FOR ACHIEVING SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC JUSTICE AND OR COMBATING THE CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF INSTITUTIONALIZED FORMS OF OPPRESSION.

NASW CODE OF ETHICS

SOCIAL WORKERS PRIMARY GOAL IS TO HELP PEOPLE IN NEED AND TO

ADDRESS SOCIAL PROBLEMS.

SOCIAL WORKERS CHALLENGE SOCIAL INJUSTICE

MSU GUIDING PRINCIPLES

PEOPLE MATTER

ACTIVE LEARNING ACROSS THE MISSION

IN HOCSIGNO

VINCES

RECIPIENT

SPECIAL MENSCHEN AWARDAMERICAN ACADEMY

OF POWERPOINTPROJECTIONISTS

AD ASTRA

ET PROJECT

AD ASTRA

ET PROJECT

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MODULE ICRITICAL THINKING

READINGS (IN ORDER):

PARTS II, 8 – 10; VI, 25; II;PART II, 11;

IV 24, 26 (393-4/397-99/402-406)

25JANE ADDAMS MEMORIAL by MITCHELL SIPORINJANE ADDAMS MEMORIAL by MITCHELL SIPORIN

ILLINOIS FEDERAL ARTS PROJECT, WORKS PROJECT ADMINISTRATIONS (WPA), 1936ILLINOIS FEDERAL ARTS PROJECT, WORKS PROJECT ADMINISTRATIONS (WPA), 1936

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WHY START A COURSE ON SOCIAL WELFARE WHY START A COURSE ON SOCIAL WELFARE POLICY (SWP) WITH AN “ART” SLIDEPOLICY (SWP) WITH AN “ART” SLIDE??

BECAUSE…• IT’S BEAUTIFUL, AND BEAUTY IS ITS OWN JUSTIFICATION.

• JANE ADDAMS IS THE GREATEST HERO IN THE HISTORY OF SOCIAL WORK, AND, LIKE OTHER PEOPLE, SOCIAL WORKERS NEED HEROES TO INSPIRE THEM.

• THE MURAL PROVES THAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ONCE SPENT MONEY ON BEAUTIFUL THINGS THAT DENOUNCED THE UGLY THINGS: WAR, SEXISM, RACISM, AND CLASS OPPRESSION.

• IN POLITICAL ALLIANCE WITH OTHERS, SOCIAL WORKERS NEED TO REDOUBLE THE FIGHT AGAINST THOSE UGLY THINGS.

• LEARNING ABOUT SOCIAL WELFARE POLICY CAN HELP TO PREPARE YOU TO PARTICIPATE IN THAT STRUGGLE.

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WHY MODULE I IS IMPORTANT (1)WHY MODULE I IS IMPORTANT (1)• VIRTUALLY ALL SOCIAL SCIENCE/SOCIAL POLICY

RESEARCH IS STEEPED IN, BUT NOT NECESSARILY LABELED AS, EITHER MAINSTREAM OR RADICAL THINKING. THAT IS, SOCIAL WORK AND, MORE GENERALLY, SOCIAL SCIENCE ARE INHERENTLY POLITICAL IN NATURE, INSOFAR AS THEY INVOLVE POWER RELATIONSHIPS, AS INDEED DOES ALL OF HUMAN LIFE.

• IT IS THEREFORE ESSENTIAL THAT YOU LEARN TO IDENTIFY AND ASSESS THESE DIVERGENT APPROACHES AND DECIDE WHICH OFFERS BETTER INSIGHTS INTO THE COMPLEX POLICY ISSUES DEALT WITH IN THIS CLASS. IN OTHER WORDS, YOU MUST LEARN TO THINK CRITICALLY!

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WHY MODULE I IS IMPORTANT (2)WHY MODULE I IS IMPORTANT (2)ANOTHER WAY OF STATING THIS SAME POINT IS TO SAY THAT….

