Social Welfare Policy Analysis

1. Social Welfare Policy Analysis A POWER POINT PRESENTATION FEATURING THE LATEST IN TECHNOLOGICAL WIZARDRY AND PEDAGOGICAL LEDGERDEMAIN I MUST BE IN THE WRONG CELL BLOCK! ARE WE GOING TO HAVE TO LISTEN TO THIS STUFF FOR A WHOLE SEMESTER! SSW GRAD STUDENT TERMINATION SCHEDULE NEVER THOUGHT I’D SEE THE DAY! A MAGNUM FORCE PRODUCTION I THOUGHT SOME GUY WAS TEACHING THIS CLASS WAIT A MINUTE! ISN’T THIS STATS 800?

2. Credit This PowerPoint and the commentary is compliments of DAVID H. KATZ, PH.D., MSU SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK. It is available in the public domain.

3. MODULE I CRITICAL THINKING

4. JANE ADDAMS MEMORIAL by MITCHELL SIPORIN ILLINOIS FEDERAL ARTS PROJECT, WORKS PROJECT ADMINISTRATIONS (WPA), 1936

5. WHY START A COURSE ON SOCIAL WELFARE POLICY (SWP) WITH AN “ART” SLIDE? BECAUSE… • IT’S BEAUTIFUL, AND BEAUTY IS ITS OWN JUSTIFICATION. • JANE ADDAMS IS THE GREATEST HERO IN THE HISTORY OF SOCIAL WORK, AND, LIKE OTHER PEOPLE, SOCIAL WORKERS NEED HEROES TO INSPIRE THEM. • THE MURAL PROVES THAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ONCE SPENT MONEY ON BEAUTIFUL THINGS THAT DENOUNCED THE UGLY THINGS: WAR, SEXISM, RACISM, AND CLASS OPPRESSION. • IN POLITICAL ALLIANCE WITH OTHERS, SOCIAL WORKERS NEED TO REDOUBLE THE FIGHT AGAINST THOSE UGLY THINGS. • LEARNING ABOUT SOCIAL WELFARE POLICY CAN HELP TO PREPARE YOU TO PARTICIPATE IN THAT STRUGGLE.

6. WHY MODULE I IS IMPORTANT (1) • VIRTUALLY ALL SOCIAL SCIENCE/SOCIAL POLICY RESEARCH IS STEEPED IN, BUT NOT NECESSARILY LABELED AS, EITHER MAINSTREAM OR RADICALTHINKING. THAT IS, SOCIAL WORK AND, MORE GENERALLY, SOCIAL SCIENCE ARE INHERENTLY POLITICAL IN NATURE, INSOFAR AS THEY INVOLVE POWER RELATIONSHIPS, AS INDEED DOES ALL OF HUMAN LIFE. • IT IS THEREFORE ESSENTIAL THAT YOU LEARN TO IDENTIFY AND ASSESS THESE DIVERGENT APPROACHES AND DECIDE WHICH OFFERS BETTER INSIGHTS INTO THE COMPLEX POLICY ISSUES DEALT WITH IN THIS CLASS. IN OTHER WORDS, YOU MUST LEARN TO THINK CRITICALLY!

7. WHY MODULE I IS IMPORTANT (2) ANOTHER WAY OF STATING THIS SAME POINT IS TO SAY THAT…. IF CRITICAL THINKING IS A KEY TO UNDERSTANDING SOCIAL WELFARE POLICY, THEN UNDERSTANDING THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MAINSTREAM & RADICAL THINKING IS THE KEY TO CRITICAL THINKING.

8. ARE YOU A MAINSTREAM OR OR A RADICAL THINKER? LET’S SEE WHICH OF THESE APPROACHES BEST REFLECTS THE WAY YOU LOOK AT THE WORLD!

