Classism: An Issue Of Oppression In America
Classism: An Issue of Oppression
Luis A. Santiago-Gaetan
Springfield College
Introduction
Classism, an issue of oppression which exposes the ever-increasing differences and inequality between social classes in our society, and primarily measured by the wealth possessed and the amount of income a family or an individual earn, is every day more evident. For the last, few years we have witnessed the financial gap between wealthier and middle-class Americans widen as the years go by, but never as rapidly than after experiencing the last financial crisis of 2008. The effects of that financial crisis were disastrous, especially in the middle class. Americans lost millions of jobs, and wealth evaporated by the loss in value of real estate properties …show more content…
and retirements accounts, in addition to losing the access to the easy credit once enjoyed mostly by the middle-class before the financial crisis (Adams, 2013).
Classes in America
Our awareness of classism is mainly in financial a measure, however, the division of classes in our society goes way beyond economics. In other words, today a highly educated African American or Hispanic earning a six-digit salary may still be marginalized and indirectly kept from moving into a luxurious condominium, from attending a prestigious educational institution, or from joining an exclusive country club. Moreover, for argument sake, let us assume they were permitted to move with their family into the exclusive all-white neighborhood. That does not exempt their children from suffering the same oppression by being marginalized and avoided at school by their white student peers, regardless of how educated and how much money their parents make.
Repercussions of Classism
The repercussions felt on the middle-class after the financial crisis of 2008 were of economic, social, and cultural dimensions (Adams, 2013).
During the first year of the economic recession as a result of the financial crisis, which some may argue it was close to an economic depression; about five million American lost their jobs (Adams, 2013). That alone was enough to widen the gap between the middle and high social classes. In addition to all that loss of income, the retirement accounts of working Americans lost great value. In the example, my retirement account lost sixty percent of its value like overnight, the value of my retirement money just evaporated before my eyes in less than a year. Moreover, the value of my home dropped like a rock due to the burst of the real estate bubble that resulted from that financial crisis, without mentioning the millions of Americans that lost their homes to foreclosures. Furthermore, the easy access to credit that the middle-class enjoyed for so many years was gone forever due to the credit crunch that resulted from the same financial crisis. In fewer words, after the financial crisis of 2008, middle-class Americans lost billions of dollars in wealth that have contributed to the widening of the financial gap between classes, thus increasing the conflict between classes that results in classism (Adams, …show more content…
2013).
Other Observations
In coming to grasp with these realities, all I had to do was watch the 2012 Republican Party presidential primary debates to begin realizing the level of class warfare that exists in the nation. My personal definition of class warfare is the conflicts that exist between social classes and the struggles and or oppressions the populations within those classes suffer or endure on a daily basis. Watching the candidates express their political positions and ideas made evident to me the political polarization that is made more evident in Washington, D.C. It is like if there were two different Americas, the one that the right side of the political spectrum wants or hopes for, and the one that we live in the reality. What aggravates the problem for the lower classes and oppressed populations is that the political positions and ideas proposed by the right side of the political spectrum are mainly embraced by corporate America, the top earners in the nation, and part of the upper middle class, but you will not find many members of oppressed populations embracing those ideals.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Classism
It is public knowledge that in the near future in the United States; the sum of all minorities’ populations will surpass the fifty percent of the entire population. At first sight, it may sound like an advantage or a victory for minorities. However, even in the case that Caucasian Americans fell under the fifty percent population mark, it is also true that they will still control most of the wealth and positions of power in the nation. Not wanting to compare today’s U.S. situation with 20th century South Africa, but in that nation during the apartheid era also the white minority controlled the immense black majority population because the white minority controlled the wealth and the political power in that nation.
Conclusion
In sum, classism is an issue of oppression as old as civilization itself.
It has never gone away, we just were not very aware of it until made more evident by the recent financial crisis of 2008 (Adams, 2013). The “haves” control the wealth and the positions of power, while the “have nots” are at their mercy. In addition, for world historians who have heard the so-called ancient Golden Rule, it stipulates, “those with the gold, make the rules.” Therefore, as unfortunately as it sounds, classism and other forms of oppression between social classes will continue regardless of any actions or public policies that the government may elect to impose on
society.
References
Adams, M., Blumenfeld, W., & Castaneda, C. (2013). Readings for diversity and social justice, Third Edition. New York: Routledge. ISBN # 041 589-2945.
