Power generates authority and powerlessness reinforces subjection. This is the simplest summary of the article Power and Powerlessness written by John Gaventa. In every society, people struggle to be in powerful positions. Individuals struggle to be in position where they can dictate every single aspect human life. Leaders use the power they have to preserve the status quo. The weak in remain fragile because they are too feeble to compete with the powerful.
Moreover, because they are too weak, the powerful would always ensure that they do not overcome the limitations surrounding them. The world of status quo, which is a situation where the strong get stronger, as the weak get weaker, is the world that John Gaventa talks about in the article. It is the world, in which the powerful would do everything to retain power.
In this article, we are introduced to politics of inequality and the pathetic working environment at Appalachian Valley. The society is unjust to many members in various ways. To begin with, the level of poverty in the society is very high because there is a massive lack of employment in society. However, the relevant authorities are comfortable with the situation. They know very well that poverty is one of the best weapons of retaining power.
While ensuring that the poor remain poor, the powerful are sure of retaining power, as the rich would not have the time to think about retaining power. The poor would be too busy fighting for survival but not competing with the rich. To justify the unemployment in such societies, the leaders, as presented in this article, would ensure that the poor is denied education. As such, the inability of the poor to acquire good jobs would be justified by the fact that they have limited education.
The society has the majority suffering from malnutrition. The poor cannot till land because they have small parcels, which can hardly generate enough food to sustain them. The intrigue comes in the fact that there are huge tracks of land lying idle because the owners are too busy with other businesses. Those who could till them for economical gains are denied the opportunity to do so because the powerful wants to retain their power, by ensuring that the powerless remains defenseless.
The coal miners work under pathetic conditions. These miners are exposed to various dangers at the mines. When mining, miners would be prone to lung infections, dismemberment of body parts and even death. The environment is exposed to massive pollution. The owners of the companies have very little concern as regards to the well-being of societal members.
They pay workers wages that are hardly enough to feed them and their families. In contrast, companies generate huge sums of money to owners. The owners might not be in a position to spend such monies in their entire lifetime. However, because of the need to ensure the status quo remains, they would come up with ways to ensure that workers continue working in deplorable conditions. They would always use threats and intimidations to ensure that power remains within their grip.
What is more fascinating is the fact that the workers have trade unions with leaders who are supposed to represent them. However, the leaders play the game of politics meaning they make a lot of noise, make empty threats to the management team and empty promises to members. What therefore comes to mind from this article is the politics of poverty, the working class consciousness, and corporate power.