Belonging to a particular culture defines who people are and what life beliefs they do inherit and support throughout their life. Even though traditional interpretation of culture implies a direct relation to specific people’s norms, traditions and attitudes of social nature, a term culture can also be associated with class and related economic status. Our society, for instance, is heavily stratified by classes, but overall it still represents the whole class culture with its essential sub-cultural domains: low income class, working class, lower and upper middle class, and high-income or upper class. The latter are the subject of this essay that aims at describing the general culture of individuals with high socioeconomic status, learning their …show more content…
This overall constitutes a single domain of an individualized economy, what formally reflects on socioeconomic status (SES) of a person. Technically, high SES individuals are on the top of the hierarchy of social class system. According to the recent Gallup Poll survey, the upper class represents approximately 1% of the total population in the United States; meanwhile, the middle-class individuals (both low and high income) constitute around 40-50% (Eisenhauer, 2008). The data is indicative enough to show that people from high income culture are heavily segregated from other class sub-cultures, and the level of income, extent of wealth and scope of power are critical conditions that distinguish high SES people from …show more content…
The socialization pattern for high income individuals is to seek for soulmates of the same mind and, preferably, similar socioeconomic position in society. For this reason, there are elite parties, high-class summer camps and other aristocratic events/activities available to rich people mainly. In a way, these activities serve as a marker for identifying “right people”, which means that high SES culture is characterized by a strong nature of entitlement, connectivity and belonging (Sherwood, 2012). A great example of these values is golf which has always been considered as an elite sport. Golf promotes networking between high SES people, contributes to conflict resolution and agreements between people of the same mind, and gives a necessary sense of belonging to the aristocratic stratum of society that sets the
Social and economic class is something we as Americans like to push into the back of our minds. Sometimes recognizing our class either socially or economically can almost be crippling. When individuals recognize class, limitations and judgment confront us. Instead, we should know it is important to recognize our class, but not let it define and limit us. In the essay, “Class in America”, Gregory Mantsios, founder and director of the Joseph S. Murphy Institute for Worker Education at the School of Professional Studies, brings to light the fact that Americans don’t talk about class and class mobility. He describes the classes in extremes, mainly focusing on the very sharp divide between the extremely wealthy and extremely poor. In contrast, George
...rceived to have more wealth received special treatment in the weekend event I chose to attend, which is a clear indication of the disparities existing in terms of wealth distribution nationally and globally. The level of interaction for those present was based on perception of individual social status. People were more inclined to freely interact with individuals from a similar social status rather than a person from a different social status. While some had ascribed status, other presented achieved stratification status. However, the difference emerging from this scenario is that a small number of individuals are given opportunities to amass wealth within a short time while the rest linger in their glory. In return, the cultural response to this difference is to elevate those who have amassed wealth at the expense of those in middle and low-class income bracket.
To demonstrate the existence of an institutional American upper class it must first be defined. Most people think of social class as distinctions between income, occupations, and education. They view the upper class as those who have more wealth and influence in society, but certainly not power or control. Domhoff defines social class as a group of “intermarrying and interacting families who see each other as equals, share a common style of life, and have a common viewpoint on the world” (Domhoff 2005), not as...
In the land of the “American Dream,” it is the common belief that there is a direct relationship between hard work and success. In this ideal prototype, those who put in long hours are bound for success and movement up the social ladder. Theoretically, one could be born into the “bottom of the food chain,” and with some hard work, rise into the realm of the social elite. As a testament to this global view of the United States, immigrants from all over the world have made the journey to the “land of opportunity” in hopes of better education, jobs, government, communities and lives for themselves and the generations following them. All of this is based on a system of social stratification – a guide to how successful one has been at achieving the American Dream. This evaluation of social class is based on many components, some of which are presented to people at birth, and not gained through hard work or money. The class system at play in the United States has become extremely complex – no longer adhering to the basic class values of our forefathers. Those trying to move up in the class system of America are often caught emulating the behaviors of the rich and famous, but this does not necessarily make them higher class. Many people think that there is a checklist to fill on their way up in the class system, but there is more to being upper class than just talking the talk or having the right credentials.
Despite the typically imaged definition of socioeconomic class being based entirely on the wealth of the individual, there are many complex social factors at play as well. Not only does it stem from Max Weber’s concept of Socioeconomic class (wealth, status, and power), there is a mobility to it as well. Anyone can permanently or temporarily
The upper class is separated by two different distinctions, the upper-upper or the “old money” and the lower-upper or the “new money.” The upper class represents about 5% of the total population. The populations tend to be somewhat older, mostly white, highly educated, with income significantly above the state average. People living within the upper class usually live in expensive neighborhoods, have high prestige and belong to the same clubs and organizations. Their children normally attend private school. The women within the upper class are usually in charge of hosting entertainments at home for guests and often do volunteer work. The men within the upper class are also more active in community service organizations. These families live in large houses on large p...
In today’s society, when an individual talks about social class they refer to the car an individual drives, the amount of money they make or even the school they attend. In the time it takes an individual to read the sentence above, a person made a decision primarily based on their social class. Social class is one of the most pivotal forces that affect individuals in their daily lives. It is quite common for individuals to think that money is the main factor for the inequality of power instead it is the class one belongs to and one’s class position. To some degree, social class can influence behaviour and create competition within families. The way families perceive the dominant group as being more entitled to the
The upper class are known to have high socio-economic status. They have a higher disposable income, are often highly educated, work high profile jobs and usually inherit their money from f...
Several studies support and show that ‘working class’ people from western societies have higher morbidity and mortality rates in contrast to people from other classes. According to Halleröd and Gustafsson (2011), the concept of ‘class’ is defined as “an individual’s position on the labour market… which determine their ability to consume goods and services such as health care”. In order from the highest class to the lowest, the common four classes within western societies include the upper class, middle class, working class and the lower class. According to Lantz et al. (2010), an individual’s socioeconomic class is described as “social and economic factors that influence the positions/roles individuals hold within the structure of society, and as measured by education, income, occupational status, and/or wealth”. Underlying factors that influence occupational status such as income and educational attainment make it possible to distinguish people between socioeconomic classes within contemporary western societies.
The socio-economic status and class division of society has greatly influenced everyday life in North America. Once designated a certain socio-economic status, it is very difficult to move freely in-between the classes. “The lower class typically encompasses a wide variety of class identities, from working class (blue collar) to working poor to unemployed.” This class is seen as the foundation of the social ladder, the bottom of society. Many people in this class work either minimum wage jobs or labor jobs.