Philanthropy and Elite Social Stratification in America I. Introduction When describing social stratification in America, the essential variables are economic. This rule is valid for a high percentage of Americans; but looking only at economic stratification especially misses the point when it comes to the gap between the Old Money social elite and the New Money elite. As Francine Ostrower puts it, "the social elite is an elite of status. It is characterized by solidarity within the group, social exclusivity and a distinctive cultural identity…[they are] a core within the larger elite" (1995:12). I will examine one way that this status distinction is preserved: through the upper-class system of philanthropy, the giving of money to causes both charitable and non-charitable. I will argue that philanthropy’s role is in part to distinguish the social elite from other elites, and that this system is maintained through a particular social mechanism that can be modeled using game theory. II. The marks of the social elite: a differentiation hypothesis The type of stratification between old money and new money is qualitatively different from the stratification that characterizes most of American society. What makes this difference possible? One factor is the small number of families and people that compose the old money elite: "Old Money society…is a round of people, places and things that is different from other people’s rounds" (Aldrich 53, italics mine). In a group small enough to have face and name recognition, one can base status judgments on personal knowledge about lineage and breeding, and not have to rely on the conspicuous status symbols that New Money sometimes employs. They could not rely on those symbols, even if t... ... middle of paper ... ...se, either pure philanthropy or pure miserliness will always be optimal. This concludes the derivation. Bibliography Aldrich, Nelson W., Jr. Old Money: The Mythology of America’s Upper Class. New York: Vintage, 1989. Hofbauer, Josef and Sigmund, Karl. The Theory of Evolution and Dynamical Systems. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1988. Olson, Mancur. The Logic of Collective Action. Cambridge, MA: Harvard UP, 1965. Ostrower, Francine. "The arts as cultural capital among elites: Bourdieu’s theory reconsidered." Poetics 26 (1998):43-53. Ostrower, Francine. Why the Wealthy Give: The Culture of Elite Philanthropy. Princeton: Princeton UP, 1995. Turner, Ralph H. "Sponsored and Contest Mobility and the School System," American Sociological Review 25(1960):855-67. Warner, W. Lloyd. "What Social Class is in America." In Social Class in America, pp.3-44.
How did the rich of Hudson Valley and Harlem New York differ in behavior patterns and personal attitudes towards home ownership during 1920 to 1925? Even with the distinction of race between Hudson valley rich and Harlem rich are the two groups in anyway similar? The rich of Hudson Valley did not feel the need nor the obligation to be philanthropical towards their under class counterparts. They were desensitized towards the needs of the poor and unfortunates of society. The Harlem rich however, felt a moral and spiritual obligation to help those less fortunate then themselves to become more prosperous so that they could aspire to the joys of home ownership. Only if they felt the individuals were worthy of their help.
In his essay “Land of Opportunity” James W. Loewen details the ignorance that most American students have towards class structure. He bemoans the fact that most textbooks completely ignore the issue of class, and when it does it is usually only mentions middle class in order to make the point that America is a “middle class country. This is particularly grievous to Loewen because he believes, “Social class is probably the single most important variable in society. From womb to tomb, it correlates with almost all other social characteristics of people that we can measure.” Loewen simply believes that social class usually determine the paths that a person will take in life. (Loewen 203)
The American upper class controls our governing bodies, our social institutions, our policy-making process, and everything else in between. Ask yourself: when has a poor black woman from inner-city Houston ever navigated the detours and roadblocks that pervade the journey up the American class system? Contrarily, what proportion of American legislators, lobbyists, and lawyers come from upper-middle and upper class families? One element absent from Domhoff’s book was a discussion on social capital. I believe that an acknowledgement of how networking amongst members of the upper class increases the social capital of American elites, and how such a consequence can prove critical in maintaining class parameters and ensuring they remain in place for generations to come. Cutting off communication opportunities between classes is quite possibly the greatest cause of classism in America. It is not that Domhoff neglected a discussion on social capital as his ideas more or less all consummate the idea; I just wish he would have incorporated a discussion of the term directly in his
Sumner, William Graham. What Social Classes Owe to Each Other. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1883.
Larkin, Timothy. (2015). Our Social World: An Introducation to Sociology. Chapter 8: U.S. Organizing Principles of Stratification—Class, Race, and Gender. http://lc.gcumedia.com/soc102/our-social-world-an-introduction-to-sociology/v1.1/#/chapter/8.
