Thoughts on Readings 3/4/09

The Power Elite by C. Wright Mills

"The powers of ordinary men are circumscribed by the everyday worlds in which they live, yet even in these rounds of job, family and neighborhood they often seem driven by forces they can neither understand nor govern". (p. 3)

Written in 1956, this book explores the social structure and wide span of control of the so-called "power elite", a relatively small group of people who disproportionately control a large percentage of this country's wealth, privilege, political power and access to policy making that has major global consequences. It again is a reading that has many applications to what is happening in the U.S. of today, over 50 years after it was written.

Mills (a former Columbia University professor) delves into developing a theoretical framework for exactly WHO these elite are and how they are structured so differently in the United States because of the lack of an aristocracy and the historical lack of social organization around a feudal system.

"The Higher Circles" (Chapter 1) discussed the "triangle of power" in America among the economy, politics, and the military. Each member of the power elite makes individual decisions, but those decisions are influenced by the military, politics and/or big corporations. No member of this class has absolute unilateral power that is not impacted by the big institutions within which he operates. To quote Mills:

"The decisions of a handful of corporations bear upon military and political as well as upon economic developments around the world. The decisions of the military establishment rest upon and grievously affect political life as well as the very level of economic activity. The decisions made within the political domain determine economic activities and military programs". (p. 7)

He goes on to discuss how the political institutions (government) sometimes will use their wealth and power to regulate a faltering economy. This jumped out at me as being complete foresight of the current government "bailout" of banks and mortgage lenders to stave of a complete collapse of our economy.

To quote Mills again:

"Can they afford to allow key units of the private corporate economy to break down in a slump? Increasingly, they do intervene in economic affairs, and as they do so, the controlling decisions in each order are inspected by agents of the other two, and economic, military, and political structures are interlocked". (p. 8)

This "interconnectedness" relates back to Dewey and his concepts of individual actions having ramifications for the larger public, sort of the ripple effect. Although Mills is writing in a different time, there are some parallel modes of thinking at work here.

I particularly enjoyed Mills discussion of the psychological concept of natural superiority within the elite (which he attributes to the natural course of ideas in a society in which some people possess more than others). He states:

"People with advantages loath to believe that just happen to be people with advantages. They come readily to define themselves as inherently worthy of what they possess; they come to believe themselves 'naturally' elite; and, in fact, to imagine their possessions and their privileges as natural extensions of their own elite selves". (p.14)

I loved that quote and couldn't help but thinking of a few cable television reality shows on Bravo that I have unsuccessfully attempted to avoid: "The Real Housewives of Orange County" and "The Real Housewives of New York City". Most of the women who represent the "real" housewives are anything but real in a sense of being a middle-class working citizen. As a matter of fact, most of them came into wealth by marrying a wealthy man or operating their businesses in extremely wealthy areas of the country where they can charge exorbitant fees.

But what I find most compelling about these shows is the sense of entitlement that this new wealth brings with it...you never see an episode when one is not complaining about poor service, demanding an upgrade, criticizing someone's home that they don't feel is up to their standards, crying because they weren't allowed into an A list event. These women seem to truly believe that they are part of the "natural" elite and that being wealthy was their destiny.

In the chapter entitled "The Power Elite", Mills attempts to further define the characteristics of this small class. He mentions that there currently is no formal "program of recruitment and training", because despite what many people believe the prep school, Ivy League undergrad and law school training is NOT up to the demands made upon members of the power elite. This, of course, made me immediately think of our former President and Leader of the Free World, George W. Bush. Clearly, his elite upbringing and top-notch education did not instill in him the leadership qualities to keep this country on course for his 8 years in office.

He says there exists "the unstated need to transcend recruitment on the sole basis of economic success, especially since it is suspect as often involving the higher immorality" (p. 298).

The power elite does indeed exist in America. However, we remain unclear on exactly who or what really represents the nadir of power. The important thing to remember, is that the power triangle (economy, politics, and the military) are all the power elite and they all rule with overlapping and interconnected powers.