Luis A. Santiago-Gaetan
Springfield College
Introduction
Classism, an issue of oppression which exposes the ever-increasing differences and inequality between social classes in our society, and primarily measured by the wealth possessed and the amount of income a family or an individual earn, is every day more evident. For the last, few years we have witnessed the financial gap between wealthier and middle-class Americans widen as the years go by, but never as rapidly than after experiencing the last financial crisis of 2008. The effects of that financial crisis were disastrous, especially in the middle class. Americans lost millions of jobs, and wealth evaporated by the loss in value of real estate properties …show more content…
and retirements accounts, in addition to losing the access to the easy credit once enjoyed mostly by the middle-class before the financial crisis (Adams, 2013).
Classes in America
Our awareness of classism is mainly in financial a measure, however, the division of classes in our society goes way beyond economics. In other words, today a highly educated African American or Hispanic earning a six-digit salary may still be marginalized and indirectly kept from moving into a luxurious condominium, from attending a prestigious educational institution, or from joining an exclusive country club. Moreover, for argument sake, let us assume they were permitted to move with their family into the exclusive all-white neighborhood. That does not exempt their children from suffering the same oppression by being marginalized and avoided at school by their white student peers, regardless of how educated and how much money their parents make.
Repercussions of Classism
The repercussions felt on the middle-class after the financial crisis of 2008 were of economic, social, and cultural dimensions (Adams, 2013).
During the first year of the economic recession as a result of the financial crisis, which some may argue it was close to an economic depression; about five million American lost their jobs (Adams, 2013). That alone was enough to widen the gap between the middle and high social classes. In addition to all that loss of income, the retirement accounts of working Americans lost great value. In the example, my retirement account lost sixty percent of its value like overnight, the value of my retirement money just evaporated before my eyes in less than a year. Moreover, the value of my home dropped like a rock due to the burst of the real estate bubble that resulted from that financial crisis, without mentioning the millions of Americans that lost their homes to foreclosures. Furthermore, the easy access to credit that the middle-class enjoyed for so many years was gone forever due to the credit crunch that resulted from the same financial crisis. In fewer words, after the financial crisis of 2008, middle-class Americans lost billions of dollars in wealth that have contributed to the widening of the financial gap between classes, thus increasing the conflict between classes that results in classism (Adams, …show more content…
2013).
Other Observations
In coming to grasp with these realities, all I had to do was watch the 2012 Republican Party presidential primary debates to begin realizing the level of class warfare that exists in the nation. My personal definition of class warfare is the conflicts that exist between social classes and the struggles and or oppressions the populations within those classes suffer or endure on a daily basis. Watching the candidates express their political positions and ideas made evident to me the political polarization that is made more evident in Washington, D.C. It is like if there were two different Americas, the one that the right side of the political spectrum wants or hopes for, and the one that we live in the reality. What aggravates the problem for the lower classes and oppressed populations is that the political positions and ideas proposed by the right side of the political spectrum are mainly embraced by corporate America, the top earners in the nation, and part of the upper middle class, but you will not find many members of oppressed populations embracing those ideals.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Classism
It is public knowledge that in the near future in the United States; the sum of all minorities’ populations will surpass the fifty percent of the entire population. At first sight, it may sound like an advantage or a victory for minorities. However, even in the case that Caucasian Americans fell under the fifty percent population mark, it is also true that they will still control most of the wealth and positions of power in the nation. Not wanting to compare today’s U.S. situation with 20th century South Africa, but in that nation during the apartheid era also the white minority controlled the immense black majority population because the white minority controlled the wealth and the political power in that nation.
Conclusion
In sum, classism is an issue of oppression as old as civilization itself.
It has never gone away, we just were not very aware of it until made more evident by the recent financial crisis of 2008 (Adams, 2013). The “haves” control the wealth and the positions of power, while the “have nots” are at their mercy. In addition, for world historians who have heard the so-called ancient Golden Rule, it stipulates, “those with the gold, make the rules.” Therefore, as unfortunately as it sounds, classism and other forms of oppression between social classes will continue regardless of any actions or public policies that the government may elect to impose on
society.
References
Adams, M., Blumenfeld, W., & Castaneda, C. (2013). Readings for diversity and social justice, Third Edition. New York: Routledge. ISBN # 041 589-2945.