Powerful and Powerless Relations

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Table of Contents

Introduction
The impossibility to express ones views freely
Abuse of power and resistance
The failure to protest against the mistakes of authority
Conclusion
Reference List

Introduction

Power has always attracted attention of many philosophers and scholars. Overall, it can be defined as the ability or capacity to influence the decisions and actions of other people. Power is what people have always fought as it is the phenomenon that allows them control others and benefit from this. In this paper we need to analyze the relations between those who possess authority and those who do not. There is a great number of works examining their interactions.

For example, we may discuss the article Behind the official story by James Scott. The author explores the relationships between the dominants and their subordinates. In particular he studies the so-called public and hidden transcript. He says that a public transcript is the way in which ruling groups describe themselves and they want others to believe that this description is true. In turn hidden transcript is their real attitude toward themselves and the subordinates, and the issue is complicated by the fact that the subordinates also have transcript, although of different kind.

Furthermore, we may refer the article Melchizedek’s Three Rings by Carole McDonnell. She argues that in a modern society a person cannot freely express his thoughts or beliefs. She describes situations in which people try to hold back their real views and opinions. According to her this frankness can deprive them of their privileges. Finally, it is necessary to draw examples showing the use and abuse of power. For this purpose the research Sexual Harassment: A Legal Perspective for Public Administrators can be quite applicable.

This investigation has been conducted by Ruth Strickland. She studies several forms of such behavior and develops strategies enabling to stop it. These works can be connected with each other because they analyze power from several points of view. Thus, the relationships between powerful and powerless in the society are often based on discrimination of the lowest classes as the powerful do not see any necessity to yield their dominant position in the society, while the powerless take the situation as given and see no sense in trying to change the social balance.

The impossibility to express ones views freely

Moreover, according to Carole McDonnell and James Scott a person may be reluctant to speak ones mind because he can be afraid of adverse effects that integrity can entail. For instance, Carole McDonnell maintains that in contemporary society there is a power or even tyranny of the majority. Namely there is a dominant white culture in American community. Apart from that, she mentions deep-rooted stereotypes held by the majority of people and only very few dare challenge them. She says that sometimes “the consequences of speaking about our hearts may be so harmful to the speaker that heart felt beliefs are rarely discussed” (McDonnell, 2006, p 191).

The scholar proves her point in several ways. For instance, she states that very often people are not willing to air their views on religion because they fear they will not be accepted by others. Additionally, many writers very carefully avoid some issues in their books due to possible disapproval of the community. McDonnell mentions the interracial marriages between White and African-Americans and points out that this theme is a taboo for many White authors. The major problem is that common prejudices draw a distinct line between normal people and those displaying or thought of as having deviations from the norm (McDonnell, 2006, p 192).

In this way the majority is trying to suppress the minority. Everything which goes beyond the realm of convention is labeled as unacceptable. As a result people subjected to the power of the majority have to keep back their beliefs. In this regard we should refer to the work of James Scott. He says that there is a public and hidden transcript. Public transcript is the way in which dominant classes try to look like while hidden transcript is their real actions and attitudes toward the powerless.

For instance, the Whites might claim the equality for them and African-Americans in the society but still carry out the policies of discrimination towards them, according to their hidden transcript (Scott, 1990, p 525). The same rule applies to the relations between British and Burmian people. Burmians overtly submitted themselves to the power of invaders and at the same time they had “strong anti-European feeling” against the British who tried to overthrow them (Scott, 1990, p 532).

The author also examines the so-called Watergate scandal; in early seventies it revealed that American government only involved many illegal activities. Watergate tapes demonstrated real face of the Nixon administration and the difference between their public and real attitude toward the US citizens. In this section we have tried to show the relations between powerful and powerless often lack honesty and integrity because those who are subdued cannot always openly declare their resistance. And the powerful try to hide their real intentions.

Abuse of power and resistance

Ruth Strickland examines sexual harassment is a form of coercion and compulsion. There is no necessity to enumerate all the cases which the scholar discusses. We should focus on harassment of females by male employees and vice versa. Ruth Strickland says as a rule this involves the threat to dismiss a worker. Sometimes people, who have the authority, try to force their subordinates into sexual intercourse by creating unfavorable, or even hostile, environment for those, who do not comply (Strickland, 1995, p 499).

