Harriet Martineau's View Of Capitalism

Karl Marx described that “all societies, past or present, have been divided between individuals who own and control the means of production” (Seidman, 2013). Marx believed that capitalism had a negative control over employees. Individuals who rely on their employment as a method of survival, to pay bills, buy food and other needs, become intent with their job, even if they dislike it. Many individuals like myself, do not complain about their job, because there is a constant need of a stable income. As a result of this need, one is not able to pursue something their interested in or desire. One of the main problems with capitalism was that “workers lost control over their labor” (Roberts 2015). For example referring back to attending work early,

She analyzed how both morals and manners kept order in society. Morals “referred to a society’s norm… [and the]…expectations for appropriate behaviors”(Roberts, 2015). While manners, “referred to stable patterns of interaction and behavior within a society”(Roberts, 2015). Martineau recognized that both morals and manners supported each other. Her perspective can be applied to my experiences of a classroom setting. Once the students walk into a classroom they take a seat in one of the desks that are usually facing the professor’s desk and the board. I have not seen one occasion where a student walks into class and sits in the professor’s desk, because that is not that norm. Once the professor begins to lecture the students sit quietly, and raise their hand when they have a question or a comment. These are all norms that students were taught since the begging of their education, and because of these norms I have seen respectable and stable behaviors in all of my courses. Also the expectations professors and students have for respectable behaviors supports and ensure that the same behavior becomes stable within the classes. This constant stable behavior that I have witnessed in all of my classes at CSUSM has allowed me to fully consecrate on the instructor, which has helped my grades become good and stable. I believe that Harriet Martineau would be impressed to see how her perspective of morals and manners are still followed today in the classroom