9. THE U.S. POLITICAL SPECTRUM U.S. VIEW OF THE POLITICAL SPECTRUM LEFTRIGHT LIBERALCONSERVATIVE (New Deal/Great Society) (Reagan/Bush) THE POLITICAL SPECTRUM VIEWED FROM ABROAD RADICALMAINSTREAM RIGHT LEFT MARXIST SOCIAL DEMOCRATIC LIBERAL CONSERVATIVE MONARHCHIST FASCIST (CRITICAL) * (INSTITUTIONAL)* THAT IS, VIEWED FROM OUTSIDE THE U.S., AMERICAN POLITICAL DIVISIONS SEEM VERY NARROW: RATHER THAN BEING DIAMETRICAL OPPOSITES, AS AMERICANS GENERALLY BELIEVE, LIBERALISM AND CONSERVATISM ARE SEEN AS NOT THAT DIFFERENT FROM ONE ANOTHER---IN OTHER WORDS, AS BEING TWO FACETS OF THE SAME MAINSTREAM. THE MEANING OF THESE DISTINCTIONS WILL BECOME CLEARER AS WE LOOK AT THESE CONCEPTS MORE CLOSELY. *ALTERNATE TERMS USED IN THE ASSIGNED TEXT CHAPTERS.

10. WHAT LIBERALS AND CONSERVATIVES SHARE AMERICAN POLITICAL MAINSTREAM CONSERVATISM LIBERALISM

11. MAINSTREAM U.S. POLITICAL THINKING: A SUMMARY (1) • LIBERALS AND CONSERVATIVES BOTH BELIEVE THAT IDEAS ULTIMATELY DETERMINE SOCIAL REALITY. THUS, OUR ECONOMIC & POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS WERE INSPIRED BY AND CREATED TO PRACTICE, PROMOTE, & DEFEND THE IDEAS OF DEMOCRACY, FREE ENTERPRISE, & EQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY. • WHILE OUR IDEAS AND VALUES REFLECT OUR NATIONAL EXPERIENCE, AND FUEL OUR PERSONAL ASPIRATIONS, THEIR VALUE IS REALLY UNIVERSAL. WE AND OTHER PEOPLES CHERISH THEM BECAUSE THEY “WORK.”

12. MAINSTREAM: A SUMMARY (2) • POPULAR ACCEPTANCE OF POWERFUL IDEAS/VALUES, LIKE THOSE JUST CITED, CONSTITUTES SOCIAL PROGRESS. SUCH IDEAS ALWAYS EXIST IN THE ABSTRACT, BUT THEIR ONGOING INCORPORATION INTO “REAL LIFE” DEMONSTRATES THAT HUMANKIND IS INDEED EVOLVING TOWARDS A HIGHER LEVEL. • THE U.S. HAS BEEN THE WORLD’S MORAL AND POLITICAL LEADER BECAUSE ITS IDEAS AND VALUES HAVE REPEATEDLY PROVEN TO BE THE CORRECT ONES---THEY HAVE BEEN MORE EFFECTIVE IN PROMOTING HUMAN BETTERMENT THAN ANY IN HISTORY.

13. MAINSTREAM: A SUMMARY (3) UNDEMOCRATIC POLITICAL IDEAS On the other hand, LEAD TO … UNDEMOCRATIC AND ROTTEN RESULTS

14. THE MAINSTREAM CONCEPTIONS OF POLITICS:A NATIONAL DIALOGUE IN IDEAS • Political campaigning is ostensibly about ideas: candidates are supposed to present their ideas so that we voters can decide who is better prepared to lead the country. • That politics has descended into mere “personality contests” is thus widely deplored, precisely because it deprives voters of rational choices among competing ideas. • A further specifically American presumption is that liberalism and conservatism are the only appropriate idea frameworks (“ideologies”) for policy proposals. (Elsewhere, as noted in slide 30, the ideological spectrum tends to be wider.) • Both ideologies are thus squarely within the mainstream by world standards, and both share key assumptions about social and political reality.

