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Social class and its effects
Social class and its effects
Negative impact of social class
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Social classes have been part of this country’s history for a very long time. Social class and sometimes race play an important role determining the opportunities a person is able to receive. People from different social backgrounds live different lifestyles as well as have different opportunities in life. As a result of that, individuals in higher social class have an advantage over those in a lower social class. However, we as individuals are the masters of our own destiny. Just because someone is born in a lower social class it doesn’t necessarily mean they have to maintain that social status the rest of their lives. Education, hard work and the willingness to do whatever it takes to succeed are some of the traits that can make this change happen. …show more content…
The grim reality is that majority of people who are part of the lower socioeconomic class are uneducated.
Unschooled people tend to be the outcasts of society and typically hold the least desirable jobs. Education is not only essential to attain a better paying job, but also elevates your individual status in society. Being knowledgeable changes the way others will perceive you and how they accept you. For those that don’t come from a fortunate background, education makes everything equal. Since education today is more accessible than years past, individuals from a less high social class are now able to compete with a larger number of professions. Having had a fine education places you on the same level as many others, which gives you an advantage to climb up on the social scale, lowering social inequality. For instance, Linda Chavez, the author of “We Were Poor, but I Didn’t Know It” and Cesar Diaz, author of “The Effects of Rio Grande Valley on a Scholarship Boy”, were both raised in a lower social class. They did not have much growing up but discovered that education was the key to
success. Although education gives you the chance to compete, it doesn’t benefit one if we aren’t vigorously willing to endeavor this accomplishment. Considering that we live in a world where nothing is handed to you nor does it come easy, hard work is one of the qualities that is very crucial. You can ask any accomplishing individual about how they became prosperous and nine out of ten will tell you it takes a great deal of effort. In a field of equal individuals, dedication and commitment is what separates you from the rest. It gives you the edge but also gives you greater satisfaction of knowing you have obtained something valuable. Perseverance allows a lower social class individual to be socially accepted and pertain in a society built on old traditional values. As part of a lower economic class you only have a handful of opportunities to achieve success. That’s why, in my opinion you have to have a definite and focused attitude of a persona “won’t take no for an answer”. Being relentless and willing to go the extra mile allows less fortunate individuals to eventually force themselves into mainstream society. People who have ambition to move forward will typically attain a way to fully achieve anything they set their mind to. It would be inaccurate to discard the importance of one’s social status in today’s society. It is a common fact that people in a high social class receive better treatment and have unlimited access to resources, which grants them a higher probability of succeeding. Despite that, we as individuals create our own future. Through education, hard work and the willingness to do what it takes lower social class individuals can finally close the gap between the social classes.
The USA is a very big country with a lot of people and the social classes are very important. We can see that social class plays a big part of people’s life. Everyday people are working, studying, trying to be better. Even though right now it’s a time when everyone has many opportunities in his life, anyway there is a gap between classes and groups of people with the same features. Your background probably will build your future. The main idea is that Social Classes still exist. There are three reasons why line between groups still exist.
The book Class matter shows the importance of how much people should value and appreciate the importance of a classroom education. How much you dedicate yourself to school can help you gain enough knowledge to be successful in the future. Having good quality education in America seems to be the closest thing to a ticket to class mobility. The book was very interesting in explaining what social class really is in America, and the way it affects people's lives on how they live day to day. The different types of social class is what shapes our society. But I think this book is more for those people who aren’t that aware of social class, or for the ones who feel that we live in a society that is classless rather then the actually people who have realized the consequence that class really has on someone’s life. Many people can relate to what stories are told in the book if not, they know of a person that can relate to these stories. As a person that grew up in the lower class, I can definitely relate to most of the stories told in this book. From experience, there is a big difference in this country between the rich, middle class, and who are the poorest that we see daily. Even those in the so called working class have to make continuous sacrifices and live very differently from those positioned firmly in the middle class. Some people may have decent jobs but the bills and other expenses people may have make it harder on people than those who are in the same class but don’t have to necessarily go through the same thing as others. The chapters that I read in this book broaden what I said to a better more clear understanding.
