Political Elite Revised Essay Example for Free

Political Elite Revised Essay Do you want to belong to the elite? Or do you sometimes feel that, in a way, you belong to the elite? Without its political meaning, the elite simply refer to a group that possesses superior qualities than the rest. It is the â€Å"cream of the crop†. In one way or another, some of us may have already experienced belonging to the elite, such as when we became part of an important club in school or belonged to the top of the class. In the book Concept and Issues in Comparative Politics, Frank Wilson explained that when applied to politics, the term elite acquires a negative connotation to mean a â€Å"small group who conspire to monopolize power and use it for their benefit†. However, without this political meaning, term elite refers to those who are active in political processes. Thus, Wilson stresses that not only the politicians belong to the elite, but also the opinion leaders and influence wielders and the senior civil servants. While politicians seek and hold elective or appointed government positions, influential figures participate in the process by shaping the ideas and preferences of others. This makes the media and business group as parts of the political elite. Bureaucrats or senior civil servants are also one of the components of the elite because they are involved in the policy- and decision-making processes in the government. Can a person enter the circle of the elite by moving his or her way up in the bureaucracy? Yes, if the person’s career achievements merit him or her to be recruited into the elite. Basically Wilson suggests two ways of recruitment to the elite: by achievement and by ascription. Recruitment by achievement does not only refer to technical skills, but also pertains to interpersonal, leadership or money-making skills. This is in stark contrast with the ascriptive mode of recruitment wherein a person automatically becomes a member of the elite because he or she was â€Å"born with silver spoon in the mouth,† so to speak. Also, Wilson points out that recruitment by achievement is characteristic of developed political systems, while recruitment by ascription is more common in traditional societies. However, it is not uncommon to find elites by birth who also developed the necessary skills to lead by achievement. For example, George W. Bush did not become the US President simply because he is the son of George H. W. Bush; but his first-hand observation of his father’s former job, the Bush’s network of influence, and the name recall surely helped in his campaign. Wilson also classifies elites into open and closed elites. The US is considered as one of the most open political recruitment processes because of the system of primary elections. One does not have to be a dedicated party worker to get nominated and eventually elected. According to Wilson, it also explains why movie stars could become elected officials, as well. Most democratic societies have open elites hence outsiders have multiple opportunities to enter the elite circle; but there are also democratic societies which require aspiring politicians to serve apprenticeships in local or party politics. This is to prevent just anybody, especially those who are only famous, to get elected without any political experience.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   On the other hand, closed elites are characteristic of authoritarian regimes wherein membership to the elite is controlled. In practice, however, there are also democratic regimes which also have closed elites, in a sense that ruling elites may hinder other members of the society from obtaining enough political leverage to become one of the political elite. For instance, I want to get in the elite circle because I have sufficient background, knowledge and skills to become a leader, but the circle is controlled and very elitist (snobbish). Do I have other options if I do not get recruited through achievement? Yes, by ascription such as by marrying a member of the elite, as Wilson stresses, or stage a revolt or a coup d’etat to overthrow the ruling elite.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Nevertheless, violent successions of the elites usually happen when there is no predictability or long-established rules in the change of leadership. In most advanced political systems, there are approved procedures in the transition and legitimation of leadership that would render the blood spill unnecessary. However, even if Wilson contends that unpredictable successions are common to authoritarian regimes and third world countries, he also cites examples to the contrary. He takes particular exception to the Party politics in China which has proven that orderly manner of succession is possible, even in an authoritarian system. To add to this example are a number of â€Å"illiberal democracies† in Asia wherein rulers could maintain their hold in power, yet such undemocratic rule were long accepted by the people.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Wilson also adds that there are other ways to make the elite’s hold on power legitimate such as tradition, charismatic appeal, accepted rational processes, and more importantly, capability of the political elite to deliver its promises to the people. The capability to perform to improve the welfare of the people could be a more powerful factor for legitimacy than election, and thus could make people’s obedience possible even if the rule is considered undemocratic. However, whether in democratic or authoritarian regimes, any elite that would exercise coercive force to command obedience from the people is bound to fail – and that is when we observe violent or tense transitions of political power.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Still, there is always a certain elite or a small group that would be most directly involved in the political processes. Even erstwhile socialist regimes which claimed to promote equality among the people have been ruled by elites, and have in fact used their position to perpetuate themselves in power. The widely-held notion of democracy is that of a representative democracy. As such, it has been a nagging controversy in the studies of elite that even the most democratic systems are not truly democratic because political leadership is in the hands of a representative elite that would never mirror the general citizenry. Wilson has provided enough empirical evidence that those who usually get recruited into the elite are from the middle and upper classes, educated, from dominant societal groups, and male. Even if the elite would recruit from the ranks of the masses, those who would enter the elite would soon acquire the certain values and perspectives that are characteristic of the elite. Thus they get absorbed into the system – and could not possibly reform the system. As such radicals view that only by changing the system itself, say, by supplanting a genuinely socialist one, that political elitism would end. The above proposition is grounded on the assumption that elitism is bad, as Wilson has scrutinized effectively. Breaking down this assumption brings us to the sub-assumptions that firstly, political elites always rules in its own best interests; and that   secondly, the best political representation of a particular group is made by people who are from that group. Wilson debunks these assumptions for lack of sufficient empirical evidence. In the first instance, political elites ruling only on their interests can always be checked in democratic societies. In democratic systems wherein the succession of political power is determined by elections, the ruling elites would have to bend to the wishes of important portions of the population because they would ultimately need their support come election time. Of course, it is also possible that the political elite sincerely care for the people; that is why we now have welfare states and taxation systems that really hurt the rich and benefit the poor. The argument that one can best represent the interests the group where he or she comes from, at all times, may not always hold true since as Wilson explained in the text, new entrants to the elite may change their values by virtue of their position thus may render them useless in advancing his original group or class. A very concrete example would be the socialist Russian revolution which catapulted the working class into power, which in the long run only became a self-seeking and self-defensive class of its own.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Thus Wilson argues that a pluralist democracy, wherein various interests are articulated and political competition prevents domination of political power of a single set of elites, holds the answer to the controversy that bedevils the political elite. As such, the rule of the elites, per se, is not bad – as long as it is in the context of a working pluralist democracy.