IF CRITICAL THINKING IS A KEY TO UNDERSTANDING SOCIAL WELFARE POLICY, THEN UNDERSTANDING THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MAINSTREAM &

RADICAL THINKING IS THE KEY TO CRITICAL THINKING.

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ARE YOU A MAINSTREAM OR OR A ARE YOU A MAINSTREAM OR OR A RADICAL THINKER?RADICAL THINKER?

LET’S SEE WHICH OF THESEAPPROACHES BEST REFLECTSTHE WAY YOU LOOK AT THE

WORLD!

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THE U.S. POLITICAL SPECTRUM

U.S. VIEW OF THE POLITICAL SPECTRUM

LEFT RIGHT LIBERAL CONSERVATIVE

(New Deal/Great Society) (Reagan/Bush)

THE POLITICAL SPECTRUM VIEWED FROM ABROAD RADICAL MAINSTREAM RIGHT

LEFT MARXIST SOCIAL DEMOCRATIC LIBERAL CONSERVATIVE MONARHCHIST FASCIST

(CRITICAL) * (INSTITUTIONAL)*

THAT IS, VIEWED FROM OUTSIDE THE U.S., AMERICAN POLITICAL DIVISIONS SEEM VERY NARROW: RATHER THAN BEING DIAMETRICAL OPPOSITES, AS AMERICANS GENERALLY BELIEVE, LIBERALISM AND CONSERVATISM ARE SEEN AS NOT THAT DIFFERENT FROM ONE ANOTHER---IN OTHER WORDS, AS BEING TWO FACETS OF THE SAME MAINSTREAM. THE MEANING OF THESE DISTINCTIONS WILL BECOME CLEARER AS WE LOOK AT THESE CONCEPTS MORE CLOSELY. *ALTERNATE TERMS USED IN THE ASSIGNED TEXT CHAPTERS.

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WHAT LIBERALS AND CONSERVATIVES SHAREWHAT LIBERALS AND CONSERVATIVES SHARE

LIBERALISMLIBERALISM CONSERVATISMCONSERVATISM

AMERICAN POLITICALAMERICAN POLITICALMAINSTREAMMAINSTREAM

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MAINSTREAM U.S. POLITICAL THINKING: A SUMMARY (1))

• LIBERALS AND CONSERVATIVES BOTH BELIEVE THAT IDEAS ULTIMATELY DETERMINE SOCIAL REALITY. THUS, OUR ECONOMIC & POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS WERE INSPIRED BY AND CREATED TO PRACTICE, PROMOTE, & DEFEND THE IDEAS OF DEMOCRACY, FREE ENTERPRISE, & EQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY.

• WHILE OUR IDEAS AND VALUES REFLECT OUR NATIONAL EXPERIENCE, AND FUEL OUR PERSONAL ASPIRATIONS, THEIR VALUE IS REALLY UNIVERSAL. WE AND OTHER PEOPLES CHERISH THEM BECAUSE THEY “WORK.”

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MAINSTREAM: A SUMMARY (2)• POPULAR ACCEPTANCE OF POWERFUL

IDEAS/VALUES, LIKE THOSE JUST CITED, CONSTITUTES SOCIAL PROGRESS. SUCH IDEAS ALWAYS EXIST IN THE ABSTRACT, BUT THEIR ONGOING INCORPORATION INTO “REAL LIFE” DEMONSTRATES THAT HUMANKIND IS INDEED EVOLVING TOWARDS A HIGHER LEVEL.

• THE U.S. HAS BEEN THE WORLD’S MORAL AND POLITICAL LEADER BECAUSE ITS IDEAS AND VALUES HAVE REPEATEDLY PROVEN TO BE THE CORRECT ONES---THEY HAVE BEEN MORE EFFECTIVE IN PROMOTING HUMAN BETTERMENT THAN ANY IN HISTORY.

