Essay on Growing Up in California

Despite the debates about social class, the United States is usually described as having four major social classes, the elite or upperclass, the middle class, the working class, and the lower class (Goldscmidt). Classes are generally differentiated by income, education, and occupation although other factors do have an effect. The upperclass consists of about 1% of the population making 750,000 dollars or more a year as investors, top executives, or heirs to large fortunes (Hughes and Jenkins). There tends to be no question about who is in the upperclass as they are pretty clearly isolated in their power and wealth. The middle class makes up about 40% of the population making anywhere from 40,000 to 749,999 dollars a year (Hughes and Jenkins). The large disparity in income and wealth have led to a further division of this class into upper-middle class and middle class in some circles. The middle class usually work white collar jobs as professionals and managers, however some highly skilled blue collar workers are included. Those in the middle class have usually obtained higher education degrees and place a high value on individual responsibility for one’s class (Goldschmidt). The working class is composed of about 50% of the population earning 13,000 to 39,000 dollars a year (Hughes and Jenkins). Some also divide this class into a working class and a

The article “Class in America” by Gregory Mantsios exploited the sad truth that is the American class system. Throughout the piece we are introduced to different myths about the economic spectrum that are later debunked by hard facts and evidence. On a day to day basis here at Monmouth University I am surrounded by fellow students who I would believe to be in the same social class as me. Growing up I never viewed myself as exceedingly wealthy or poor by any means but I knew my parents had to work hard for whatever income they could get. My family is what this article identifies as “middle class”, but after reading it should I begin to think of myself as less than that? According to the article, classes should not even be discussed because there

I’m from the infamous Chicago, IL which has many nicknames like chi-city, windy city and chi-raq etc. I don’t live in the area of Chicago where all the tourist go and take pictures and stay in fancy hotels. I live in Washington Heights/West Pullman which is located right on the border of the Morgan Park and Beverly area on the South Side. Even though I live so close to these nice and historic areas, the differences are very clear. I wouldn’t consider my neighborhood the hood, but it has its “hood” aspects. During the nights I do hear gunshots and see gang's all around, but a lot of the people who live here in my neighborhood are nice working class people. My neighborhood is different from what you would think it would be like. I don’t hear gun shoots everyday I lay my head down to go to sleep and I can walk to the Corner store

Nowadays, the middle class is shrinking, while majority of people are either moving into the lower or upper classes. This is due to the major economic and policy changes that have occurred throughout the past thirty years. Based on the Basic Economy Security Tables, one in four full-time working-age adults are not earning enough income to meet economic needs for themselves or their families. This is a serious problem in America today, the fact that the median income today is six hundred dollars less than it was in 1989 is proof of this epidemic. It is much harder now, than ever, to work your way into the middle class, much less stay there. The percentage income growth since 1967 for the top 5 percent of earners is 88%, top 20 percent of earners grew 70%, and middle-income households only grew 20%. (Camp) In simpler terms, the upper classes income has increased tremendously, while middle-income households have seen very little growth in their income. Since the middle class is not receiving any income growth, it is declining and moving towards the lower class. It is not nearly as easy as it was thirty years ago to get a decent job and make

The minority population in Los Angeles is “68.2%”(Stephanie and Doris) and “38% are Latino, 29% are African American and 6% of other ethnicities, and 27% are white.”(Hans P. Johnson)

High and lower class positions leave out the middle classman. I am considered middle class and I feel that we are over looked. The upper

Although most people in the United States of America do not live in an upper-class household, this term is often correlated with income, wealth, power, and prestige. In fact, “approximately one percent of the U.S. population is considered to fall in this stratum” (2017 p.260). Nevertheless, the middle class are the rulers of the United States of America. Per Conley, the middle class is “a term commonly used to describe those individuals with nonmanual jobs that pay significantly more than the poverty line – though this is a highly debated and expansive category, particularly in the United States of America, where broad swathes of the population consider themselves middle class” (2017 p.262). In particular, the middle class is often correlated with white-collar workers, such as accountants, teachers, and attorneys. An abundant number of families in the United States of America are considered to be “poor.” In accordance with Conley, “in 2015, the poverty line for a family of four was $24,250” (2017

