Matrix Of Inequality Research Paper

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Inequality in the United States varies widely. The difference in the treatment of people has been a problem since there has been a gathering of people into societies. In 1754, philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau wrote about the inequality of men in his work entitled “Discourse on the origin and basis of inequality among men.” In this work, Rousseau talks about two types of inequality, the physical or natural type and the ethical or moral type of inequality. He was unconcerned with the first type which he stated was the difference in things such as one man’s physical prowess over another. He was interested in the second, the ethical or moral type of inequality. Inequality among people, he stated, was due to the acquisition of private property. Rousseau states that civil society is a trick played on those who have little or nothing by those who have power and wealth so that they can maintain their power and wealth. He also states that the fruits of the earth belong to …show more content…

They share similarities and one sometimes happens as a direct result of the other. According to Anderson and Collins (2010), “neither race nor class nor gender operate alone.” All things work together to form what is referred to as “the Matrix of Domination.” The Matrix includes other factors in addition to race, class and gender, such as ethnicity, age, sexuality, any disabilities that may be present, even the location of where one lives. These factors are all interrelated with each being a socially created category. These categories, or groups, are composed of opposites (rich/poor, man/woman, black/white, gay/straight, etc.) which creates the “otherness” that one can feel when different from a group as a whole. Most people do not end up on the side of being very rich or very poor randomly. It is to a great extent dependent on the group in which they

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