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MAINSTREAM: A SUMMARY (3)

On the other hand, LEAD TO …

UNDEMOCRATIC AND ROTTEN RESULTS

UNDEMOCRATIC POLITICAL IDEAS

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THE MAINSTREAM CONCEPTIONS OF POLITICS:THE MAINSTREAM CONCEPTIONS OF POLITICS: A NATIONAL DIALOGUE IN IDEAS

• Political campaigning is ostensibly about ideas: candidates are supposed to present their ideas so that we voters can decide who is better prepared to lead the country.

• That politics has descended into mere “personality contests” is thus widely deplored, precisely because it deprives voters of rational choices among competing ideas.

• A further specifically American presumption is that liberalism and conservatism are the only appropriate idea frameworks (“ideologies”) for policy proposals. (Elsewhere, as noted in slide 30, the ideological spectrum tends to be wider.)

• Both ideologies are thus squarely within the mainstream by world standards, and both share key assumptions about social and political reality.

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MAINSTREAM POLITICAL IDEAS:MAINSTREAM POLITICAL IDEAS: LIBERALISM AND CONSERVATISM LIBERALISM AND CONSERVATISM

THE POLITICAL SUBSETS OF AMERICAN MAINSTREAMISMWHILE LIBERALISM AND CONSERVATISM ACCEPT THE SAME BASIC

GENERAL ORIENTATION, THEY DO DIFFER ON THE FOLLOWING SPECIFICS:

•LIBERALISM LIBERALISM

• EXPANDED SOCIAL WELFARE POLICIES• GREATER EQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY

• ENHANCED GOVERNMENT REGULATION, AS NECESSARY FOR SOCIETY AS A WHOLE

• REDUCED CORPORATE INFLUENCE VIA CAMPAIGN LAW CHANGES AND OTHER REFORMS

• PROGRESSIVE TAXATION• STRONG ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONSIM

CONSERVATISMCONSERVATISM

•MAXIMUM FEASIBLE SWP PRIVATIZATION•SOCIAL MOBILITY VIA INDIVIDUAL EFFORT•REDUCED GOVERNMENT REGULATION IN

FAVOR OF MARKET MECHANISMS•PROMOTION OF CORPORATE PROFITS AND

•MINIMAL CHANGES IN CAMPAIGN LAWS•“FLATTER” TAXES

•WEAKER ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONS

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CONSERVATISMCONSERVATISM• CONSERVATIVES BELIEVE THAT

ADOPTION OF THEIR IDEAS RESULT IN MORE EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE GOVERNMENT.

• THEY ARE CONVINCED THAT GOVERNMENT ECO INTERVENTION SHOULD BE MINIMIZED, SO THAT EACH INDIVIDUAL HAS BOTH THE DISCRETION AND OBLIGATION TO PARTICIPATE IN OUR FREE MARKET SYSTEM.

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LIBERALISMLIBERALISM• LIBERALS (SOMETIMES CALLED

“PROGRESSIVES,” A CATEGORY THAT INCLUDES MOST SOCIAL WORKERS) ARE LIKEWISE CONVINCED IN THE MORAL AND LOGICAL SUPERIORITY OF THEIR IDEAS.

• THEY CONTEND THAT GOVERNMENT SHOULD PURSUE EQUAL INDIVIDUAL OPPORTUNITY AND SOMEWHAT GREATER EQUALITY OF OUTCOME; IN OTHER WORDS, THAT GOVERNMENT SHOULD HELP TO MAXIMIZE SOCIAL MOBILITY, WHILE LIMITING THE GAP BETWEEN RICH & POOR. “CHALLENGING INJUSTICE,” AS ADVOCATED BY THE NASW CODE, IS THUS A TYPICAL EXPRESSION OF THE LIBERAL CREDO.

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LIBERALISM VERSUS CONSERVATISM: SPECIFIC ISSUES

LET’S LOOK AT SOME SPECIFIC ISSUES IN ORDER TO ILLUSTRATE THE COMMON MAINSTREAM WAY OF INTERPRETING SOCIAL REALITY. FOR EXAMPLE…

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A MAINSTREAM VIEW OF SOCIAL WORKA MAINSTREAM VIEW OF SOCIAL WORK

SOCIAL WORK IS ABOUT

1. HELPING TO EMPOWER INDIVIDUAL PEOPLE SO THAT THEY HAVE GREATERCONTROL OVER THEIR LIVES.

2. PROVIDING THERAPY TO THOSE INDIVIDUALS IN NEED OF SUCH

SERVICES.

