Sociology

read the

“Manifesto of the Communist Party“

(1848), posted in Course Resources. 

Reply to one of the two questions (below):

1.  In what way is Carmen (the female factory worker from the video on “Globalization and Maquiladoras”), use Marx’s terminology, just like a “commodity”? Do you have an example of being commodified (or turned into a commodity) at work? Or, do you have an example of commodifying someone else?  Note: One definition of a commodity is “Something useful that can be turned to commercial or another advantage.” In other words, a commodity is like being another ingredient in a recipe. One more way to understand what a commodity is is to think about it as a tool, object, or thing used in the labor (or production) process.  

Globalization Video

2.  In what way are you, the consumer, the heart of Walmart (or the capitalist system)? Does that mean that we are somehow to blame for exploitation (or cheap, unsafe and unfair labor practices) throughout the globe? Or is it unfair to blame individuals for what is a larger structural (or sociological) issue beyond our control?

South Park Video