#achievedposition

[gwanth1002]

The two terms that apply to this picture are: “patriarchy” and “achieved position”. This is a picture of the Capitol in Washington, DC, where congress meets to discuss and argue laws. In the Miller textbook, the word patriarchy means “the dominance of men in economic, political, social, and ideological domains” (Miller, 144). A quick google search leads me to a 2015 article (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2015/01/05/the-new-congress-is-80-percent-white-80-percent-male-and-92-percent-christian/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.7cc303283dcd) that states that congress is 80% male. I believe this has always been the case in the United States. In fact, even the declaration of independence states that “all men are created equal”, further contributing to the fact that our American society is dominated by men throughout the domains cited in the textbook.

The next work that applies is achieved position (Miller, 144). This term is defined as “a person’s standing in society is based on qualities that the person has gained through action”. Both the men and women in congress need to have done impressive things to get to their position. Many were lawyers or local politicians before getting to this position, therefore they had to rise up to this prestigious position through their work and action.

[gwanth1002]

In the Miller Cultural Anthropology textbook, the term achieved position is defined as “a person’s standing in society based on qualities that the person has gained through action” (Miller 140). This photo of the White House represents a president’s achieved position as the highest official in the United States. In order to become president, one should have respectable qualities and has demonstrated through action that she/he is capable of becoming the president. President Obama is a good example as having an achieved position that he gained through his intelligence and well-respected actions. If I were to conduct further research, I would like to understand why some people have risen high with low achievements and have been able to obtain honorable positions although not qualified. 

The textbook defines the term social stratification as “a set of hierarchical relationships among different groups as though they were arranged in layers, or ‘strata’” (Miller 139). While the White House represents achieved position, it can also represent the social stratification in America. The unequal divide between race and class means that some groups hold more power, education, and human welfare like Miller describes. And the people working in the White House and other branches of the government are either fighting for this divide or against it. Therefore, with the current president and party, the White House can be seen to represent the top layer (1%) of people in America. Already knowing most of the history behind why America’s social stratification is the way it is, I would like to know what the social stratification is like in non-Western cultures.

[gwanth1002]

Social stratification is defined as a set of hierarchical relationships among different groups as though they were arranged in layers (Miller, p218). This photo is a very cute girl at the Gallery of Art. The fancy outfit she wore represents good economic standing. Besides that, the motivation of parents for bringing her there can also reflect the high cultural quality of them. While in China, there are a huge amount of children who cannot afford the price of school, who do not have the educational resources at all. Even some of them need to worry about the resource of foods and clothes. The children who born in rural areas may not have the chance to visit the gallery of art during their lifetime. The social mobility in China has highly restricted the growth of the next generation in the rural area regardless of the economic development in recent years. It takes extremely hard time and the significant amount of efforts for their parents who have little knowledge to support their children improve their life standard, to improve their social status. It is impossible nowadays for a farmer to step into the middle class of China. Education might be one of the solutions, but there are fewer and fewer students from rural area entering into the top universities of China. On the contrary, there are more and more children lived in cities getting the chance to study abroad. Huge efforts are needed in order to achieve the movement of social stratification.

Achieved position is described as a person’s standing in society based on qualities that the person has gained through action（Miller, p218）. The Ambassador of China to the United of America, Mr. Cui Tiankai, also known as the great examples for improvement and development coming from education. He was born in a family with low income, and cannot even afford his education. While he struggled and tried his best to get the qualification to enter into the best diplomatic school in China. During his role in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, he is also known as the most hard-working person in the ministry. He undertook various of the difficult tasks and finished them with the appreciation of the minister. After 20 years, he became the vice minister of ministry of foreign affairs, then he got the role of the Ambassador of China to the United States. I think it is the perfect example of the achieved position.

[gwanth1002]

Key words: Status and Achieved Position

 This picture was taken outside of the Elliott School of International Affairs in front of the 7/11 and across the street from the GSA Federal Credit Union. Usually in the mornings, there is a homeless man in front of the 7/11 commonly asking students or anyone who passes by for money. This exemplifies status as the homeless man would be deemed lower of lower status compared to those who pass by him. Status is defined as a person’s position or standing in society. It is determined by factors such as individuals’ lifestyles, the goods they own, their leisure activities, as well as their linguistic styles. By this framework of status, the homeless man would be deemed of lower status because he does not own many goods, has a lifestyle of begging, and relies on others for his wellbeing. Additionally, his speech is marked by slang and incorrect use of the English language that can be associated with the linguistic styles of the less fortunate. Other measures that would define status would include education, power, and material resources. I would infer that the homeless man does not necessarily have much power over his current life or a substantial enough education to provide him ease in finding a job.

In stark contrast to the homeless man, across the street there is the looming GSA Federal Credit Union where the individuals who walk in mirror each other with similar business suits and briefcases. These individuals may be deemed of higher status as they likely have similar characteristics of higher education, more prominent lifestyles, and a larger consumption of material goods. The GSA workers may also provide an example of achieved position as defined as a person’s standing in society based on qualities that the person has gained through action. If the GSA workers have gained their jobs through their own hard work and efforts, they would be examples of individuals with achieved positions. This means the individuals have gained access into the GSA group through their own achievements. This could mean the individuals’ succeeded in the academic world, went to well ranked colleges, and successfully curated meaningful resumes for the GSA position.