3. SUPPORTING PASSAGE OF PROGRESSIVE SWPS IN ORDER TO PROMOTE DIVERSITY, SOCIAL JUSTICE AND

EQUALITY.

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A MAINSTREAM EXAMPLE: INDIVIDUALISM (1)A MAINSTREAM EXAMPLE: INDIVIDUALISM (1)

The following illustration shows how one key mainstream value, individualism, helps to shape our institutions. From a mainstream perspective, our whole lives are quite appropriately based on the individualist “ethos,” whereby each person (“individual”) is responsible for his/her fate. Those who fail accordingly do so because they lack the “right stuff.” This belief necessarily obstructs sympathy for the poor, whom many (a majority of?) affluent Americans conclude have the “wrong stuff” as individuals. Hence their poverty is perceived as merited.

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MAINSTREAM THINKING AND INDIVIDUALISM (2)MAINSTREAM THINKING AND INDIVIDUALISM (2)

ALL OUR INSTITUTIONS ARE

BASED ON THISBELIEF IN

INDIVIDUALISMTHAT THE

INDIVIDUAL IS THE THE FUNDAMENTALUNIT OF SOCIETY IS

THE PIVOTAL IDEA IN AMERICAN

SOCIETY

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ANOTHER EXAMPLE: RACISM (1)ANOTHER EXAMPLE: RACISM (1)

Here again, the outlook should be familiar, not least because most Americans essentially share the same mainstream view on this sensitive subject.

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MAINSTREAM INTERPRETATION OF RACISM (2)MAINSTREAM INTERPRETATION OF RACISM (2)

Racism is basically an expression of people’s ignorance; an egregious example of what happens when they have the wrong ideas about social reality. To cure it we need to educate the ignorant, so that they understand that people of color are no different in any essential respect from the white majority. Once this truth is absorbed, then Americans of all colors can stop hating and start cooperating. In the meantime, the government needs to pass appropriate laws banning discrimination. Social workers can do their part by promoting diversity and doing more to recruit people of color into the profession

45

SOUND FAMILIAR?SOUND FAMILIAR?

• IF MAINSTREAM VIEWS, AS PRESENTED THUS FAR, SOUND FAMILIAR, THAT’S BECAUSE THEY ARE INDEED…

MAINSTREAM!• THAT IS, MOST AMERICANS

MOST OF THE TIME THINK IN MAINSTREAM WAYS---SO MUCH SO THAT IT NEVER OCCURS TO MOST OF THEM THAT THERE ARE INDEED OTHER WAYS OF UNDERSTANDING REALITY.

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RADICALISM (1)RADICALISM (1)

ALTHOUGH OFTEN SUBTLE AND COMPLEX, THE RADICAL VIEW OF

REALITY WAS ESSENTIALLY SUMMARIZED BY KARL MARX, ITS

LEADING EXPONENT, AS FOLLOWS:

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THE RADICAL VIEW OF REALITY (2)THE RADICAL VIEW OF REALITY (2)

Famous

philosopher

“THE IDEAS OF THE RULING CLASS ARE IN EVERY EPOCHTHE RULING IDEAS, I.E., THE CLASS WHICH IS THE RULING MATERIAL FORCE IN SOCIETY IS AT THE SAME TIME ITS RULING INTELLECTUAL FORCE. THE CLASS WHICH HAS AT ITS DISPOSAL THE MATERIAL MEANS OF PRODUCTION, HAS CONTROL AT THE SAME TIME OVER THE MEANS OF MENTAL PRODUCTION, SO THAT THEREBY, GENERALLY SPEAKING, THOSE WHO LACK THE MEANS OF MENTAL PRODUCTION ARE SUBJECT TO IT.”