She points out that “submission or rejection to such conduct is used as a basis for employment decisions” (Strickland, 1995, p 497). One of the underlying causes for this conflict between powerful and powerless is the abuse of authority. Each employee knows it perfectly well that his or her career can be ruined by the refusal. As a result they are compelled to give way to the demands of high-ranking officials. Strickland acknowledges that law provides some protection.

However, victims prefer not to report these violations against them and eventually they yield to the powerful, i. e. to the authority (Strickland, 1995, p 497). At this moment, powerful and powerless resemble a prey and his victim. Moreover, the victim is usually very obedient. But James Scott tells us such docility is often only a good disguise which can be called a credible performance to some extent (Scott, 1995, p 525).

In the long run this obedience can grow into resilience or open conflict. He refers to the rebellion in the city of Moulmein (Scott, 1995, p 522). Moreover, the powerful people often state that they occupy their positions only for the benefit of others, James Scott calls it public transcript but occasionally, this mask is thrown off, and we can see their true objectives. The only possible outcome is the lack of confidence and enmity. Again we should note that even the most diligent subordinate always resists the control or supervision. In this article James Scott gives another example showing the relations between hidden and public transcript.

He mentions the slave Aggy who had been flogged but showed signs of deference to her master. Yet, secretly she was hoping to see that white people will be killed like wild animals, namely wolves (Scott, 1995, p 525). Certainly, she did not fulfill her intentions mostly because she lacked the power to do it. This example illustrates that that the subordinates appear to be devoted to the dominants, because they do not know how to resist the abuse of power.

The failure to protest against the mistakes of authority

While speaking about the relations between powerful and powerless, the lack of integrity from both sides comes to the consideration of scholars. Carole McDonnell believes that people do not dare to come into open conflict with majority and they try not to speak their minds. According to her, conformity makes us ashamed of our beliefs. Most importantly nowadays some people are so afraid of being different that they eventually become a part of the majority or “the herd” (McDonnell, 2006, p 195).

The author does not urge us to be defiant or rebellious. Such method has seldom produced any results. She emphasizes that the major danger of conformity is the loss of ones own identity. This fear only makes an individual helpless and he only has to comply with the demands of the dominant group. In her turn Ruth Strickland says that some victims fail to report sexual abuse in the workplace and this makes them even more subdued. They feel that these complaints will be useless. The victims give way and continue to suffer while practically no one is aware of it. Both Carole McDonnell and Ruth Strickland describe the so-called silent minority or people driven into a corner.

But if they continue to act in such manner, they will never get out of it. The tragedy is that managers do not take measures against abusers simply because harassed employees ask that “no action is taken” (Strickland, 2006, p 504). The researchers attempt to illustrate that silent minority will always be in the status of innocent victims until they find the courage to protest against mistakes and follies of the powerful. Furthermore, Carole McDonnell and Ruth Strickland state the powerful should also understand that their impunity and authority cannot last for eternity.

Conclusion

To conclude in this essay we have discussed the interactions between the powerful and the powerless in the society, i. e. between the dominants and their subordinates. The main source of conflict is the lack of integrity on behalf of both opposing sides. The works of many scholars indicate that the powerless, or minority, prefer inaction and they do not intend to protest. The articles that have been discussed show that the subordinates, or minority, prefer to conform to the demands of the authority or majority or at least to pretend to do so. The subordinates are not contented with current state of affairs but they do not dare to resist openly.

They think that their efforts are of no avail. Those who are subjected to the power of others will never cease to be victims if they remain silent. At the very beginning we have suggested that the relations between the powerful and the powerless are based on apprehension or fear of each other because both sides seldom know the real intentions of one another. Having considered the three reputable sources on the topic of the social inequality and its reasons, it is possible now to suggest that the current state when there are two major groups in the human society, i. e. the people having power and the people without the latter, will last till the moment when the power will not mean control over others and any other benefit to those pursuing it.

In other words, people are nowadays pursuing power because it allows them to exercise their will over others, i. e. over the powerless. Thus, power is beneficial and that is why it is so attractive. As soon as the power loses its beneficial character, it will lose its importance for people and this will help in creation of the equal society where there is no distinction or discrimination of sexes or races into the powerful and the powerless.

Reference List

McDonnell, C (2006). Melchizedek’s Three Rings. Seal Press, pp. 186- 197.

Scott. J. (1990). Behind the official story. Yale University Press, pp. 520-533.

Strickland, R. A. (1995). ‘Sexual Harassment: A Legal Perspective for Public Administrators’. Public Personnel Management, Vol. 24, No. 4, pp 493-513.

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