15. MAINSTREAM POLITICAL IDEAS: LIBERALISM AND CONSERVATISM THE POLITICAL SUBSETS OF AMERICAN MAINSTREAMISM WHILE LIBERALISM AND CONSERVATISM ACCEPT THE SAME BASIC GENERAL ORIENTATION, THEY DO DIFFER ON THE FOLLOWING SPECIFICS: • LIBERALISM • EXPANDED SOCIAL WELFARE POLICIES • GREATER EQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY • ENHANCED GOVERNMENT REGULATION, AS • NECESSARY FOR SOCIETY AS A WHOLE • REDUCED CORPORATE INFLUENCE VIA CAMPAIGN • LAW CHANGES AND OTHER REFORMS • PROGRESSIVE TAXATION • STRONG ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONSIM • CONSERVATISM • MAXIMUM FEASIBLE SWP PRIVATIZATION • SOCIAL MOBILITY VIA INDIVIDUAL EFFORT • REDUCED GOVERNMENT REGULATION IN • FAVOR OF MARKET MECHANISMS • PROMOTION OF CORPORATE PROFITS AND • MINIMAL CHANGES IN CAMPAIGN LAWS • “FLATTER” TAXES • WEAKER ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONS

16. CONSERVATISM • CONSERVATIVES BELIEVE THAT ADOPTION OF THEIR IDEAS RESULT IN MORE EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE GOVERNMENT. • THEY ARE CONVINCED THAT GOVERNMENT ECO INTERVENTION SHOULD BE MINIMIZED, SO THAT EACH INDIVIDUAL HAS BOTH THE DISCRETION AND OBLIGATION TO PARTICIPATE IN OUR FREE MARKET SYSTEM.

17. LIBERALISM • LIBERALS (SOMETIMES CALLED “PROGRESSIVES,” A CATEGORY THAT INCLUDES MOST SOCIAL WORKERS) ARE LIKEWISE CONVINCED IN THE MORAL AND LOGICAL SUPERIORITY OF THEIR IDEAS. • THEY CONTEND THAT GOVERNMENT SHOULD PURSUE EQUAL INDIVIDUAL OPPORTUNITY AND SOMEWHAT GREATER EQUALITY OF OUTCOME; IN OTHER WORDS, THAT GOVERNMENT SHOULD HELP TO MAXIMIZE SOCIAL MOBILITY, WHILE LIMITING THE GAP BETWEEN RICH & POOR. “CHALLENGING INJUSTICE,” AS ADVOCATED BY THE NASW CODE, IS THUS A TYPICAL EXPRESSION OF THE LIBERAL CREDO.

18. LIBERALISM VERSUS CONSERVATISM: SPECIFIC ISSUES LET’S LOOK AT SOME SPECIFIC ISSUES IN ORDER TO ILLUSTRATE THE COMMON MAINSTREAM WAY OF INTERPRETING SOCIAL REALITY. FOR EXAMPLE…

19. A MAINSTREAM VIEW OF SOCIAL WORK SOCIAL WORK IS ABOUT 1. HELPING TO EMPOWER INDIVIDUAL PEOPLE SO THAT THEY HAVE GREATER CONTROL OVER THEIR LIVES. 2. PROVIDING THERAPY TO THOSE INDIVIDUALS IN NEED OF SUCH SERVICES. 3. SUPPORTING PASSAGE OF PROGRESSIVE SWPS IN ORDER TO PROMOTE DIVERSITY, SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EQUALITY.

20. A MAINSTREAM EXAMPLE: INDIVIDUALISM (1) The following illustration shows how one key mainstream value, individualism, helps to shape our institutions. From a mainstream perspective, our whole lives are quite appropriately based on the individualist “ethos,” whereby each person (“individual”) is responsible for his/her fate. Those who fail accordingly do so because they lack the “right stuff.” This belief necessarily obstructs sympathy for the poor, whom many (a majority of?) affluent Americans conclude have the “wrong stuff” as individuals. Hence their poverty is perceived as merited.

21. MAINSTREAM THINKING AND INDIVIDUALISM (2) ALL OUR INSTITUTIONS ARE BASED ON THIS BELIEF IN INDIVIDUALISM THAT THE INDIVIDUAL IS THE THE FUNDAMENTAL UNIT OF SOCIETY IS THE PIVOTAL IDEA IN AMERICAN SOCIETY

22. ANOTHER EXAMPLE: RACISM (1) Here again, the outlook should be familiar, not least because most Americans essentially share the same mainstream view on this sensitive subject.

