Question

How does power and privilege serve to maintain existing inequalities? Provide an example to support your response.

Answer 1

Conflict perspective suggests that the society is in a perpetual conflict for the limited resources available where social order is maintained not through consensus but through domination. This would mean that the society is dominated by the majority and more specifically the power elites who control economy and the government thus forcing it to enact policies and laws that would benefit the majority and the privileged. Accumulated advantage or the white privilege as it is called in the American society with the help of institutional racism helps the majority whites get better access to education, employment, housing, healthcare, property, political participation, while discriminating people of color. This would make the life of the majority better while it would force the minority to poverty, unemployment, homelessness and unhealthy behaviours that would lead them to deviant behaviours.

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