Social Oppression on Caribbean

I can definitely put myself in the shoes of the lower and middle-class people of the Caribbean as I, myself am a native of Jamaica, where I lived and endured the harsh realities of a people who did not have much of anything. In regards to neoliberalism, I am totally against it as it only seems to suit the ruling and the upper class of people. In my view it allows a market that is free from any government regulation and rules and will contribute to the decrease in wages, employment and healthy work conditions as employers would have the liberty to abuse their power, raise prices and eliminate the concept the public good. This would only serve to fill the pockets of the upper class and further decrease the standard of living for the lower and middle

In order to eradicate the social oppression from the Caribbean there needs to be a level playing field where the middle class and the lower class especially have a better chance of escaping their harsh realities and improving their status whether through educational opportunities, job opportunities and more resources deployed in the rural areas of the Caribbean communities. The middle class and the lower class have to receive the same chance as the upper class and the ruling class with disregard to demographic status, social status, financial status and even racial status. For example, social mobility is influenced by class in Caribbean societies even when educational attainment was taken into account. This has to change as people form the working-class background have less chance than those from higher working-class backgrounds of obtaining a position in one of the top classes even when they had the same level of educational qualifications.

Who has the power in the Caribbean/ I think its quite obvious that the system of power is divided between the North American nations and channel from the Caribbean society's governments down to the upper-class people in those societies. The Ruling class (the government) and the upper class (the rich) design a system where the middle class and the lower class becomes dependable on them in order for the economic structure of the society to survive. This therefore creates an oppressive environment where the middle class and lower class is oppressed by the ruling class and the upper class who creates a false consciousness which persuades the members of those respective classes to believe that the social classes in which they belong to is natural and that it should remain that way. That develops in the cycle of the rich gets richer and the poor gets poorer.

Conclusion

The Lower Class: The majority of persons born into this social class never change their social status and when this occurs it is mainly because of a marriage. People of the lower class in the Caribbean societies have little or no control over production; they have very little resources, and little or nothing in the way of marketable skills, education or capacities.

The Working Class: The working class, otherwise known as the middle class have little to no power in the Caribbean society. They make up an economy that was not designed to benefit them and are usually dependent on the government and the upper class in order to survive. Some of the people born in this social class elevate to the upper class or the ruling class through academic brilliance, luck or celebrity status but not enough to warrant a revolution.

The Upper Class: The upper class in the Caribbean owns most of the private companies, the land, the wealth, resources and control the distribution of employment. These people contribute to ensuring that they remain rich while the middle class and the lower class remain in their respective class. These group pf people believe that in order to have a productive society there must be social inequalities. This group pf people have enormous power in the Caribbean societies, both politically and socially.

The Government: I think the government represents the ruling class and maintains the power in the Caribbean. They are identified as the ruling class. In the Caribbean the market is saturated with suppliers of goods and services therefore making it easier for the upper class to have the upper say in whom belongs to what social class in society. The working class is oppressed by the ruling class. The working class and the lower class is oppressed by the ruling class who creates a false class consciousness which persuades members of the society to believe that the social class in which they belong to is natural and that it should remain that way. It certainly creates a false sense of freedom, especially in the economy where the market is literally controlled and regulated by the government but is promoted as a neo-liberal market. This group of people have total power in the Caribbean societies, in every department. A)

North American Culture: Plays a major part in the structure of Caribbean societies since they adapt their way of life from North American societies. As a result of being influenced by the North American culture, the Caribbean societies tend to believe that they operate in a free market (neo-liberal) economy which sometimes results in conflict of interest between the working class and the upper class. Due to the contributions of the United States and other foreign countries, they hold major influence over the Caribbean societies, so much so that many past and present Prime Ministers are viewed as puppets for the North American nations.

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