Been There

The film Being There, discussed in the book, is a great example of the unintentional exercise of power. In a sense, you can look at the organization of society as a series of power relationships, where power is exercised deliberately, as well as unintentionally. The line between the two are frequently blurred for example by advertising...did your neighbor buy a Lexus for inferent status (an expression of power), or for quality? While overt power is laid out by the structure of organizations, covert power is often exercised throught chanels of communication (think grapevine). Ultimately, both influence the environment in which they operate.