DR1ers and their Social Class

[asopao]

Originally Posted by NALs

Well, it depends what we mean by the word status.

If status means good manners, well spoken, etc then it doesn't matter who holds the power or influence.

However, if by status we mean people with power or have influence over those who exercise power, then yes, organizations which enforce obedience have a higher status vs other organizations, individuals, etc who have no access to such power, but are directly affected by such.

For example, let's take the police-civilian analogy. Let's assume that corruption is very low, thus the police-civilian power structure remains in place without coersion which would cause certain civilians to receive preferential treatment by the police.

Under such assumption, if you are driving on a road and after a while of driving at a steady speed you notice a police vehicle with a cop inside parked on the side of the road, the automatic reaction for you will be to check the speedometer, release your foot from the gas pedal and place it over the brakes pedal and perhaps press on it to slow down a bit.

In such situation, the police officer has control over you by his mere presence, which poses a threat to you and thus, you adjust your behavior.

On the other hand, let's say you are parked on the side of a road and a police officer is driving, in fact speeding down the same road. Guess what? The presence of your vehicle with you inside parked on the side of the road will have absolutely no effect on the behavior of the police, he will continue speeding and pass by you as if you are unimportant.

What's the difference? Why do you feel the necessity to adjust your behavior in the presence of a police officer while the police officer doesn't feel the same in your presence?

There are several factors at work, among them is included status.

The police officer is given respect, is obeyed, and in some cases feared by civilians. The police officer is at a higher status than the civilian, because the police is enforcing the laws on behalf of the state apparatus.

You, on the other hand, are a civilian. Your status vis-a-vis a police officer is lower. You are subject to his influence and power while he is not to yours.

What do people of higher status tend to do so others recognize their position? They distinguish themselves from the masses through various ways including consumption of certain types of goods. In the case of a police officer, he wears a uniform which immediately lets everyone knows that even though he is a human like everyone else, he is not in an equal position to everyone else at that moment in time.

Because of that, because of the differences in status, those who are below him give him respect, obey his orders, etc.

The few who challenge his authority will feel tremendous pressure to comply with what we can call the "status quo" between a police officer and a civilian.
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We can also use DR1 as an example. For example, why do people put attention to anything Robert or Dolores says here, particularly when its regarding what members are allowed to post? It's a similar class system at work. Robert and Dolores are the elites, the moderators are members of that elite who are chosen by the founders. Then there are the non-moderating members who are divided between influential members (those who have access to the "elite") and the uninfluential members (those who post, but regardless what they say, it will have no effect on how DR1 is run). Then there are the "low class" of DR1 which is composed of newbies, members who are not taken seriously, etc). Finally, there are the "excluded" who are the lurkers, they take absolutely no part on DR1 other than watching everything while not being engaged.

You will notice that if a moderator is dissatisfied with a member, such member will be given a notice and if he disobey the notice, he will eventually be banned or eliminated. However, if members are dissatisfied with a moderator, the removal of such is dependent on what the other moderators think of him. In both instances, the decision lies in the moderators (ie. the elites) while some DR1 members have some influence over some moderators while others have absolutely no influence. In either case, the moderators have the "power" and the rest of DR1 don't.

To become a member of the "moderators club", it depends on what Robert or other moderators think of such potential member. They hold the power to include and exclude whomever they want. In fact, Robert and Dolores hold the ultimate power and moderators come a close second, but under the watchful eyes of the founders. Everybody else is under the watchful eyes of the moderators.

Despite the obvious difference in status of various members on the DR1 community, this site is among the best and most efficient out there. There are more "egalitarian" sites out there with no moderators, in fact everybody is an equal and they function in a less civilized manner.

The same applies to societies at large, more or less.

-NALs

H.Hidalgo, this reminds me of philosopher, in the Smurfs.
and the smurfs always boot him out of the village.

Sadly, this is the overrall mentality of the " elites" of DR, no wonder it is still a feudal society.

[qgrande]

Originally Posted by NALs

Don't believe me? Ask yourself the following questions:

Who has higher status, a police officer or a civilian? Who obeys who?

Who has higher status, a teacher or his students? Who obeys who?

Who has higher status, an employer or an employee? Who obeys who?

Who has higher status, a parent or his children? Who obeys who?

I thought this thread was about socio-economic status. What does a civilian obeying a police officer have to with socio-economic status? The civilian doesn't obey the police officer because of his/her socio-economic status, but because the police officer has a specified function. If a police officer catches a CEO of a multinational or the conductor of the London Philarmonic Orchestra for speeding, they will do what the police officer says. But does that mean that they have lower socio-economic status? Who do you think is considered to have higher social status if the police officer, the CEO and the conductor meet in the pub?

