Social Alienation Theory

Media Connection Assignment The Suite Life of Zach and Cody takes place in the prestigious Tipton hotel located in Boston Massachusetts. The series revolves mainly around the lives of two twins who consider the Tipton their home, however, through the two boys’ experiences and interactions with the hotel staff, we begin to notice how the employees, regardless of their position and status, are afflicted by the downfalls of a capitalist society, a prime example being alienation.
Alienation is a Marxist theory which describes a condition that results from a lack of identity with products and labor, and a sense of being controlled or exploited. This condition is often experienced by workers in a capitalist economy to varying degrees depending …show more content…
She has very little interaction with the actual product, and simply rings up the requested item until the arrival of her next customer.
In contrast, Irwin, the hotel’s custodian, experiences very little alienation from self, as he is often seen developing new and creative ways to accomplish the goal of his work. However, he experiences a considerable amount of social alienation, as he is often restricted to his custodial office located in the basement, and experiences very little social interaction until his services are needed above ground. He is not allowed to interact directly with the guests and receives very little acknowledgement from his coworkers.
Miriam Mosby is the Tipton’s manager and is known to spend a considerable amount of time interacting with the other employees, and ensuring that the business is running at optimum efficiency. Because of his position he experiences very little social alienation or alienation from self, however, he does experience alienation from process, as he is not directly involved in any of the hotel’s functions. In the series he simply exists to ensure that each employee is performing their own designated task to the Tipton’s