December 6th, 2021
PSYCH2720
Assignment #3
Everyday Encounter
In Assignment 3, I will be discussing the concepts we have learned in chapter 12 of the
textbook, specifically topics related to power and power dynamics in groups. Power is defined as
the ability to control one’s outcomes and those of others; the freedom to act. Status can be
defined as the outcome of an evaluation of attributes that produce differences in respect and
prominence. Individuals with more power and high social status can get away with more things
than the average person. For example, Jeffrey Epstein, Donald Trump, Harvey Weinstein, etc…
were able to get away with many things because of their power and wealth. The article I wanna
talk about is by The Guardian: “Maxwell, Epstein, power and money: it is time to do away with
the super-elite”. It talks about how celebrities were able to get away with illegal actions because
of the power they held over others. The article mentions that “It should be obvious to anyone that
abuse is enabled by the possession of power and wealth” ( Robinson, para 6). Furthermore, the
article goes onto say that Harvey Weinstein had the power to make or break peoples careers if he
wanted to and he had very high-status connections to dig up dirt on anyone, as a result, he was
able to commit rape and abuse to individuals (Robinson, 2020). Powerful individuals barely have
any accountability because of the power they hold on others. Another example is the former
president of the United States, Donald Trump. The article says that Trump admitted that back a
couple of years ago when he was in charge of Mrs. Universe, he was able to just walk into the
women’s change room whenever he wanted because he had the power to do it since he was the
owner (Robinson, 2020). In conclusion, I believe that the best way to prevent the powerful elite
from abusing people is to not have a powerful elite at all.
Citation
Robinson, N. (2020, July 18). Maxwell, Epstein, Power and money: It's time to do away with the
super elite | Nathan Robinson. The Guardian. Retrieved December 7, 2021, from
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jul/18/ghislaine-maxwell-power-mone
y-elites.