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It was a cold winter's day that > > >> > >>> > > Sunday. The parking lot to the > > >> > >>> > > church was filling up quickly. > > >> > >>> > > I noticed as I got out of my > > >> > >>> > > car that fellow church members > > >> > >>> > > were whispering among themselves > > >> > >>> > > as they walked to the church. > > >> > >>> > > > > >> > >>> > > As I got closer I saw a man > > >> > >>> > > leaned up against the wall > > >> > >>> > > outside the church. He was > > >> > >>> > > almost laying down as if he > > >> > >>> > > was asleep. He had on a long > > >> > >>> > > trench coat that was almost > > >> > >>> > > in shreds and a hat topped > > >> > >>> > > his head, pulled down so you > > >> > >>> > > could not see his face. > > >> > >>> > > > > >> > >>> > > He wore shoes that looked 30 > > >> > >>> > > years old, too small for his > > >> > >>> > > feet with holes all over them, > > >> > >>> > > his toes stuck out. I assumed > > >> > >>> > > this man was homeless, and > > >> > >>> > > asleep, so I walked on by > > >> > >>> > > through the doors of the > > >> > >>> > > church. > > >> > >>> > > > > >> > >>> > > We all fellowship for a few > > >> > >>> > > minutes, and someone brought > > >> > >>> > > up the man laying outside. > > >> > >>> > > People snickered and gossiped > > >> > >>> > > but no one bothered to ask him > > >> > >>> > > to come in, including me. > > >> > >>> > > > > >> > >>> > > A few moments later church > > >> > >>> > > began. We all waited for > > >> > >>> > > the Preacher to take his

