False Consciousness

While taking one of my Sociology classes where we were constantly debating topics of social theories, my professor suggested I read up on "false consciousness," as I was having a really hard time equating voting habits of people in the lower socioeconomic status group.

There is a great video on Khan Academy on Class Consciousness and False Consciousness.  It's a little more than 4 minutes long and I believe it gives a brief enough description to understand the concept.  It is regularly traced back to Marxism, but once again, for those who do not know much more about Karl Marx than what you may assume to know, remember, I am not promoting Marxism, Socialism, or Communism.  Marx had a very clear picture of how capitalism works and if you study his work, you may find that much of his negative assumptions of capitalism have come to fruition.  As I contend, American Capitalism has grown too big for its own good.

False Consciousness

False consciousness, as I see it in America, is the act of individuals who are systematically oppressed by the government, actually voting for local and federal officials who will perpetuate the systematic oppression that keeps them from finding upward mobility (any financial gains).

The best and most simple example of this are the people who vote for Republicans while they are dependent upon programs such as SNAP (food stamps).  Simply put, President Trump wants to cut SNAP.  You can click here to see the Google results for the stories on this topic and can pick your news source, but it is a fact.  Whether or not you believe SNAP should even be in existence isn't the point.  The people who use SNAP that voted for Trump are an example of the false consciousness theory.

To support this idea, let's look at Pew Research on the topic of Trump's victory in his 2016 Presidential bid:

Trump’s margin among whites without a college degree is the largest among any candidate in exit polls since 1980. Two-thirds (67%) of non-college whites backed Trump, compared with just 28% who supported Clinton, resulting in a 39-point advantage for Trump among this group. In 2012 and 2008, non-college whites also preferred the Republican over the Democratic candidate but by less one-sided margins (61%-36% and 58%-40%, respectively).

Now this isn't the rock-solid proof of my claims, but Trump would have never won the Electoral College if rural America had not overwhelmingly voted Republican in the 2016 election. Keep in mind, these are the people who are historically lower in socioeconomic status, and depend more on government assistance than suburbia.

This is not a push to vote one way or another.  It is simply a factor in the way people vote in America and are not fully aware of the principles they are voting for.

Solution?

Encourage others to read about the candidates before they vote.  Some people simply vote based on the indoctrinated political views of being raised in their family.  Others may take their pastor's word, or a friend.  If you are that friend giving advice, make sure you know your values, how they align with the political views of the person on the ballot.  Only then can we awaken to the truth.


“Never be afraid to raise your voice for honesty and truth and compassion against injustice and lying and greed. If people all over the world...would do this, it would change the earth.” 
― William Faulkner