KARL MARX, THE GERMAN IDEOLOGY

48

RADICALISM (3)RADICALISM (3)

TRANSLATED AT A RELATIVELY CRUDE LEVEL, MARX WAS SAYING SOMETHING SIMILAR TO THE OBSERVATION ATTRIBUTED TO, A.J. LIEBLING, AN OLD-STYLE NEW YORK NEWSPAPERMAN:

“FREEDOM OF THE PRESS BELONGS TO THOSE WHO OWN ONE”

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SO WHO DOES OWN THE MEDIA, ANYWAY?SO WHO DOES OWN THE MEDIA, ANYWAY?“A POPULAR GOVERNMENT WITHOUT POPULAR INFORMATION, OR THE MEANS OF ACQUIRING IT, IS BUT A PROLOGUE TO A FARCE OR A TRAGEDY, OR PERHAPS BOTH.”

JAMES MADISON (1822)

“READ ALL ABOUT IT!”

• U.S. BOOK PUBLISHING IS NOW DOMINATED BY 7 FIRMS

• U.S. NEWSPAPER PUBLISHING IS NOW DOMINATED BY 6 FIRMS

• U.S. CABLE TELEVISION IS NOW DOMINATED BY 6 FIRMS

• IN 1900 THE U.S. SOCIALIST PARTY HAD TWO MILLION MEMBERS AND PUBLISHED 325 NEWSPAPERS AND MAGAZINE; IN 2000 THERE

IS NO SOCIALIST PARTY AND ONLY A HANDFUL OF RADICAL PUBLICATIONS

• IN 1989 THE LARGEST SITDOWN STRIKE IN 30 YEARS (IN PITTSON, VA.) WAS VIRTUALLY UNREPORTED

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A WORD FROM AN EXPERTA WORD FROM AN EXPERT

“To a large extent, the absence of informed…politics reflects the power of U.S. media corporations to control and dominate…[political] debate. The corporate media may well be the most powerful adversary in the ranks of capital. They control what the general public sees and reads about the political process in the United States. Critical discussion of media structure is the last thing they want the general public to consider….”

Robert W. McChesney

Leading media analyst

51

RADICALS (4)RADICALS (4)

• In other words, radicals believe that the creation, selection, and reception of ideas is by no means a neutral process, but rather reflects the outlook of the political and economic elite, whose ownership and/or control of the “means of mental production”---not only the “media” but the schools at all levels, as well as related institutions like advertising---assure that their views are likely to be accepted by the average person.

• Thus, rather than incorporating universal meanings, as mainstreamers believe, ideas such as “democracy,” “freedom, “ and “equality”reflect and reinforce the specific class relations of capitalist society: e.g., we only are taught and therefore only understand “democracy” as it exists under capitalist conditions, which is in turn only one---and, from the Marxian perspective, one distinctly limited---form of democracy.

• Alternative understandings of “democracy” and other basic concepts are, as a practical matter, simply not provided with much exposure.

52

RADICALISM (5)RADICALISM (5)

• It is very important to understand, however, that “bourgeois ideology,” whether in its liberal or conservative form, is NOT part of some crude capitalist “conspiracy.” Although ideas threatening to the status quo are generally excluded from the mass media and school system, the rich do not secretly get together to “put one over” on the rest of us---such a notion is a childish oversimplification of how capitalism really works.

• Instead, most people understand that certain ideas are acceptable while others are not. Even when familiar with the latter (which is often not the case), people who make their living communicating ideas are alert to the need to censor themselves lest expressions of “unorthodoxy” result in punishments, such as firing or, in the case of academics, denial of tenure. Power in “democratic” capitalist societies is thus generally wielded in a subtle, indirect way. Instead of squelching “dangerous” ideas outright, the powerful depend on their underlings to be smart enough not to raise “awkward” issues in the first place. “Subversive” ideas are thereby excluded from everyday discourse, so that, as a practical matter, they might as well not exist at all! The result is that most people most of the time just assume that the way they live is the way they must live; there are no alternatives worth bothering about, especially since daily pressures generally preclude consideration of such possibilities. It is only when the economy goes into crisis that people may begin to consider alternatives.

