Max Weber remains one of the most discussed subjects in sociology pertaining to politics. One of the most discussed topics that weber touched on is the distribution of power (Parkin, 2002). When weber wrote the passage in hand, one of the most obvious meanings that come to mind was showing how the political class with power come to their defence when accused of using power to accrue wealth. In the passage, weber uses the term status order to mean political class. To support this, in his book, Principles of Stratification of Max Weber, Jack Barbalet states that ‘the implication that class or status is favoured is a matter of choice consistent to the change in political and social economy’ (Barbalet, 1980). The broader implication of the term also means invested interest in the already established way in politics that subjects ne to whether conform to them or live. According to the statement, one can assume that he was focused on showing how power if threatened reacts fast against the accusers. In a broader perspective, Weber tries to show how power can be used for personal economic reasons. Weber also uses the term vigorously to show the strength powerful people use to defend themselves against acquisition.
In a wider perspective, Weber tries to capture the nature of power when threatened. In the passage, weber keeps referring to the term ‘status order ‘to signify or objectify the natural order that lies between the powerful and the subjects. To objectify his whole meaning, Weber refers to the political landscape as a market and the powerful as a hindrance to development (Parkin, 2002). Weber states the consequences of threatening power and shows how power can hinder development just to cover for its greed. Weber uses the term ‘status order’ as an analogy, of power itself and the people who have it. Although one cannot tell for sure, one can assume that weber was objectifying to the fact that power defended itself by making sure that the status order or status quo remained the same to facilitate personal greed in terms of economic acquisition.
Reference:
Parkin, F. (2002). Max Weber Key sociologists. New York. Psychology Press.
