STUDENTS THIS IS TO HELP----To maintain stratification, the elite tries to dominate its society’s institutions. In a dic

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STUDENTS THIS IS TO HELP----To maintainstratification, the elite tries to dominate its society’sinstitutions. In a dictatorship, the elite makes the laws. In ademocracy, the elite influences the laws. In both, the elitecontrols the police and military and can give orders to crush arebellion or run the post office or air traffic control if workersstrike. With force having its limits, especially the potential ofprovoking resistance, most power elites prefer to keep themselvesin power by peaceful means, especially by influencing theirpeople's thinking. Soft Control is moreeffective to get the masses to want to do what the ruling elitedesires. This is where ideology (beliefsthat justify the way things are) comes into play.
Controlling people’s ideas can beremarkably more effective than using brute force; the elite inevery society uses ideology to justify its position at the top. Forexample, around the world, schools teach that their country’s formof government—no matter what form of government it has—is good.Religious leaders teach that we owe obedience to authority, thatlaws are to be obeyed. To the degree that their ideologies areaccepted by the masses, the elite remains securely in power.
Ideology is so powerful that it even setslimits on the elite. To protect their position within a system ofstratification, leaders, regardless of their personal opinions,must also conform at least outwardly to the controllingideas.
To maintain their power, elites try to controlinformation. A favorite tactic of U.S. presidents is towithhold information “in the interest of nationalsecurity,” a phrase that often translates as “inthe interest of protecting me.” Like the rest of us, thepower elite doesn’t like to be criticized. But unlike the rest ofus, they have the power to do something about it. Fear is afavorite tactic, but in a democracy, the control of critics takes amilder form. When the U.S. Defense Department found out thatan author had criticized its handlingof 9/11, it bought and destroyed 9,500 copies of his book (Thompson2010).
The ideal technology—“ideal” from theelite's perspective—will allow citizens to be monitored withoutthem knowing they are being watched. The elite's dream is nolonger part of the future; it is now our present-day society.Dictators have few checks on how they use this technology, butdemocracies do have some, such as requiring court orders for searchand seizure. Such restraints on power frustrate officials, so theyare delighted with our new Homeland Security laws that allow themto spy on citizens without their knowledge.
Just as with ideology, the newtechnology is a two-edged sword. It gives the elite,powerful tools for monitoring citizens, but it also makes itdifficult for the elite to control information. With internationalborders meaning nothing to the Internet, it takes but seconds fore-mail, tweets, and photos to fly around the globe.
STUDENTS THIS IS THE QUESTION----1. Suppose that you arepart of the ruling elite of your society. You want to make surethat you and your family and friends will be able to keep yourprivileged position for the next generation. How will youaccomplish this using soft control? You might thinkabout passing laws and using the police and the military. Afterall, you are a member of the ruling elite, so you have this power.You could use force, but this can lead to resentment and rebellion.It is more effective to control people’s ideas, information, andtechnology—which is just what the elite try to do.