Weber’s Power Theory
In the fields of Sociology and Political Science, Weber’s power theory is defined as the capacity to influence, dominate, lead, or otherwise have an impact on other people’s lives. An concept encompassed in the power theory is authority, which does not have to exist for the existence of power. Through his theory, Weber explains the difference between power and domination (authority) along with the three types of authority. Through the theory, we find that three types of authority exist in both workplaces and our personal lives: traditional, charismatic, and legal-rational. Traditional authority stems from customs and traditions (EX: Monarchies, social hierarchies, etc.). Charismatic authority is based on exceptional qualities, leadership, character, and charisma (EX: Malcolm X, MLK Jr., etc.). Legal-rational authority is established through rules, laws, and procedures (EX: court system, law enforcement, etc.).
Ginny & Georgia Synopsis & Main Ideas
Ginny & Georgia is a show on Netflix about a mother navigating life with her two kids, her older daughter Virginia and her son, Austin. The series follows the life of Georgia, a young single mother who ends up in the town of Wellsbury, MA after her husband dies. She there meets the future mayor of the town, Paul Randolph. Georgia becomes his secretary and Paul falls madly in love with her. Eventually, they get married, which is when things take a turn. Georgia gets locked up on the night of her wedding, leading to years of secrets coming out. Some of those secrets consisted of murders she had committed and lies she had told. A lot of those lies had at some point not only endangered her, but also the people around her. Eventually, Ginny and Austin pick up Georgia’s lying habits and use dangerous tactics to find a loop hole around the justice system. By the end of season three, Georgia was able to get all charges against her dropped through the kids lying on her behalf in court. But, through those lies, the court now is looking to an innocent man for a murder charge, who happens to be Austin’s father. Ginny & Georgia teaches us life lessons on family and the consequences of your actions.
The Power Trip
One of the major themes which arises through the show is using power to get favorable outcomes in your life. For example, in the show, Georgia uses her influence as Paul’s secretary to hide things from the staff. She was also able to get bail for her murder charge in season three through Paul’s mayoral candidacy. If that wasn’t enough, Georgia was also able to influence Ginny to become more like her. One night, Georgia was at Cynthia’s home and had smothered Cynthia’s husband. She did that because the husband had been braindead for years and had become a burden for Cynthia and her family. Georgia wanted to help her friend, so she believed killing the husband would help Cynthia out. That night, Austin was at the home as well and had watched his mother smother Cynthia’s bed-ridden husband and kill him. At the end of season three, Ginny convinces her younger brother Austin to lie in court and say he watched his father kill Cynthia’s husband. Through Austin’s lie, not only did Georgia’s murder charges get dropped, but his father is now being looked into for murder. Although Austin’s father is an abuser who beat his mother when they were together, he was not the murderer. Throughout the three seasons, we watch as Georgia uses her influence to manipulate others and stay outside the radar of law enforcement for her past crimes. Even the one person she was honest with, a man named Joe, hid the truth from everyone, including law enforcement. Georgia is very charismatic, which is how she was able to gaslight and manipulate others throughout the show in order to get what she wanted out of them. She was honest with Joe at the end about committing murder, but he loved her too much to care or have her turned in. Through the show, we gain a further understanding of Newton’s third law: for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