23. MAINSTREAM INTERPRETATION OF RACISM (2) Racism is basically an expression of people’s ignorance; an egregious example of what happens when they have the wrong ideas about social reality. To cure it we need to educate the ignorant, so that they understand that people of color are no different in any essential respect from the white majority. Once this truth is absorbed, then Americans of all colors can stop hating and start cooperating. In the meantime, the government needs to pass appropriate laws banning discrimination. Social workers can do their part by promoting diversity and doing more to recruit people of color into the profession

24. SOUND FAMILIAR? • IF MAINSTREAM VIEWS, AS PRESENTED THUS FAR, SOUND FAMILIAR, THAT’S BECAUSE THEY ARE INDEED… MAINSTREAM! • THAT IS, MOST AMERICANS MOST OF THE TIME THINK IN MAINSTREAM WAYS---SO MUCH SO THAT IT NEVER OCCURS TO MOST OF THEM THAT THERE ARE INDEED OTHER WAYS OF UNDERSTANDING REALITY.

25. RADICALISM (1) ALTHOUGH OFTEN SUBTLE AND COMPLEX, THE RADICAL VIEW OF REALITY WAS ESSENTIALLY SUMMARIZED BY KARL MARX, ITS LEADING EXPONENT, AS FOLLOWS:

26. THE RADICAL VIEW OF REALITY (2) “THE IDEAS OF THE RULING CLASS ARE IN EVERY EPOCH THE RULING IDEAS, I.E., THE CLASS WHICH IS THE RULING MATERIAL FORCE IN SOCIETY IS AT THE SAME TIME ITS RULING INTELLECTUAL FORCE. THE CLASS WHICH HAS AT ITS DISPOSAL THE MATERIAL MEANS OF PRODUCTION, HAS CONTROL AT THE SAME TIME OVER THE MEANS OF MENTAL PRODUCTION, SO THAT THEREBY, GENERALLY SPEAKING, THOSE WHO LACK THE MEANS OF MENTAL PRODUCTION ARE SUBJECT TO IT.” KARL MARX, THE GERMAN IDEOLOGY Famous philosopher

27. RADICALISM (3) TRANSLATED AT A RELATIVELY CRUDE LEVEL, MARX WAS SAYING SOMETHING SIMILAR TO THE OBSERVATION ATTRIBUTED TO, A.J. LIEBLING, AN OLD-STYLE NEW YORK NEWSPAPERMAN: “FREEDOM OF THE PRESS BELONGS TO THOSE WHO OWN ONE”

28. SO WHO DOES OWN THE MEDIA, ANYWAY? “A POPULAR GOVERNMENT WITHOUT POPULAR INFORMATION, OR THE MEANS OF ACQUIRING IT, IS BUT A PROLOGUE TO A FARCE OR A TRAGEDY, OR PERHAPS BOTH.” JAMES MADISON (1822) “READ ALL ABOUT IT!” • U.S. BOOK PUBLISHING IS NOW DOMINATED BY 7 FIRMS • U.S. NEWSPAPER PUBLISHING IS NOW DOMINATED BY 6 FIRMS • U.S. CABLE TELEVISION IS NOW DOMINATED BY 6 FIRMS • IN 1900 THE U.S. SOCIALIST PARTY HAD TWO MILLION MEMBERS AND PUBLISHED 325 NEWSPAPERS AND MAGAZINE; IN 2000 THERE IS NO SOCIALIST PARTY AND ONLY A HANDFUL OF RADICAL PUBLICATIONS • IN 1989 THE LARGEST SITDOWN STRIKE IN 30 YEARS (IN PITTSON, VA.) WAS VIRTUALLY UNREPORTED

29. A WORD FROM AN EXPERT “To a large extent, the absence of informed…politics reflects the power of U.S. media corporations to control and dominate…[political] debate. The corporate media may well be the most powerful adversary in the ranks of capital. They control what the general public sees and reads about the political process in the United States. Critical discussion of media structure is the last thing they want the general public to consider….” Robert W. McChesney Leading media analyst

30. RADICALS (4) • In other words, radicals believe that the creation, selection, and reception of ideas is by no means a neutral process, but rather reflects the outlook of the political and economic elite, whose ownership and/or control of the “means of mental production”---not only the “media” but the schools at all levels, as well as related institutions like advertising---assure that their views are likely to be accepted by the average person. • Thus, rather than incorporating universal meanings, as mainstreamers believe, ideas such as “democracy,” “freedom, “ and “equality”reflect and reinforce the specific class relations of capitalist society: e.g., we only are taught and therefore only understand “democracy” as it exists under capitalist conditions, which is in turn only one---and, from the Marxian perspective, one distinctly limited---form of democracy. • Alternative understandings of “democracy” and other basic concepts are, as a practical matter, simply not provided with much exposure.