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Owen Marshall uses animal imagery of a camel to describe Mr Thorpe in the short story ‘Requiem in a Town House’. The use of this animal imagery through similes attracts and maintains the readers attention because it makes the reader sympathize for Mr Thorpe. The reader wants to read on to know why he is like an old camel, what has led to this and why he is viewed in this way. ‘Mr Thorpe stood helplessly by, like an old gaunt camel’, ‘like a camel whose wounded expression is above it all’. These examples of animal imagery from the text create an image of Mr Thorpe like an old camel.Camels are known to be large, awkward and slow moving, so the comparison to the elderly Mr Thorpe is a negative one. Camels are also often put on show at Zoos and such places where they live in small enclosures, much smaller than they are used to. The comparison to Mr Thorpe is demoralizing and dehumanizing to elderly people but also makes the reader feel compassion an d sympathy towards him as he is living in a small house much smaller than he is used to and is confined just like an old camel.The authors purpose was to accentuate the entrapment that Mr Thorpe feels in the town house. This draws the readers attention to how elderly people are treated in society, often put to the side and their opinions ignored, decreasing their value of life. Animal imagery is equally used in Disconnections to attract and maintain the reader’s interest through the alienation of old people, especially towards the elderly woman, the main character. The lady has just suffered from a stroke and the older she’s become her memory is fading. The doddery woman cannot support herself as she walks.Ever since the horrific stroke, she has become very sluggish. She is well aware of her family’s opinions of her welfare and it makes her feel self conscious about herself. The woman has to walk into a room where her family sits waiting for her to come in †Å"watch her inching her wayward leg forward, an awkward stick-clutching crab. † This metaphor illustrates how the old woman walks, awkward, and stiffly jointed like that of a crab. It also highlights her difficult daily struggle to do things that we take for granted in our own life.Animal imagery is extended throughout the text describing her movement being similar to that of a crab’s. â€Å" As I crab into the room. † Sue McCauley effectively uses animal imagery to highlight the many struggles that old people have to go through daily and how much we need to appreciate the ability we have compared to that of an elderly person. She raises the issue of alienation many elderly feel as they are excluded from society and their family no longer want to look after them, but only look down at them.Owen Marshall uses the symbolism of the couch to represent Mr Thorpe in the Town House. Symbolism of the couch is used to maintain the readers interest throughout the short tex t. â€Å"In the corner was a heavy couch that had been brought in from the farm, but wouldn't fit in the house. † Like Mr Thorpe the couch doesn't fit in the Town House; there is no place for it, the couch would get in the way just as Mr Thorpe does. â€Å"Mrs Thorpe developed the habit of sending her husband out to wait for the post. It stopped him from blocking doorways†¦ The couch is stored in the garage and is heavy solid and collects dust. Mr Thorpe ends up spending a majority of his time on the couch in his garage, instead of in his town house that his wife has forced upon him in his retirement: â€Å"as his despair deepened, he would go directly to the couch, and stretch out. † On the couch lies an army blanket and an embroidered cushion. The army blanket has been with Mr Thorpe through thick and thin. The couch is full of history and was beloved just like Mr Thorpe.Just like the couch, Mr Thorpe is useless you could say; he too does nothing but collects d ust. The garage is the only place where Mr Thorpe can feel like he isn't being crushed by the tacky Town House. â€Å"As his despair deepened he would go directly to the couch, and stretch out with his head on the old embroidered cushion. † By comparing Mr Thorpe to an old, lumpy couch this maintains interest for the reader drawing curiosity as to why the comparison is being made. The author’s purpose of using this symbol is to represent Mr Thorpe as an outcast from society.Mr Thorpe has been banished into the shadows of the Town House just like the couch is banished into the dark garage. Mr Thorpe represents everyone who feels outcast and just like another old piece of furniture in a modern Town House. McCauley, also uses the symbolism of the buttons in Disconnection as a technique to help attract and maintain the reader in highlighting the effects on how she is slowing losing her dreams on being able to look after herself and she is just yearning to live in her own h ouse.The symbolism of the buttons is helped to uncover how much the buttons mean to her and help her to stay in reality and retain her short memory. ‘The buttons are too small. Too small. They slither away from my fingers, from my clumsy finger and thumb.. ‘ The reader starts to see it’s not the buttons getting smaller, but that she is slowly starting to lose grip of her life and is starting to struggle with the simple things in life like doing up the buttons.The purpose is to show how she is losing control of her co-ordination, but not only that she is starting to lose control of her life, she has no voice and her family will be the ones that choose her future. The symbolism of the title also attracts and maintains reader. On so many levels, the reader sees how the narrator’s life is disconnected. Throughout the story we see that she is having disconnections with her family, her limbs, neurons and her memories.We learn that all she wants is her independenc e and freedom of her own home but when she gets the chance to say what she wants, her mind goes blank and she fails to make any real sense. â€Å"You were my babies’ I announce†¦. I realise I am making no sense†¦ They have no idea what I’m trying to say and even if I went on to explain they wouldn’t understand†. The reader sees that her last chance to get her only hope has been ineffective and she has lost grip of her life, and no one else will be able to have the time and care to be able to help her with her last wish.McCauley shows how the other characters in the story are aware that this not the right thing to be doing, but they are not giving her a choice they are ready to get on with their life. This method is effective as it is a strong way of attracting the reader to read on because they want to understand how old people are alienated from the rest of the world. The purpose is to show how old people in todays world really have no hope in getting their last wishes as the youth want to get on with their own life and don’t have the time to look after them anymore.

The Evil Virtues of Greed and Corruption - 752 Words

In the novel, Animal Farm by George Orwell, tactics such as,â€Å" the ends justify the means† play a vital role in developing the storyline. Animal Farm is set during the Russian Revolution and Orwell uses animals, such as pigs and horses, to portray Joseph Stalin and his loyal, yet blindsided followers. Napoleon, a pig who takes the position of Stalin in the novel, leads the other animals in a battle against the humans to free themselves from their miseries on the farm. The animals’ memories of their misery on the farm prevent them from celebrating their newfound freedom. Throughout the novel, Napoleon attempts to gain power through diabolical strategies and extensive manipulation, just as the humans once did to him. In an attempt to grasp power, new leaders apply the same tactics previously used on them, promoting the evil virtues of greed and corruption. Throughout the novel, Napoleon cultivates a pig hierarchy, displaying his greed for power and supremacy. Although Napoleon stresses the fact that the animals are better off now than under the rule of Mr. Jones, the animals sense that there is a hierarchy forming within the stables when the pigs begin to treat the others unfairly. As the pigs gain more power, they begin to take advantage of the other animals, ultimately putting them in worse positions than they were in under the rule of humans. This is exemplified by the ubiquitous obligation to keep the pigs healthy: â€Å"The importance of keeping the pigs in good health wasShow MoreRelatedComparative: Greed and Corruption in The Pardoners Tale and A Simple Plan1055 Words   |  5 PagesSam Raimi in the film â€Å"A Simple Plan† composed moral tales exploring the concept of greed and corruption. Both composers suggest that a person’s good morals can be easily corrupted by the power of greed; both composers explore th e fatal consequences of greed and corruption which affirms the importance of a morally sound society. 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