Color Me Surprised
By: Jennifer Graham
Tags: Conflict Theory, Politics, Mueller, Power, Sociology

What Sociology Says About the Mueller Report

On Friday, March 22, Robert Mueller submitted his report to the Attorney General, William Barr. We, as the public, have not seen the report; we have a summary report, released by Barr, that tells us very little about the substance. The media immediately shifted into overdrive saying that Barr’s report was shocking and a blow to the growing Trump “resistance”. The narrative seemed to be that public was absolutely astounded by the fact that the report exonerated Trump. First, no one but AG Barr (presumably) has seen the report, so speculating about its contents is moot. Second, and more important, the public was not caught off guard by this. We have come to expect it.

In the field of sociology, we have a major theoretical framework called conflict theory; it posits that our society is built on inequality, and conflict between groups is what spurs social change. Conflict theorists argue that inequality is a major player in our systems, particularly in the United States, and that inequality exists at the expense of those in society that do not hold power. When I teach conflict theory to my students, they are never surprised at the ideas behind the theory. Most, in fact, agree that the powerful in our society exploit the powerless. They fully recognize that there are a different set of rules depending on how much wealth and power one has accrued.

If you watched the news at all this weekend, you would have believed that the people of the United States were completely blindsided by this report on the report. You would have also believed that every media outlet had Mueller’s actual report. It was sociologically fascinating to watch the media bend and twist like a carnival mirror. But were they really reflecting what the public believed?

My sociological spidey sense says no. While the public is often given misinformation, they are also pretty aware of the power dynamics in our society. We live in what conflict sociologists deem an elite-mass dichotomy system; this means that a governing elite holds all the power in society. This is true in our economic institutions where a relatively small number of corporations control much of our economy. This is true in our political institutions where power is centralized among a very small group of people. The few have consolidated power in a way that they get to make the decisions for the very large group of those without much power.

While the average person probably doesn’t know the term elite-mass dichotomy, I am betting they recognize it immediately. That is why the general public is likely not shocked by the release of Barr’s report or the lack of substantive information about the Mueller report. In fact, it is probably right along the lines of what they would expect given that powerful people are not so often punished for white collar crimes in our society. Did the President and his people commit crimes? We don’t really know. If they did, would it be shocking that they get away with them? For a well-informed public, it would not be shocking.

Even if we can’t voice all the theory behind inequality, we know that the power is held in the hands of a small group of people; when that happens, accountability for those in that group tends to dissipate. The media might say we were all “shocked” by this, but sociology tells us a very different story.