31. RADICALISM (5) • It is very important to understand, however, that “bourgeois ideology,” whether in its liberal or conservative form, is NOT part of some crude capitalist “conspiracy.” Although ideas threatening to the status quo are generally excluded from the mass media and school system, the rich do not secretly get together to “put one over” on the rest of us---such a notion is a childish oversimplification of how capitalism really works. • Instead, most people understand that certain ideas are acceptable while others are not. Even when familiar with the latter (which is often not the case), people who make their living communicating ideas are alert to the need to censor themselves lest expressions of “unorthodoxy” result in punishments, such as firing or, in the case of academics, denial of tenure. Power in “democratic” capitalist societies is thus generally wielded in a subtle, indirect way. Instead of squelching “dangerous” ideas outright, the powerful depend on their underlings to be smart enough not to raise “awkward” issues in the first place. “Subversive” ideas are thereby excluded from everyday discourse, so that, as a practical matter, they might as well not exist at all! The result is that most people most of the time just assume that the way they live is the way they must live; there are no alternatives worth bothering about, especially since daily pressures generally preclude consideration of such possibilities. It is only when the economy goes into crisis that people may begin to consider alternatives.

32. MAINSTREAMISM AND RADICALISM: A COMPARISON MAINSTREAMISM Ideas like “democracy” and “freedom” are universals. Ideas are accepted or rejected on the basis of reason. Conservatism and liberalism constitute the entire range of sensible and acceptable social and political discourse; anything outside these ways of thinking is unacceptable because it is neither intellectually sensible nor politically practicable. RADICALISM The meaning of such ideas is dependent on specific political and historical circumstances. Mass acceptance or rejection depends more on power than on reason. Indeed, a group or class has power to the extent that ideas reflecting its outlook & interests (e.g., about what constitutes “democracy”) are widely accepted. Although pervasive in the U.S., conservatism & liberalism are merely two sides of the same capitalist (“bourgeois”) coin. There are more insightful ways of understanding social reality.

33. AN RADICAL VIEW OF SOCIAL WORK SOCIAL WORK IS ABOUT • HELPING TO ASSURE POLITICAL “NORMALCY” BY FACILITATING THE INDIVIDUAL TO ADJUST TO RATHER THAN QUESTION AN UNJUST STATUS QUO. 2. ACTING AS THE COERCIVE AGENTS OF AN INEQUITABLE SYSTEM WHICH CREATES THE VERY PROBLEMS---NOTABLY, POVERTY, RACISM, CRIME, ADDICTION, ETC.---THAT SOCIAL WORKERS OSTENSIBLY SEEK TO COMBAT. IT FOLLOWS THAT SOCIAL WORKERS MUST ATTEND TO THE DISEASE ITSELF RATHER THAN MERELY TO ITS SYMPTONS. 3. SUPPORTING PASSAGE OF SOCIAL WELFARE POLICIES THAT DO LITTLE OR NOTHING TO ADDRESS THE UNDERLYING “STRUCTURAL” PROBLEM---NAMELY, THE OVERWHELMING CAPITALIST ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL POWER.

34. A RADICAL DEPICTION OF INDIVIDUALISM RADICALS CONTEND THAT IN OUR SOCIETY BOTH PEOPLE AND INSTITUTIONS, ARE SHAPED TO REFLECT THE ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL INTERESTS OF SOCIETY’S RICHEST AND MOST POWERFUL ELEMENTS--- FUNDAMENTALLY, THE CAPITALIST CLASS, WHICH OWNS AND CONTROLS MOST OF THE WEALTH CREATED BY SOCIETY AS A WHOLE. THE FOLLOWING TWO SLIDES EXPLAIN RADICAL THINKING IN MORE DETAIL

35. A RADICAL DEPICTION OF INDIVIDUALISM Under capitalism, people beliefs about the “good life” reflects the values of the capitalist class, which controls institutional life through its ownership of the means of production.The result is that all institutions function in accordance w/capitalist economic and political priorities. What Americans call “individualism” is thus merely the necessary adaptations we must make to the conditions of life under capitalism. These are celebrated by the capitalist media as invigoratingly competitive and joyfully consumerist, and are promoted in the schools as “self-reliant individualism.” In reality, however, we have no choice but to accommodate to the institutional life of this society, since this is the only way we are able to survive. The next slide takes a closer look at this process.

