Stanley Milgram’s study showed us that if we are obedient and follow orders and rules like everyone else, we can become mindless at times and not realize how much our actions can hurt others. His study was mainly created off of World War II soldiers claiming they were following orders during the war, yet they were murdering innocent people every day by the thousands. In this study designed by Milgram, deviance is looked at in more detail. The study consisted of two parts, a learner and a teacher.
The teacher was to ask the learner questions, and if they answered incorrectly, the teacher would shock them with an electrical current. Every time the learner answered another question incorrectly, the voltage of the shock would increase. The goal of this study was to see how far the teacher would go, in terms of the voltage, and to see how long he would allow the learner to be shocked for.. Milgram believed his study would show how people will follow orders if given in a work type environment, as they are being paid and ordered to electrocute the other person.
Milgram knew that most people will not deviate and will follow orders, regardless of how brutal it seems. People are more likely to follow orders given by an authority figure, even to the extent of killing an innocent human being. Milgram’s theory is correct because obedience to authority, and being normal while following the rules is ingrained in us all from the way we are raised.
The implications of Milgram’s findings for society show that normal people tend to obey orders from other people if they believe to see their ruling or authority as morally right or as a leader. This response to legitimate authority is learned in a variety of situations in the family, school, and workplace. In this study, Milgram proved how easily manipulated and seemingly careless society can be if an authority figure is calling for actions, even the most deviant and cruel actions
During class, multiple examples of inequality from race to wealth were touched upon. In the article “Costs of Inequality”, which was discussed in class, examples of racial and wealth inequality are shown in detail. Firstly, the United States has one of the lowest life expectancy of many countries, which can lead to many more problematic issues. We tend to have the lowest rates of life because we have the highest prices for healthcare. People that earn a low income will have a very hard time receiving the appropriate health care in the United States, and without the appropriate healthcare, life expectancy will most certainly decrease.
As seen in films viewed in class as well as everyday life, the United States is home to many different ethnicities, but for some reason, whites are still treated to a higher standard. The article comes to state that people of African American decent will have a much harder time getting health coverage for a heart attack than your average white person.
In another article titled ‘Race and Economic Opportunities in the United States”, it goes into more detail about just how much race and gender has to do with the amount of opportunities you will have in the United States. First, it goes on to say that if you are from African American or Indian descent, your upward mobility rates will be much lower, meaning that if you are born into a low-income family, you will most likely stay low income yourself throughout your life. A statistic is given stating that 99% of neighborhoods of white men will earn more than black men for doing the same job. Looking at all the black and white gaps give many shocking statements, and it seems to be that the blacks will almost always have the disadvantage.
George Carlin said “It’s called the American Dream, because you have to be asleep to believe it.” Carlin’s view was correct because most average employers are conceited, and don’t care about others, so what makes us think big corporations or politicians truly care about us and our needs? As Carlin says, “They want obedient workers. Obedient workers, people who are just smart enough to run the machines and do the paperwork. And just dumb enough to passively accept all these increasingly shitty jobs with the lower pay, the longer hours, the reduced benefits, the end of overtime and vanishing pension that disappears the minute you go to collect it, and now they’re coming for your Social Security money.” Hardly anyone really makes it in the United States due to these factors, and many more, especially because of the politicians in our country.
The politicians use us for our money, and time to benefit them, not the entire country as a whole, and what benefits them. Therefore, the American Dream is almost impossible to obtain if people are held back as much as they are today by taxes, lies from the government, and conceited higher officials who clearly only care about their well being and none of the lower class’ needs. This example shown in the film class divide we watched in class. In the film, the first 15 minutes were taken up by impoverished people explaining how how they are no longer cared for, and pushed aside for the wealthier population in Manhattan. The movie instilled how cruel the government can be to the lower class, as there were different doors made for the poor and wealthy in one apartment complex. In the movie, there was a real estate agent who showed apartments in the $3 million to $15 million range as he disgustingly boasts that in any hot market, like the one the movie is based upon, some residents must move because of rising costs: “That’s what happens.”
In the PBS film “Sick Around the World”, a total of five countries and their healthcare plans are discussed. The two I will be discussing are Great Britain and Japan. First, Great Britain has a National health care system (NHS). NHS will cover every citizens payments and bills, and no citizen will ever have to pay a medical bill or even a single copay. This technique works by paying out of tax revenue, and the fact that the government owns the hospitals. This strategy also ensures that there will never be any medical bankruptcy, as seen in the United States quite frequently. Great Britain’s medical system sounds like a dream compared to ours, but, there are some serious downsides. An example of this would be that the people of Great Britain pay much higher taxes, as well as much higher wait times to get in for surgery.
The wait times being so much longer for surgeries are due to the fact that everyone can be treated. But, the only reason America has a short wait time for surgeries is because most people can’t afford them! Great Britain obviously won’t have these issues, so the list to get in for a surgery is longer. Another unique factor for Great Britain with mixed opinions on it is the Gatekeepers they use. Before going to a hospital, Britain’s must go to a gatekeeper, which is basically a tiny hospital with just one doctor, before being able to go to an actual hospital. This can be an extremely negative thing, depending on if the situation is urgent or not. Another downfall to this service is that since it’s so inexpensive and appointments are not needed, a lot of people will show up to the doctors for reasons not needing care, wasting time. For example, if a patient has a slight stomach ache, they could go see the doctor for free, taking away the time from a patient who really needs to see the doctor. Obviously, not having to pay medical bills or copays outweigh the United States healthcare, but i’m not so sure the downfalls of this service are worth it.
In Japan, the second richest country in the world, the health care seems to be solid. It states to have an outstanding 130 million people healthy and the longest life expectancy, and the system covers everyone. The Japanese don’t pay through taxes, the government simply pays for everyone, even the poor. Premium costs are only $280 with the provider paying at least half. 80% of the hospitals in Japan are claimed private, and the Japanese visit the hospitals three times as much as Americans, just to make sure they are in healthy standing, and appointments are necessary for these visits, which can be as short as three minutes.
When a hospital stay is needed for a patient, the hospital stays are much longer and much cheaper, and they also have eight times the amount of technology compared to the United States. All the services have fixed prices by the Government, and they are extremely cheap. A one-night stay in a double room costs only $10, while a single bedroom still only costing $90 per night. An MRI in the United States costs $1200, while it only costs $98 in Japan. Japan has learned how to make machines that cost much less than the United States, also using the technique of saving money. Because of their outstanding ability to produce such quality machinery for so cheap, we have begun buying these products from Japan, making them even richer. As we know, nothing can be perfect, so some problems do come.
For example, doctors go through rigorous amounts of school, and since everything in Japan is so cheap, doctors are unable to become wealthy and earn the money they deserve. There are also no profits that come along with this system, and they pay into a social insurance system. Another problem is that Japan is making too little money. Again, since the government sets prices, Doctors sometimes are underpaid for their work. Due to this, they will have to work around the clock to make half as much as an American doctor. So, although it is better for the people, the doctors are negatively impacted by the prices set by the government.
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