53

MAINSTREAMISM AND RADICALISM: A COMPARISONMAINSTREAMISM AND RADICALISM: A COMPARISONMAINSTREAMISM

• Ideas like “democracy” and “freedom” are universals.

• Ideas are accepted or rejected on the basis of reason.

• Conservatism and liberalism constitute the entire range of sensible and acceptable social and political discourse; anything outside these ways of thinking is unacceptable because it is neither intellectually sensible nor politically practicable.

RADICALISM

• The meaning of such ideas is dependent on specific political and historical circumstances.

• Mass acceptance or rejection depends more on power than on reason. Indeed, a group or class has power to the extent that ideas reflecting its outlook & interests (e.g., about what constitutes “democracy”) are widely accepted.

• Although pervasive in the U.S., conservatism & liberalism are merely two sides of the same capitalist (“bourgeois”) coin. There are more insightful ways of understanding social reality.

54

AN RADICAL VIEW OF SOCIAL WORKAN RADICAL VIEW OF SOCIAL WORKSOCIAL WORK IS ABOUT

1. HELPING TO ASSURE POLITICAL “NORMALCY” BY FACILITATING THE INDIVIDUAL TO ADJUST TO RATHER THAN

QUESTION AN UNJUST STATUS QUO.

2. ACTING AS THE COERCIVE AGENTS OF AN INEQUITABLE SYSTEM WHICH CREATES THE VERY PROBLEMS---NOTABLY, POVERTY, RACISM, CRIME, ADDICTION, ETC.---THAT SOCIAL WORKERS OSTENSIBLY SEEK TO COMBAT. IT FOLLOWS THAT SOCIAL WORKERS MUST ATTEND TO THE DISEASE ITSELF RATHER

THAN MERELY TO ITS SYMPTONS.

3. SUPPORTING PASSAGE OF SOCIAL WELFARE POLICIES THAT DO LITTLE OR NOTHING TO ADDRESS THE UNDERLYING

“STRUCTURAL” PROBLEM---NAMELY, THE OVERWHELMING

CAPITALIST ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL POWER.

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A RADICAL DEPICTION OF INDIVIDUALISMA RADICAL DEPICTION OF INDIVIDUALISM

RADICALS CONTENDTHAT IN OUR SOCIETY BOTHPEOPLE AND INSTITUTIONS,

ARE SHAPED TO REFLECT THE ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL

INTERESTS OF SOCIETY’S RICHEST AND MOST POWERFUL ELEMENTS---FUNDAMENTALLY, THE CAPITALIST

CLASS, WHICH OWNS AND CONTROLS MOST OF THE WEALTH CREATED

BY SOCIETY AS A WHOLE.

THE FOLLOWING TWO SLIDESEXPLAIN RADICAL THINKING

IN MORE DETAIL

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A RADICAL DEPICTION OF INDIVIDUALISMA RADICAL DEPICTION OF INDIVIDUALISM

Under capitalism, people beliefs about the “good life” reflects the values of the capitalist class, which controls institutional life through its ownership of the means of production.The result is that all institutions function in accordance w/capitalist economic and political priorities. What Americans call “individualism” is thus merely the necessary adaptations we must make to the conditions of life under capitalism. These are celebrated by the capitalist media as invigoratingly competitive and joyfully consumerist, and are promoted in the schools as“self-reliant individualism.” In reality, however, we have no choice but to accommodate to the institutional life of this society, since this is the only way we are able to survive. The next slide takes a closer look at this process.