36. A RADICAL DEPICTION OF INDIVIDUALISM Our institutional life is controlled by those who own and control the productive wealth (“capital”) of society. Ultimately, all ideas, values, and---yes, social welfare programs--- reflect capitalist interests and priorities, which are essentially the: 1) maintenance of social order and (2) nurturing conditions favorable to profit making (“a friendly business climate”). It is, for example, in the interest of the corporations---owned for the most part by the very rich---see module 4 for details) to keep labor costs down by encouraging a massive influx of cheap labor into the market, thereby depressing wages and keeping inflation under control. There are other ways to accomplish the same goal ---for example, a tax on luxury consumption---but these are opposed by the rich as threaten- ing to their wealth and political power. From the radical viewpoint,then, EVERY SOCIAL POLICY ISSUE FACING AMERICAN SOCIETY, AND EVERY MAINSTREAM SOLUTION TO THOSE ISSUES, IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER REFLECT THESE REALITIES, EVEN THO’ MOST OF US DON’TREALIZE THIS TO BE THE CASE. Racism constitutes a good illustration in this regard.

37. A RADICAL INTERPRETATION OF RACISM Black people have been ruthlessly exploited ever since they were brought here as slaves. Fundamentally, the situation of the black masses has yet to change. True, many blacks have been incorporated into the middle class (the “black bourgeoisie”), But most are still at the “end of the line” when it comes to job opportunities. (“Last hired, first fired.”) Thus, radicals calls attention to the role welfare recipients play in the economy: they are tossed into the labor market when times are good, so as to dampen wages, and tossed out when there aren’t enough jobs to go around. In short, capitalism breeds racism, whatever the prevailing ideas may contend. (For more on racism, see module 4.)

38. RACIAL PREJUDICE: ANOTHER LOOK MAINSTREAM VIEW RACISM RESULTS FROM IGNORNANCE: PEOPLE WOULD CEASE TO BE RACISTS IF THEY WERE PROPERLY EDUCATED IN THE MEANING OF BROTHERHOOD AND HAD A SCIENTIFIC UNDERSTANDING OF GENETICS AND HUMAN EVOLUTION. IN ADDITION TO ITS OTHER BENEFITS, RACIAL INTEGRATION GIVES PEOPLE THE CHANCE TO KNOW ONE ANOTHER ON A PERSONAL BASIS; THEIR IDEAS ABOUT RACE WILL CHANGE ONCE THEY INTERACT OVER AN EXTENDED PERIOD. RADICAL VIEW YES, IGNORANCE IS OF COURSE REFLECTED IN RACIAL ATTITUDES, BUT SO IS ECONOMICS! FOR EXAMPLE, WHITE RACISM ULTIMATELY DERIVES FROM FEARS THAT BLACKS THREATEN JOBS AND REAL ESTATE VALUES, AS WELL AS THE SOCIAL STATUS OF LOWER-MIDDLE CLASS WHITES, WHO WANT TO BELIEVE THEY ARE “SUPERIOR” TO BLACKS. IT DIVIDES PEOPLE FROM ONE ANOTHER, AND THEREFORE HELPS TO SUSTAIN THE STATUS QUO. IT FOLLOWS THAT RACIAL PREJUDICE WILL NOT DISAPPEAR UNTIL AND UNLESS THERE ARE ENOUGH DECENT JOBS FOR EVERYONE; OTHERWISE COMPETITION FOR THESE POSITIONS WILL CONTINUE TO GENERATE FEAR AND SUSPICION.