In order to break through the status quo of poverty for generations, there needs to be more efficiency on education. In our current society, establishments would rather hire someone who well qualified with college degree rather than just a high school education. For our modern day survival we need education because it will give up opportunities and help we need to become successful. The higher a person educational degree the more invested opportunity to move up in the ranks in our
...social classes that the world tends to put us in, we can sure make a difference by changing our view on them and taking more into consideration when grouping people into a class or ranking.
It seems to be beneficial for the elite or dominant group to exercise their power over the less fortunate by putting obstacles in social mobility. Fussell puts in perspective that Americans need to realize that we all have a membership in a certain class. The author made me realize that I am a part of the mid proletarian class, the class that works everyday living off a day to day check (my mom was a hairstylist). Given the type of work my mother did, shaped how I was identified as a person I could say it most definitely impacted my view and status. I agree that humans reveal their class just by the way they behave for instance, Studs Terkel interviewed a woman and in this midst of the interview he poses the question, “What are your thoughts about social classes in the country” (Fussell, pg. 16) you can tell she was hesitant with slight enraged about the topic being brought up because she mentions that they should dismiss the term “social class”. I define class as the way you appear to others meaning your posture, your voice and the way you articulate words these characteristics places you in a certain
The ideal concept of American society is one in which all of the citizens are treated equal in all every realm and situation. Class, race or gender does not divide the utopian America; everyone is afforded the same opportunities and chances for success. In this chimerical state Americans are able to go as far as their dreams allow and with hard work and perseverance any thing is possible. Many Americans subscribe to this pluralist view of the Country, believing that within our democratic system it is the majority who maintains control and sets policy. Unfortunately this idyllic country does not exist nor has it ever existed. America is made up of distinct social classes and the movement within those classes is for the most part, limited to the various classes in the middle where the lines of demarcation are blurred. Although the majority of the Country's population would attest to the myth that America is a classless society, the distinctions definitely exist and influence the entire life scope of most Americans. Housing, health care, education, career prospects and social status are all dependent on the amount of wealth one has and their class standing. Our system needs the built in inequities of the class system in order to perpetuate itself and the upper class needs to have their interests as the dominant determiner of corporate and governmental power and policy.
Education has always been in existence in one form or another. As each child is born into this world regardless of who or where they are born, life lessons immediately begin. He/she will learn to crawl, walk, and talk by the example and encouragement of others. Although these lessons are basic in the beginning they evolve as the child grows. However, the core learning method of a child does not change. Learning from others, they will watch, listen, and then act for themselves. Thomas Jefferson believed that an education would lead men and women to the ability to be self-governed and become positive contributors to society (Mondale & Patton, 2001). Today, we can see how true this is by the examples of others. Those that are given the opportunity for education are more likely to find jobs and develop skills that not only improve a community, but influence the economic growth of their nation (Ravitch, Cortese, West, Carmichael, Andere, & Munson, 2009, p. 13). On the other hand, if an education is not provided to individuals, they can become a hindrance to that nation’s growth.
difficult it is it move up socially and economically in today's society because of the widening gap between the rich and the poor (Aspects of Class in the US: An Introduction).