Growing up, East Los Angeles was full of violence and danger. It was very difficult to walk down the street without being confronted by gang members. East Los Angeles has always been looked down upon because it’s a predominately community; as there are lots of stereotype’s that demean us. Thankfully, our police and sheriff departments have managed to lower the violence and murder rates. I want to continue keeping my community safe, my goal is to major in the criminal justice field, because I want the environment where my family and neighbors can grow up without feeling threatened. I want to set an example for my sibling’s, so they can make the safety of their community their priority. I want to provide aid to protect where I was raised. Students

Growing up in Arizona has sparked my interest for biology and nature. I love to hike in the mountains and watch wildlife and learn about new plants. This is why I am interested in interning here. I love to learn about plants and they have always intrigued me. I am interested in learning about pollinators in the Chicago area, such as bees, and wanting to understand how their decline has effected plants in the area.

As my breath fills the open-air with a cool and foggy mist, I wonder what would have happened if I hadn't gone on this trip. As I look down all I see is clothes covered in dirt and I wonder when the last time That Susan had got a chance to wash This Set of clothes when I look around i see some familiar faces and some I can't make out. These mountains have taken us days to climb. Most say that we are almost to the top but I fear that we still have very far to go. A fresh layer of snow lays atop the wagons, Susan is laying down bundled in a thin blanket inside the wagon, Father is getting old, And i'm starting to think that he might not ever see california. If he doesn't make it it would be just me and Susan, I don't think that i'll have time

Historically, the United States has directly tied its public education system to income because “a substantial portion of school funding is raised through local tax revenue” (Owens, Reardon, & Jencks, 2016, p. 1161). Some states can help offset discrepancies, but others are completely dependent on the value of local property and income levels. Thus we find situations like Rancho Palos Verdes, where wealth is necessary to afford homes and the cost of living, and nearby Long Beach, where families are far more likely to be able to live within their means. Often, affluent counties claim that affordable housing “brings no net benefits to the community” and hurts property values (Mueller, 2007, p. 1). The benefits, however, are often overlooked and can be particularly impactful in educational spaces – without which would be severely lacking in an income-segregated system. Richards (2014) finds that “attendance zone boundaries” reinforce racial disparities in schools and can be manipulated by local officials in ways that disenfranchise or “zone out” certain students in favor of others to

According to Gregory Mantsios many American people believed that the classes in the United States were irrelevant, that they believed we reside(ed) in a middle class nation, that we were all getting richer together, and that everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed in life. But what many believed, was far from the truth. In reality the middle class of the United States receives a very small amount of the nation 's wealth, and sixty percent of America 's population receives less than 6 percent of the nation 's wealth, while the top 1 percent of the American population receives 34 percent of the total national wealth. In the article Class in America ( 2009), written by Gregory Mantsios informs us that there are some hu

In my research of Austin, Texas I found out several interesting facts regarding the demographic makeup of the city. For example, the racial breakdown by race is whites 68%, blacks 8%, Hispanic are at 35% and foreign-born 18% The makeup is obviously different when you compare Austin to the US as a whole, however, it is interesting to see the “total picture”. The following is the breakdown for the US whites 72%, black 12.6%, Hispanic 17%, and foreign-born 13%.

Growing up in San Francisco was not easy. My life has been a up hill battle. I’vealways been a free spirited person. Always loved sometimes loved the wrong people. I grew up in San Francisco. Most people think of San Francisco as this wonderful free love place. Well it’s not this wonderful free love place. Fillmore is what my neighborhood was called. This Fillmore place was a very dark violent place. Many don’t make it out. Either you die young, or you go out on drugs. I always wanted more out of life. I always felt that if I could escape this dark unkind place I would be a better person. Sometimes as a child I would dream of living in a real family setting. You know a father that lived with my mother and I. “A real family not a dysfunctional one”. School has always been a outlet for me. I could go to school and learn, learn, learn. I’ve always been

Remember when we were young and all we could think of was growing up and getting to do ‘grownup’ things? We spent our whole childhood thinking of what we would do when we finally ‘grew up’, and here we are, almost completely grown up and we still haven’t made up our mind of what it is we will do when we grow up. We’ve painted this pretty little picture in our head of what it’ll be like when we eventually do grow up, and when it finally comes for the picture to be taken off the wall and put into action, it’s not nearly as fun as creating the painting.