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A RADICAL DEPICTION OF INDIVIDUALISMA RADICAL DEPICTION OF INDIVIDUALISM

Our institutional life is controlled by those who own and control the productive wealth (“capital”) of society. Ultimately, all ideas, values, and---yes, social welfare programs---reflect capitalist interests and priorities, which are essentially the: 1) maintenance of socialorder and (2) nurturing conditions favorable to profit making (“a friendly business climate”).It is, for example, in the interest of the corporations---owned for the most part bythe very rich---see module 4 for details) to keep labor costs down by encouraginga massive influx of cheap labor into the market, thereby depressing wages and keeping inflation under control. There are other ways to accomplish the same goal---for example, a tax on luxury consumption---but these are opposed by the rich as threaten-ing to their wealth and political power. From the radical viewpoint,then, EVERY SOCIAL POLICY ISSUE FACING AMERICAN SOCIETY, AND EVERY MAINSTREAMSOLUTION TO THOSE ISSUES, IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER REFLECT THESEREALITIES, EVEN THO’ MOST OF US DON’TREALIZE THIS TO BE THE CASE. Racism constitutes a good illustration in this regard.

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A RADICAL INTERPRETATION OF RACISMA RADICAL INTERPRETATION OF RACISM

Black people have been ruthlessly exploited ever since they were brought here as slaves. Fundamentally, the situation of the black masses has yet to change. True,many blacks have been incorporated into the middle class (the “black bourgeoisie”),But most are still at the “end of the line” when it comes to job opportunities.(“Last hired, first fired.”) Thus, radicals calls attention to the role welfare recipients play in the economy: they are tossed into the labor market when times are good, so as to dampen wages, and tossed out when there aren’t enough jobs to go around. In short, capitalism breeds racism, whatever the prevailing ideas may contend. (For more on racism, see module 4.)

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RACIAL PREJUDICE: ANOTHER LOOKRACIAL PREJUDICE: ANOTHER LOOK

MAINSTREAM VIEW• RACISM RESULTS FROM

IGNORNANCE: PEOPLE WOULD CEASE TO BE RACISTS IF THEY WERE PROPERLY EDUCATED IN THE MEANING OF BROTHERHOOD AND HAD A SCIENTIFIC UNDERSTANDING OF GENETICS AND HUMAN EVOLUTION.

• IN ADDITION TO ITS OTHER BENEFITS, RACIAL INTEGRATION GIVES PEOPLE THE CHANCE TO KNOW ONE ANOTHER ON A PERSONAL BASIS; THEIR IDEAS ABOUT RACE WILL CHANGE ONCE THEY INTERACT OVER AN

EXTENDED PERIOD.

RADICAL VIEW• YES, IGNORANCE IS OF COURSE

REFLECTED IN RACIAL ATTITUDES, BUT SO IS ECONOMICS!

• FOR EXAMPLE, WHITE RACISM ULTIMATELY DERIVES FROM FEARS THAT BLACKS THREATEN JOBS AND REAL ESTATE VALUES, AS WELL AS THE SOCIAL STATUS OF LOWER-MIDDLE CLASS WHITES, WHO WANT TO BELIEVE THEY ARE “SUPERIOR” TO BLACKS. IT DIVIDES PEOPLE FROM ONE ANOTHER, AND THEREFORE HELPS TO SUSTAIN THE STATUS QUO.

• IT FOLLOWS THAT RACIAL PREJUDICE WILL NOT DISAPPEAR UNTIL AND UNLESS THERE ARE ENOUGH DECENT JOBS FOR EVERYONE; OTHERWISE COMPETITION FOR THESE POSITIONS WILL CONTINUE TO GENERATE FEAR AND SUSPICION.

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STILL NOT SURE WHETHER STILL NOT SURE WHETHER YOUYOU ARE ARE A A

MAINSTREAMERMAINSTREAMER OR A OR A RADICALRADICAL??

HERE’S SOMEADDITIONAL

DETAILEDSTUFF TO HELP

YOU DECIDE!

