In the article, "Class in America", Gregory Mantsios (Myths and Realities 2000) shows us how what class a person is in affects his or hers life more than they think. This article is written sufficiently well however, it does have some weak spots. I will prove my thesis by examining his use of examples and showing factual data and statistics, but also show how this article could have been better.…
“For the most part, class avoidance of class-laden vocabulary crosses class boundaries” (Mantsios 304). There are measurements in salary, physical appearance, and education to determine class. Mantsios studies showed that 34 percent of America’s wealth is held by the one percent, and almost one of every eight people are living below the poverty line ($19,307 dollars for a family of four in 2004). But it is not getting any better, since it has increased approximately $4,000 since then. One of the biggest reasons people are in poverty is because people cannot afford proper education to become well-sustained. It is all dependent on factors beyond our control. Mantsios compared class backgrounds of a life of a white male, whose father is a manufacturer and an industrialist who was enrolled in a prestigious preparatory school, and a black female, whose father a janitor and mother a waitress who lives in the ghetto. Who do you think has more of an advantage in life? The white male, as a result of opportunity handed to…
Social Class is a fundamental aspect in society and can be found in all societies around the world. Aspects such as education, health, wealth, where you live, what do you do with yourself all contribute to where you as a member of society fit in. If you are a student attending a private school, living in Toorak with very wealthy parents you would be considered part of the ‘upper class’ in society, where people would generally look more highly of…
Social class is often judged upon by the following criteria; money, possessions, and ranking. In our society today, so much of our life is focused on social ranking. There are those who actively try to climb the social ladder while there are others simply who seem to be at the highest status. In Westport, it seems that most people are privileged in some way. I’ve grown up being on the soccer team, traveling on vacations to Arizona, the Caribbean, and London, never giving much thought to social class. These activities and gifts are just part of my life. However, over the last few years, I have come to realize that there are people who do not have these privileges. That is when I began noticing different social classes.…
If you were asked what class you are in today's society, you most likely wouldn’t be able to answer. Human genetics give you a chance to use your instincts and personal characteristics to do what you want with your life. You can choose what job you do and also who you end up with. Class distinction in today’s society isn’t as different than in Brave New World as it would seem. Depending on the level of intelligence you have and what types of careers you pursue, you are classed into a certain category. For example you are either rich, middle class or poor. Rich people have jobs like doctors and lawyers. Most of them believe they are better than most people because of their job qualifications and their salary per-year. "We're finding that the super wealthy tell a story about why they have what they have. In essence, they believe they're a different kind of person, with genes more suitable to success." (DeAngelis, Tori. "Class Differences." American Psychological Association. N.p., Feb. 2015. Web. 23 Mar. 2016. http://www.apa.org/monitor/2015/02/class-differences.aspx) Just like in Brave New World, Alpha’s believe they have more quality of a gene, which they do but they take that to an advantage just like the rich in todays society. The richer take advantage of their money and power and spoil themselves rather than help others in need. The middle class and poor…
Social classes in America have been a rising issue. Many People don’t think that social classes matter very much, they believe that you are either rich or poor: there is no real in between. Whereas there are really nine classes with top out of sight being the highest class and bottom out of sight being the lowest class. In between though there is seven other classes: upper, upper middle, middle, high proletarian, mid proletarian, low proletarian, destitute and bottom out-of-sight. This is made very clear Paul Fussell’s book Class: A Guide Trough the American Status System. Fussell makes these classes very clear and well defined. In the film Grand Canyon directed by Lawrence Kasdad, characters representing different classes come together and form relationships. The main one being the upper middle class lawyer Mack and a high prole tow truck driver Simon. The two meet and gain insight on how different classes behave and act. This gives one another a special look into another social class. The different classes expressed by Mack and Simon in the film Grand Canyon are shown by the clothing worn, Housing and job titles.…
In the article by Morris and Grimes they talk about going from the working class and moving up to the middle class and the shock of that. They describe how people don’t really know how to handle the change in status. It also talks about how people can be discouraged from moving up in class and are in a way raised to stay in the class that their parents grew up in.…
