Marx's Theories Of Exploitation In My Mother, By Karl Marx

In my life I have seen my mother struggle with Marx’s theories of exploitation, and false consciousness, and Weber’s theory of the iron cage of rationality. According to Marx, a major form of exploitation is found in wage labor. As defined in the lecture, wage labor is money compensation per time unit worked (Lecture 3). In order to maintain capital, the elite exploit the laborer and give them only what is necessary to survive. People are forced to work extremely hard yet they cannot generate enough money to accurately tend to their families. As Marx points out in the text, “No sooner has the laborer received his wages in cash…than he is set upon by the other portions of the bourgeoisie, the landlord, the shopkeeper, the pawnbroker, etc. (Appelrouth, …show more content…
As defined in lecture 4, from a Marxist perspective, false consciousness is a way in which the ruling class keep the working class from understanding that they are in an unjust situation. False consciousness is obtained through existing systems similar to schools, churches, entertainment etc. and is treated as if the existing economic system were the only way society could be run (Lecture 4). My mother is a Christian woman and whenever something bad would happen or when we lost our place of residence she would tell us that it was god’s plan, and that he was metaphorically breaking us down to build us back up. Even if I were to strip my mother of her Christian values, the false consciousness would remain and be passed down through her belief in the school system. It was believed that if we stayed in school and worked hard we had the same opportunities as others. That no matter your background the starting point in life was the same for everyone, and we believed her. I worked hard constantly comparing myself to others, blaming myself for not working hard enough, despite my constant hinderances. As a result, to some extent we developed the same sense of false consciousness that she had, unaware that there were obstacles that we may not make it over in …show more content…
According to Weber, “the rationalization of society has become an “iron cage” of rational choices in which we are forever trapped (Lecture 6).” Poverty is its own iron cage of rationality. My mother worked her whole life to obtain stability for herself and her children, but as hard as she tried the cycle continued, we would plant our feet solidly on the ground and fall back down soon after. I feel as if the system was created to keep me in the same class, with no chance of breaking free. After years of the world pushing her back down she’s come to accept the lack of power she has in this society. Today’s iron cage can also be linked to total debt and the fact that we tend to define ourselves relative to others, we have an obsession with keeping up with the majority when it comes to the clothes we wear, the shoes we buy, and having the latest in technology (Appelrouth, 139). What my mother never noticed about the iron cage is that she was a part of the reason that she was trapped. She was always in attempting to please my brother and sisters, buying them expensive shoes, or new game systems to make them happy. Not that it could have raised our social status, but it could have been more money toward a