What would motivate someone like Trump to run for office? Neo-Marxian theorist, C. Wright Mills, argued that men of Trump’s stature, who are otherwise known as the “power elite,” are greatly concerned with exercising control over the institutions in society (Ritzer 2013). Mills also points out, “to be celebrated, to be wealthy, to have power …show more content…
He flooded the campaign trail with prejudicial, misogynistic, and slanderous rhetoric. He frequently criticized and insulted people based on their gender, race, religion, and even physical capabilities. Moreover, Trump promised to “make America great again,” which ended up being his most notable slogan. With this statement, along with his provocative behavior, one could presume that Trump was insinuating that this country was much greater in the past, and perhaps that concept does ring true for the white man. However, on the contrary, others might argue that America has made considerable progress over the last century and there has been no other time in the nation’s past in which it has been greater. This example of “institutional racism is the product of years of white supremacy, and [was] designed to produce far-reaching benefits for white people (Desmond and Emirbayer …show more content…
Mills believed that “higher immortality” is institutionalized due to the decline in ethics among the power elite. Even more troubling is that corruption is thought to be “deeply intertwined with the politics of the military state" which means that it can affect decisions that are made by politicians, government leaders, and the justice system (Mills and Wolfe 2000:343). Political corruption impedes democracy and can have detrimental political, social, economic, and environmental effects. Additionally, Dahrendorf asserted that social order stems from the coercion of the power elite as opposed to societies “being held together informally by norms, values, and a common morality (Ritzer 2013:95).” There is a chance that Trump will try to preserve white privilege and hinder diversification, as is already evident from his choice of cabinet members. One key element in Dahrendorf’s study of authority in social structure is that authority is attached to positions within societies and does not reside in the individual (Ritzer