Difference Between Rousseau And Mean Girls

1200 Words3 Pages

Benjamin Taft
Political Science 221
11/29/2017
Essay on Rousseau and Mean Girls In the Discourse on the Origin of Inequality, Rousseau demonstrates that in the state of nature, man was free and equal. According to Rousseau, man’s problems started from the evil in the society that has caused inequality. During the state of nature, man was similar to an animal with no knowledge of material things, status, and money. In part two, Rousseau states, “Man’s first sentiment was that of his own existence; his first concern was that of his preservation . . . devoid of any sentiment of the heart, produced a purely animal act” (Rousseau, 851). The reliance on natural instinct during the primitive time made people equal. Mean Girls is a 2004 movie …show more content…

Man no longer lives and fights to survive but enjoys luxuries. In the Mean Girls movie, the comparison between the students and domination of others by the alphas depict Rousseau’s idea. The alphas consisting of Regina George, Karen Smith, Gretchen Wieners, Aaron Samuels and Cady Heron (joins later) dominate the underdogs including Janis Ian, Damian, Ms. Norbury, and the Asians. As Rousseau stated, comparison gives dominance and happiness, the alphas have a better life and are enjoying themselves more than the others. They also derive pleasure from dominating the others and treating them with contempt. Rousseau considers the invention of property as the beginning of equality, and that property offers a platform for the rich to exploit the poor. Rousseau believes that conflict and despotism would occur as wealth becomes a rule for comparison. The idea of wealth as a comparison factor is evident in Mean Girls movie with Regina representing the upper class as she is rich, famous, and beautiful. Her social status gives her the title of a leader of the “plastics,” and she makes the rules including deciding what to wear and doesn’t take orders from anyone (Mean Girls). Wealth differentiates Gretchen and Regina, and because of her lower social status, she cannot be the leader of the plastics. She has to accept her position yet she despises Regina, thus depicting the role of wealth as a comparison factor in the movie highlighting Rousseau’s idea of wealth as the basis for comparison. Wealth as a differentiator is also evident in Cady, who comes from the middle-class but her exciting experience makes her accepted in the plastics but becomes obsessed with richness and fame that it intoxicates her. The changing status also shows inequality evidenced by wealth as outlined by Rousseau. Wealth status also creates classes among the other students

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