Many studies have been conducted to define middle-class without much success. It has been attempted to relate it to annual income. One study states that yearly incomes between $32,900 and $64,000, another between $50,800 and $122,000, and the U.S. census bureau middle 60% of incomes is the largest range of all lies between$ 20600, and $102,000 as what defines middle-class. Dan Horn notes in the Cincinnati Enquirer “Psychologist Ken Eisold, a contributor to Psychology today, said, though, that the way people describe their social status has more to do with what’s going on in their heads than their wallets.” Eisold goes on to say that “it’s really more about identity”. Horn adds that Julie Heath, director of the University of Cincinnati’s Economics Center agrees with Eisold that saying, “We’re a middle-class family has more than a financial connotations to it, it has a salt-of the earth to it. That’s the bed rock.” Essentially this shows that Americans do not base their social status on their income alone, but also on their personal accomplishments and views of where they have come from and where they are going. That being said, the bed rock of the middle-class comes from one of the most common descriptions what living in America is all…
Everyone is born in a specific social class, that being, we have no choice to choose our own social class from birth. Unless members of the family are able to change their social status, it’s more likely to remain in the same class. Social class is an important factor we have as an individual because depending on the social class, we are able to experience in a wide variety of opportunities to no opportunities. Lower class family were classified to be unstable, reduce marriage options, (Lower class person seeking for it’s opponent with higher class for secure reasons), and overall, it’s all about surviving than experimenting and taking adventures. Follows up with the working class and then then the middle class, while the working class is still…
While the determining factor in deciding social class should rely first and foremost on hard work and perseverance, which is the American dream, it often relies on other things. For instance, someone is born into a rich and powerful family, generally they do not have to make a name for themselves, since they can rely on their parents name. Likewise, if you are born into a lower class family, you have to spend a large part of your life and resources trying to rise to the classes above you. Because of this, not everybody has an equal chance to succeed and fulfill their dreams. Social class has come a long way, but undoubtedly still has many changes that need to…
Even if a person of the lower class can find success through great opportunities, are they truly moving to a new social class (Condition group)? The class a person is born into influences the type of person they become. It is how they grew up and turned into the person they are. Even when someone changes from social class to social class, who they are is how they grew up. A large piece of their personality will always be from that class, it is a lifestyle. The social class, something that will always be around, will continue to impact the lives of everyone (appositive…
Those who learn middle-class views, with its norms, aspirations, and values, have little in common with the orientations to life that arise from living in neighborhoods of deep poverty” (355). Just because one has grew up in a less industrialized neighborhood should not classify them as not being able to achieve the same thing as someone in a more industrialized neighborhood; where you are opened to bigger and better things just because you have more money, this doesn’t make you any better than someone less fortunate. Everyone has choices and decisions to make in life, and it is up to you to change and become better than what you were before. Just because someone puts a label on you, you have the same right, just as anyone else to rise above no matter your race or gender. According to Mint in the article “America, though Challenged, still the land of Opportunity”, he states “the character of our culture has to do with opportunity in America”, meaning how you were brought up in life; whether you had to work for what you got, if you got things handed to you,…
A family is in relative poverty if its wage is below 60% of the median family wage. The median is the number 'in the middle of a set, so half of all families earn more than the median compensation and half win less. Clearly, a family with one individual in it needs less money to live effectively than a family containing a couple and two children. The government originally intended to halve child poverty by 2010 through the mechanism of paying child tax credit to all low income families with children, but this has not had the desired effect and fewer households than anticipated have been lifted out of poverty.…
Rumor has had it that I live amongst a population of privilege and prosperity. If one finds himself at the right place at the right time, the statement would be true. However, I have experienced the meaning of a low socioeconomic status. This status has affected numerous effects on my life, but as a whole, my current community, family, and health situations have made the greatest impact on my education.…
Society is made up of hierarchy and social classes. The roles of social class in our current social is based upon income. There are the upper class (high income), upper-middle class, middle class (average income), lower-middle class, and underclass (no income). Depending on your education, career and skills, you are ranked by these classes. Wealth is a term meaning the amount of net worth on income, property, and other valuables. Wealth is depicted through our social class in our current society. We rate each other by the amount of money you have or make. Social mobility is the ability to move from one class to another. In the U.S., people are easily able to between classes. For example, if an individual claims bankrupt, they may be changed into a lower class. Another example is if a lower class citizen is determined to enhance their education to earn a well-paid job, they will be able to change their class for the better. Social classes constructs a society.…