The purpose of the two articles by Roach and Roach (1978; 1979) is to discuss the arguments presented by Piven and Cloward on the reasons, mechanics, and outcomes of social movements. Roach and Roach’s (1978) main argument consists in claiming that independent and uncontrolled poor people’s movement will fail, and the only way for the poor to improve their conditions is through engagement in organized labor. This assumption contradicts the ideas of Piven and Cloward, whose book is criticized by the article authors. In their next article, Roach and Roach (1979) react to Piven and Cloward’s response to their previous article and argue that the main difference in their views is in the approaches to resolving problems of the poor. Roach and Roach (1979) extend their idea of capitalist society’s fragmenting effect on the working class and the engagement in organized labor as a remedy. The authors of the analyzed articles are scholars working in the field of social and political science. Their works were created in the time of elevated attention of social theorists toward welfare policies.
This week’s readings are inherently connected to those of the previous weeks since the authors build their arguments based on the publication by Piven and Cloward. However, Roach and Roach (1978; 1979) take a contrary position when discussing the reasons and outcomes of poor people’s movements. Similar to the positions of Kingdon, the authors support the structural approach to the political process, where the most tentative issues are addressed through the political agenda and not through disruptive methods. The initial article by Roach and Roach (1978) consistently criticizes the approach of the authors of “Poor people’s movements” by blaming them for adhering to a socialist mindset and separatist methods of problem resolution. They provide an extensive discussion of the gains and failures of the National Welfare Rights Organization and, unlike Piven and Cloward, support an idea of mass protests organization as a way to make a change in the life of the poor. As a resolution, Roach and Roach (1978) suggest the engagement in organized labor leads to the overall improvement of the lives of all classes of the society by promoting well-being. It is proposed that since the authorities provide “gains-workmen’s compensation, unemployment and disability insurance, pensions,” poverty might be significantly reduced by lawful means (Roach & Roach, 1978, p. 167). Therefore, only the united and organized cooperation of the working class may bring positive outcomes when it comes to the rights of the poor.
In the second article, the authors claim that the working class is not reactive, as Piven and Cloward argued. On the contrary, they claim that “activists concentrate their efforts on strengthening the power” in comparison to elites, and thus improving the conditions of the lower class (Roach & Roach, 1979, p. 268). Although they do not have enough political power or resources to achieve big goals immediately by conventional means within the political process in a capitalist society, they can cooperate. Only when acting as an organization, the protest movements will succeed.
When applying the ideas articulated by Roach and Roach (1978; 1979) to the opioid crisis in the veteran population, one might state that the resolution of the problem lies within the organized activities of responsible bodies. It is relevant to raise awareness and appeal to the authorities to attract their attention to the opiate issue. The effective way to eliminate the opioid epidemics is through integrative policy-making by organized means without using the power of mass movements.
References
Roach, J. L., & Roach, J. K. (1978). Mobilizing the poor: Road to a dead end. Social Problems, 26(2), 160-171.
Roach J. L., & Roach, J. K. (1979). Disunity and unity of the working class: Reply to Piven and Cloward. Social Problems, 26(3), 267-270.