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MAINSTREAMISM VS. RADICALISM:MAINSTREAMISM VS. RADICALISM: FURTHER COMMENTS FURTHER COMMENTS

• THE PRECEDING EXAMPLES IS JUST THAT: EXAMPLES OF HOW THE MAINSTREAM-RADICAL DISTINCTION CAN BE APPLIED TO VIRTUALLY ALL SOCIAL ISSUES. BECAUSE AMERICANS ARE SO ACCUSTOMED TO THINKING IN IDEALIST TERMS, IT RARELY OCCURS TO THEM THAT THERE IS ANOTHER (I.E., MATERIALIST) WAY OF UNDERSTANDING SOCIAL REALITY. YET IF THIS CLASS HAS ONE OVERRIDING LESSON, IT IS THE IMPORTANCE OF ACQUIRING SUCH UNDERSTANDING FOR REASONS PROVIDED IN EARLIER SLIDES.

• NOTE, HOWEVER, THAT WHILE MAINSTREAM-RADICAL PARADIGMS ARE CONCEPTUALLY DISTINCT, THEY ARE, AS A PRACTICAL MATTER, INTERRELATED IN COMPLEX WAYS. THUS, ALL PEOPLE BELIEVE THEIR IDEAS ABOUT SOCIAL REALITY TO BE TRUE, BUT MOST RARELY REFLECT ON THE DEEPER ORIGINS OF THOSE IDEAS---THAT IS, WHY THEY BELIEVE AS THEY DO.

• IN SHORT, UNDERSTANDING SOCIAL POLICY/SOCIAL REALITY REQUIRES A SUBTLE INTELLIGENCE CAPABLE OF GRASPING THE INTERRELATION OF IDEAS AND POWER. ACQUIRING SUCH UNDERSTANDING REQUIRES AN ALERT MIND INTERESTED IN HISTORY, SOCIAL SCIENCE, AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS.

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DO YOU FIT THE BILL?DO YOU FIT THE BILL?

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MAINSTREAMISM VS. RADICALISM:MAINSTREAMISM VS. RADICALISM: A NOTE FOR SOCIAL WORKERS A NOTE FOR SOCIAL WORKERS

• SOCIAL WORK STUDENTS CAN PERHAPS BETTER GRASP THESE DISTINCTIONS IF THEY THINK OF THEM IN PSYCHO-SOCIAL TERMS FAMILIAR TO THOSE WITH THERAPEUTIC TRAINING.

• THUS, THE OBJECT OF THERAPY IS TO HELP CLIENTS UNDERSTAND THAT THEIR IDEAS ABOUT THEMSELVES (THEIR “SELF IMAGES”) DERIVE FROM THEIR FORMATIVE EXPERIENCES. IN OTHER WORDS, SELF-IMAGES HAVE CAUSES, AND THOSE CAUSES ULTIMATELY ARE ROOTED IN THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF ONE’S UPBRINGING AND EARLY RELATIONSHIPS.

• IN THE SAME WAY, OUR SOCIAL UNDERSTANDINGS (E.G., WHAT IT MEANS TO BE AN AMERICAN, A SUCCESS, OR A MORALLY RESPONSIBLE PERSON) REFLECT THE SOCIAL CIRCUMSTANCES OF OUR UPBRINGING: THE SOCIAL VALUES INCULCATED BY THE FAMILY, MASS MEDIA, SCHOOLS, AND WHAT THE SOCIOLOGISTS CALL OTHER “SOCIALIZING INSTITUTIONS.” THE RESULT IS THAT WE RARELY REFLECT ON THE ECONOMIC INTERESTS SERVED BY THESE IDEAS OR HOW THESE IDEAS HELP TO BUTTRESS A HIGHLY INEGALITARIAN STATUS QUO. YET TO BE EFFECTIVE POLICY ADVOCATES FOR OUR CLIENTS, WE MUST ACQUIRE SUCH UNDERSTANDING---THAT IS, WE MUST LEARN TO THINK IN BOTH MAINSTREAM AND RADICAL FRAMES OF REFERENCE.

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A THOUGHTFUL EXERCISEA THOUGHTFUL EXERCISE

Use your new knowledge ofmainstreamism and radicalism,

to review some social policy or socialwelfare policy issue of interest to you.

which viewpoint appears to provide thestronger case?