Social Class In America

There is much debate about the issue of social class in the United States. There are arguments about whether social classes are distinctly separate or fluid, dependent upon one’s community or society as a whole, and if they are subjective or objective (Hughes and Jenkins). However, despite the debate surrounding social classes, it is still important to try to define them and analyze their effects, as they are such an important part of our identity and our opportunities in society. Although our society has tried to appear as though we have no classes, and it is becoming harder to tell what class someone is in by material goods, classes do still exist today (Scott and Leonhardt). The trend has been to divide the U.S. into four major

Social class is a topic of discussion that is generally avoided, especially in America. In a country where all of one's dreams can allegedly come true; the notion of class highlights the jarring inequalities and social divisions between one American and another. In recent years, recognizing one's privilege is beginning to become a cultural value. However, it has always been something that people were aware of, as seen in the eye-opening documentary, People Like Us: Social Class is America (2001). The documentary strives to accurately portray how the contrasted people of America live, interact, and see themselves and others. Of the ideas the doc showcases the most important are, the higher classes influence over the poor, and the poor's poor self-image, as these ideas strike the core of why one should be conscientious of their class.

Many people are born into a higher social class than others. However, majority of Americans are automatically born with a struggle. According to the New York Times Class Matters, the marriage of unequals and the way people represent themselves superficially can prevent people from escalating the social class tower. There are millions of people that are dreaming of a better life, to have more opportunities and a better lifestyle not only for them but for their family as well. The stereotypes that come with marrying into an upper class society, and dressing dis-accordingly to your true social class can make the rest of society question what social class truly is.

Class is a topic seldom discussed amongst citizens of the U.S. As a country that is based on equality, it is not hard to see why people may be reluctant to define their social status. Topics distinguishing the upper and lower class are avoided by politicians and trivialized by the media. By maintaining the illusion of a classless America, important issues such as social inequalities are overlooked. Such avoidance of social inequalities work in favor of the wealthy, but do damage to the lower classes. Only by accurately defining our social class can we address the problem of social inequality (Mantsios 379).

Social class refers to the system of stratification of the different groups of people in a society. These different forms of classification are, in most instances, based on gender ethnicity and age. Social class makes everyone’s lives extremely different. For example: How long one can expect to live. In a wide range of ways, from success, to one’s health class, social class influences people’s lives (Grusky,2003).

Social class can be achieved, however there are some instances where social class is simply ascribed. A perfect example of this, would be being born into a wealthy family, where that child will simply be wealthy for the rest of his or her life without having to work hard in order to be in the position they are in. However, someone may be born into a poor family, and manage to become part of the middle class, as a result of all their hard work and effort to get there.

I think it's dumb how people tend to act or treat others different jus because of their level of social class that makes them feel like they can draw a line and divide themselves that want to be more than others but at the end of the day we are all humans and one day we will die. Social classes are not good or have any positive outcomes. Social classes effect the young generations, if you are low or middle class they want everything they see on the rich but they cant understand sometimes life is hard and when you grow in a low income family you cant get always what you want to have to work hard for it in the other hand there is the rich kids who get whatever they want and don't have to work for it because its handed easily to them.

Social class is split between many things including race, religion, income, and many other factors. Some people believe that if you are born into a poor social class you are stuck in a poor social class and this is just not the case. My father was born in Muskegon, MI to a loving christian family. This family was not rich and my father told me stories of how he would have to walk three miles to school because the bus would not come to his house and how he would have to walk on different streets to avoid danger. School did not come easily to my father but due to his hard work went to a community college. My mother on the other hand was born in the small town of Shelby, MI. My mothers parents did not go to church but were an average family when

In modern society, social class has a major influence in how we live our lives. Often, it determines what type of opportunities present themselves and how often they occur. Your class determines the people you associate with, your level of education, and your overall success in the world.

Based on recent research there are now 7 social classes in the United Kingdom (UK), thus showing the UK is more stratified and unequal than ever before. This supports arguments such as those by the likes of Keith Hart (2001) who argue that “the world is becoming rapidly more unequal as we grow closer together” and thus as a reaction to managing the gap between rich and poor social distance is increasing. However, he also argues this is not new with such inequality having existed since agrarian civilization. This is inherent to the notion of social class. This essay will examine changing inequalities within the sphere of social class structure and the way in which changes to labour, production and the technologizing world today impact social class structure. Through using a basis of social class that focuses on social, economic and cultural capital this essay will argue shifts in labour models, such as the shift from manufacturing economies to services, combined with globalisation and other cultural/social factors are impacting the way social class structure transpires in the UK.

Social class is defined as the position that people hold in the society. It is simply a class that helps other to determine or distinguish what position that particular individual has in the society. It is based on the social stratification that provides people some sort of hierarchical system such as upper class, middle class and lower class etc. It is very hard to define social class because it cannot be determined on one aspect of society. There are various ways in which people social class can be defined. Education, income, wealth, occupation are the important factors that determine social class. Sometimes social class is inherited too passing from generation to generation. It is very difficult to find the universal definition of social class as it very complex.

According to Brenda Allen in her book Difference Matters, social class is associated with the allocation of power and resources. It is a stratification system that is one of the biggest predictors of academic achievement. It is widely held in the US that the more financial, cultural, and social capital (Bourdieu) you have, the more likely you will get a better quality education that will lead to a higher paying job.

In today’s world, social classes have continued to be more of a greater drawback from the world becoming closer to equality. It’s obvious that incomes are extremely unequal. The upper class is make more money and becoming wealthier while others are make less and slowly becoming poorer. When people think about social class they know that there are three common social classes, the lower, middle, and upper class. Society refer to the lower class as people of low-income and the upper class as the top one percent. It’s noticeably known that the disadvantages of being in the lower class outweighs the benefits and that people in the lower-class have to work harder than any other social class to rise in social status.

Social class is an individual’s status based on his or her esteem and prestige acquired mainly through economic success and wealth. The status is compared against a pre-set hierarchy that determines to which class the individual belongs. Social class does matter as well. Social class determines everything about an individual. It determines what neighborhood and environment the individual grows up in, the types of school they attend, and what opportunities is open up for them. Social class also determined the jobs Dolores Dante, Mike Lefevre and my mom worked.

While the last social class is about being poor people are lazy, uncaring, will do anything to buy drugs. All of these stereotypes are true if you believe them and tell your friends about them, but there are people in this world that want to change for the better. There are many rich people that grew up from being in middle or poor class because they strive for success. While sometimes it is the opposite and people that fail lose it all and they become poor. That is the truth about social class. It does not matter if you identify yourself. It only matter the people around you that will tell you yeah you are just like the rest of us being either poor or rich.