Class does affect how much education you can afford. However, there remains the fact that minorities are more likely to be poor, and the reason for this is the history of white supremacy in the United States. Historically, they were kept out of jobs and exploited for cheap labor, only to be replaced as soon as white workers had enough of it. The general public still judge people based upon their race, and still exclude people not like themselves. There are racial consequences to the new practices in the work field, but the consequences would not exist if the racial motivation had not been there in the first place. If minorities had not been stigmatized, killed, exploited, enslaved, and all other manner of things, then they would not be at so high of a risk of being in the lower class. America has not moved away from racism or racially motivated barriers, we have merely gotten better at hiding them. Now, when a black person does not have a job, we say “Oh well that’d because black people are lazy”, but we only started calling them lazy once they stopped working for free. Now, when a black man is killed for looking suspicious, we say “Well he had a history of being violent and he was a thug”, but when a white boy goes around and killed countless people, we say “He was lovely but he sadly suffered from mental issues.” Wilson does bring up a good point, but there is still plenty of racially motivated barriers in the United
School is the training ground for molding students to know their place in society and prepare them for the role they will play as adults in the disunited world. These standards are very stringent and enforced heavily by teachers and sometimes the students themselves. Lower class students have a very low bar set and usually do not have any intentions on surpassing that bar as they are unaware that socially there is not much expected out of them. According to Rose “Students will float to the mark you set. I and others in the vocational classes were bobbing in pretty shallow water" (126). Students are categorized into social class groups that restricts the level of education they will reach in their academic career. This is not because the students are not knowledgeable or willing to learn, but because of the standard, the norm, ‘what they’re supposed to do’ and no matter how high or low, the students will follow suit. Despite how elementary it seems, the hidden intentions that remain in education to this day, seem to be the blueprint to our future. Mantsios discusses a reality "From cradle to grave, class position has a significant impact on our well-being. Class accurately predicts chances for survival, educational achievement, and economic success"(391) We as Americans are naturally born into a social class and whatever that class may be, it poses as a barrier for some or an opportunity for others. Depending on the social class one obtains, success may be a struggle and being mediocre is common. Education is a common comparison when social class is discussed. As Americans, we are to believe that to be successful, we must have a good education and in most cases that means reaching a higher level of education. Students in the lower-class tend to have a standard and that is based off of their social status and barricades them in the mediocre learning curriculum. With having
In the society we live in today, it is ideal that we are all equal. We like to think that social class
Vulnerable groups are individuals who require special attention before, during and after natural disasters occur. They include women, children, prisoners, the elderly and persons with disabilities. In the event of sudden natural disasters like earthquakes and storms, very few strategies can be implemented. In the unforeseen instances of these disasters, vulnerable people run the risk of ultimately having disastrous consequences if adequate preparations are not made.
The United States is the most highly stratified society of the industrialized world. Class distinctions operate in virtually every aspect of our lives, determining the nature of our work, the quality of our schooling, and the health and safety of our loved ones. Yet, remarkably, we, as a nation retain illusions about living in the capitalist "land of opportunity", where any average Joe can make his million if he works hard enough. The reality of the our situation is that the US is not as "open" as we think it may be, meaning that social mobility, or the movement between classes, is not nearly as easy as we may believe. This is due to the fact that many social issues, such as gender, racial, and economic class, serve as barriers that obstruct the path of one's social mobility. Despite our own personal efforts and talents, mobility in our society is primarily based on one's status, and overcoming the stereotypes that accompany one's status makes mobility extremely hard.
What is social class? It is a term used to describe a large group of people who share similar social or economic positions in society based on wealth, income, job status, education, skills or power in the political sphere. Class is not just about what you own or earn but also who you know. Class affects not only how we feel about ourselves, but how others judge and consequently treat us. Those at the top of the class structure, the elite, have more power than those in the middle and even more power than those at the bottom who are of lower class. Education is a highly valued commodity in our world. In his commentary on society Freud, claimed, “ No feature, however, seems better to characterize civilization than its esteem and encouragement
The primary reason why the poor and working class can not mobilize themselves is that the effort that it takes to do so in most American cities is enormous. However, that is not to say that the burden of activism falls on the middle class or that the working class are too incompetent to mobilize each other. Rather it is the nature of society and our political system which is the biggest obstacle for them. First and foremost the very design of most American cities makes grassroots political movements very inconvienent. This is the result of very poor walkability (which city planners have said is key for municipal communities to grow and thrive) and consequentially few, if any, accessible and culturally intuitive areas to access and mobilize people. In addition to problems relating to city planning, the working class face challenges due to a political system which is set up to insulate from democracy as much as it can get away with. With two major political parties (whose ideas on the most consequential topics seem to be the same and