Movie: The Importance Of Power Elite

Easy A, is not just a “chick flick” movie it expands beyond being a film that has a ridiculous unrealistic ending. This movie introduces sociological concepts like manifest and latent functions. Moreover, this movie gives examples of the power elite demonstrating who has a greater sense of control. Overall, I will be discussing the difference between manifest and latent functions and showing the importance of power elite in two scenes of the movie.
Manifest and latent functions are two controversial topics. Robert K. Merton, introduced manifest and latent functions. Merton refers the manifest function as “the overt or intended purpose of action.” Whereas, latent function is looked as “the implicit and unintended purpose.” (Merton:60) In

Wright Mills. Mills. He first presented this term in his 1956 book. In his book he introduced the term power elite as one of the most important theories to understand in the American society. In that case, the power elite is the power of individuals that are able to shape churches and schools; in order, for society to adapt. The power elite share a set of beliefs to help “coexist as well to maintain their consolidated power.” (Shawnson, 1989, 1) In other words the power elite are those who have the greater power and privilege and are able to make decisions that will have major effect in society. A quote that called my attention in The Power Elite book is “ Families and churches and schools adapt to modern life; governments and armies and corporations shape it; and, as they do so, they turn these lesser institutions into means for their ends.” (Mills, 1956, pg, 74) Meaning that everyone has a duty and everyone structures society into different occupations. Some have the power and privilege as others work for the people to keep society in a structure way. For example, an articled named Power Elite Now, mentions how Mills calls attention to a man, Winthrop W. Aldrich, the American ambassador to Great Britain, who was a director of 4 of the top 25 companies in America in 1950. (Wolfe, 1999, pg 6) Acording to this fact, it significantly gave Aldrich the power to change and direct his own company. This shows how certain people are given the ability to work with others, but just some have the power to control and regulate them as they would