[cobraboy]

Originally Posted by Chip00

I wonder where I would fit in? As I'm a self employed engineer I spend a lot of time working on the computer and talking to important people and clients on the phone while I'm actually sitting in my drawers.

Some of my wife's family tell my wife to tell me to "dress up" instead of dressing like a normal day laborer.

However, apart from being called "toyoso" and "sin education" (by the wife for being of the "gaseous" type) people say I'm a nice person in general.

You ARE a nice person in general. You're also in the "professional" class. Even your drawers have status .

[cobraboy]

Originally Posted by qgrande

Who do you think is considered to have higher social status if the police officer, the CEO and the conductor meet in the pub?

Whoever the bartender gives the bill to...

[Chip00]

Originally Posted by cobraboy

You ARE a nice person in general. You're also in the "professional" class. Even your drawers have status .

Thanks for the nice comment - now I really feel classy! Ok - back to work in my drawers!

[Ricardo900]

Originally Posted by NALs

Don't believe me? Ask yourself the following questions:

Who has higher status, a police officer or a civilian? Who obeys who?

Who has higher status, a teacher or his students? Who obeys who?

Who has higher status, an employer or an employee? Who obeys who?

Who has higher status, a parent or his children? Who obeys who?

In actuality, civilians follow and obey the Law, it doesn't matter who is enforcing it, whether it be a Cop, Meter-Maid, or Crossing Guard and if I called the authorities and tell them that my neighbor's music is too loud, they will follow my request and confront the neighbor, so who's obeying who?

Teacher or Student? Well, you can look at it as the teacher being employed by the student to teach, via tuition. Without the student paying his tuituion, the teacher will be unemployed.

Just my take on it.

[BushBaby]

This post started 14 days ago & this is the first time I have visited it. Why??? Because I think (rightly or wrongly) that these 'Polls' are introduced just to try & give NALS a social standing in his own mind here which is certainly not richly deserved.

What a load of baloney & what CRASS assumptions the man makes@!!
A policeman does NOT have influence over me - the LAW does. As an (supposedly) upholder of the law, I generally secede to the policeman's request (note 'REQUEST' - never 'INSTRUCTION'), but where the Policeman is in error on the law, will 'influence' him ion to the correct interpretation of the law. Now who has the higher social standing? The one with the POWER or the one with the INFLUENCE? The one with the power ir the one with the (albeit slightly) higher intellect?

ME do as Robert & Dolores say???? Think again Sunshine - we go back YEARS & have argued many times & on many subjects! This does not relate solely to DR1 either as Dolores might recall!

If I do not agree with the general principles of what is being 'said', 'done' I move off elsewhere, so who has the greater power - them or ME?? AS the ONLY one who has direct control over MY actions & reactions, I am the one with the power to rejoin (under a new name & identity) or leave as is my want!!

I think we have all missed one salient point with this crass poll - it says 'In the area that you live'! In the area that I live I am possibly lower middle class in that there are very powerful (but not necessarily higher or better class) people all around me. In another less influential area I would probably have been seen as much more an 'Upper Class' type of guy. IF NALS is referring to the COUNTRY that I live in, my social standing is totally irrelevant in that I am hardly noticed in the greater picture of things & being 'Lower', 'Middle' or 'Upper' class has very little bearing (if any) upon the masses.

Please NALs = if you are going to put polls together to try & influence my view about others on this board, put a LOT more work into the preparatory stage. At the moment 95% or higher of the polls posted are so very poorly thought out & just reduce your social standing (& therefore POWER according to you) on this forum. I am now going to exercise MY power by going back to ignoring the polls section! ~ Grahame.

[bdaric]

I believe you give up part of your freedom of being whomever you like by allowing yourself to be sucked into these polls, possibly devised by those who wish to seperate people from each other.
Humans seem to love to do this to each other.
Always seeking out the differences rather than the similiarities between people.
If its not race, its religion. If its not poor or rich, its low or high IQ. If its not can you read or write, its which college or university.
Even the rich get bitchy over do they have old money or are they dotcom millionaires. Whose got the best car, yacht blah , blah, blah.....
How about rather than spend time on this "intellectual" crap, just get a life?

[cobraboy]

Originally Posted by bdaric

Always seeking out the differences rather than the similiarities between people.
If its not race, its religion. If its not poor or rich, its low or high IQ. If its not can you read or write, its which college or university.

Or over SUV's

[aegap]

I came to this thread a minute ago hoping that I would find a reply by the CCCCCCCC. I am disappointed I didn't find not one nor any.