39. STILL NOT SURE WHETHER YOU AREA MAINSTREAMER OR A RADICAL? HERE’S SOME ADDITIONAL DETAILED STUFF TO HELP YOU DECIDE!

40. MAINSTREAMISM VS. RADICALISM: FURTHER COMMENTS • THE PRECEDING EXAMPLES IS JUST THAT: EXAMPLES OF HOW THE MAINSTREAM-RADICAL DISTINCTION CAN BE APPLIED TO VIRTUALLY ALL SOCIAL ISSUES. BECAUSE AMERICANS ARE SO ACCUSTOMED TO THINKING IN IDEALIST TERMS, IT RARELY OCCURS TO THEM THAT THERE IS ANOTHER (I.E., MATERIALIST) WAY OF UNDERSTANDING SOCIAL REALITY. YET IF THIS CLASS HAS ONE OVERRIDING LESSON, IT IS THE IMPORTANCE OF ACQUIRING SUCH UNDERSTANDING FOR REASONS PROVIDED IN EARLIER SLIDES. • NOTE, HOWEVER, THAT WHILE MAINSTREAM-RADICAL PARADIGMS ARE CONCEPTUALLY DISTINCT, THEY ARE, AS A PRACTICAL MATTER, INTERRELATED IN COMPLEX WAYS. THUS, ALL PEOPLE BELIEVE THEIR IDEAS ABOUT SOCIAL REALITY TO BE TRUE, BUT MOST RARELY REFLECT ON THE DEEPER ORIGINS OF THOSE IDEAS---THAT IS, WHY THEY BELIEVE AS THEY DO. • IN SHORT, UNDERSTANDING SOCIAL POLICY/SOCIAL REALITY REQUIRES A SUBTLE INTELLIGENCE CAPABLE OF GRASPING THE INTERRELATION OF IDEAS AND POWER. ACQUIRING SUCH UNDERSTANDING REQUIRES AN ALERT MIND INTERESTED IN HISTORY, SOCIAL SCIENCE, AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS.

41. DO YOU FIT THE BILL?

42. MAINSTREAMISM VS. RADICALISM: A NOTE FOR SOCIAL WORKERS • SOCIAL WORK STUDENTS CAN PERHAPS BETTER GRASP THESE DISTINCTIONS IF THEY THINK OF THEM IN PSYCHO-SOCIAL TERMS FAMILIAR TO THOSE WITH THERAPEUTIC TRAINING. • THUS, THE OBJECT OF THERAPY IS TO HELP CLIENTS UNDERSTAND THAT THEIR IDEAS ABOUT THEMSELVES (THEIR “SELF IMAGES”) DERIVE FROM THEIR FORMATIVEEXPERIENCES. IN OTHER WORDS, SELF-IMAGES HAVE CAUSES, AND THOSE CAUSES ULTIMATELY ARE ROOTED IN THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF ONE’S UPBRINGING AND EARLY RELATIONSHIPS. • IN THE SAME WAY, OUR SOCIAL UNDERSTANDINGS (E.G., WHAT IT MEANS TO BE AN AMERICAN, A SUCCESS, OR A MORALLY RESPONSIBLE PERSON) REFLECT THE SOCIAL CIRCUMSTANCES OF OUR UPBRINGING: THE SOCIAL VALUES INCULCATED BY THE FAMILY, MASS MEDIA, SCHOOLS, AND WHAT THE SOCIOLOGISTS CALL OTHER “SOCIALIZING INSTITUTIONS.” THE RESULT IS THAT WE RARELY REFLECT ON THE ECONOMIC INTERESTS SERVED BY THESE IDEAS OR HOW THESE IDEAS HELP TO BUTTRESS A HIGHLY INEGALITARIAN STATUS QUO. YET TO BE EFFECTIVE POLICY ADVOCATES FOR OUR CLIENTS, WE MUST ACQUIRE SUCH UNDERSTANDING---THAT IS, WE MUST LEARN TO THINK IN BOTH MAINSTREAM AND RADICAL FRAMES OF REFERENCE.

43. A THOUGHTFUL EXERCISE Use your new knowledge of mainstreamism and radicalism, to review some social policy or social welfare policy issue of interest to you. which viewpoint appears to provide the stronger case?