Ronald Reagan was born to John Reagan and Nellie Reagan on February 6, 1911. He was born in Tampico, Illinois; however, most of his childhood was spent in several different towns until his father decided to settle in Dixon, Illinois in 1920 to open a shoe store. Reagan was rather active in high school. He participated in the school plays; he was student body president, and also an athlete. In 1928, he graduated from Dixon High and went on to attend Eureka College on an athletic scholarship. In college, he played numerous sports, served as student council president, and performed in school productions. Reagan graduated from Eureka in 1932, where he majored in economics and sociology. After graduation, he found work as a radio sports announcer.
Society today is split in many different ways: the smart and the dumb, the pretty and the ugly, the popular and the awkward, and of course the rich and the poor. This key difference has led to many areas of conflict among the population. The rich and the poor often have different views on issues, and have different problems within their lives. Moral decay and materialism are two issues prevalent among the wealthy, while things such as socio-economic class conflict and the American dream may be more important to those without money. Ethics and responsibilities are an area of thought for both classes, with noblesse oblige leaning more towards the wealthy.
After High School, Ronald Reagan won a Scholarship to Eureka College in Peoria, Illinois. He was very active at Eureka. He majored in economics, student body president, captain of the swimming team, and was on the football team. He became interested in acting, but after his graduation in 1932 the only job available that was related to show biz was a local radio sportscaster. In 1936 he took the job as a sportscaster for WHO radio station in Des Moines, Iowa.
Often times when one hears the word “change” in any aspect of life, they are often, put off, and intimidated by the word itself and the intended implication. This is a normal and understandable reaction for anyone engaging in any type of change. In terms of organizational change, this type of behavior often seen as, but is not limited to pushback, resistance, lack in productivity, turnover, drop in overall customer service, etc by team members. Thus, as organizational leaders, it is our responsibility to ensure that any change management implemented is smooth and has lasting benefits; by considering the impact on the organization as a whole and most importantly, the impact it will have on the team members within the
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...
Studies conducted over a nearly 30 year span have consistently shown only a small fraction of adolescents get the 9 or more hours of sleep they require to function at their best. While teenagers are notorious for causing their own sleep difficulties, sleep loss among adolescents is confined primarily to school nights. “Sleep deprivation is epidemic among adolescents, with potentially serious impacts on mental and physical health, safety, and learning. Most teenagers undergo a biological shift to a later sleep-wake cycle, which can make early school start times particularly challenging.” says
It’s seven thirty in the morning, the time that most American high schools begin class. Instead of being chipper and ready to learn, most teenagers, at this time of the morning, can barely remain awake. These puffy eyed pupils are by no means ready to learn. Sixty percent children under 18 reported being sleepy during the day, with another fifteen percent reporting that they had fallen asleep during the school day within the past year (National Sleep Foundation, Dozing). Though adolescents require a larger amount of sleep than younger children, they usually receive much less (Indiana University Center for Adolescent Studies). The amount of sleep a teenager receives affects him or her both physically and mentally. Sleep deprived teenagers are more likely to be irritable, be depressed, not perform up to their capabilities in school, and have a decreased ability to handle complex tasks (National Parent Information Network). Though teenage sleep deprivation is a big problem, some simple solutions such as rescheduling the school day to fit teenagers’ biological needs, setting consistent sleep schedules, and teaching children the importance of proper sleep habits can easily remedy this problem.
The change process within any organization can prove to be difficult and very stressful, not only for the employees but also for the management team. Hayes (2014), highlights seven core activities that must take place in order for change to be effective: recognizing the need for change, diagnosing the change and formulating a future state, planning the desired change, implementing the strategies, sustaining the implemented change, managing all those involved and learning from the change. Individually, these steps are comprised of key actions and decisions that must be properly addressed in order to move on to the next step. This paper is going to examine how change managers manage the implementation of change and strategies used
Kerbo, H. R. (2012). Social stratification and inequality: class conflict in historical, comparative, and global perspective (8th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.
Today in this society many teenagers are having sex and not realizing what could happened after they have done it. Parents and teachers aren’t teaching their children proper information about sex. Teenagers believe nothing can happen and that sex isn’t a probable cause. Unfortunately, there are many risks that come along with teen pregnancy many of those include a life surrounded by poverty, medical and health issues, less schooling along with more dropout rates, and lower career ambitions. Teen pregnancy has many causes such as no access to protection, wanting to tie down a guy, Missing love or attention from parents, peer pressure mixed with "trends”, and sadly teenagers most common, lack of knowledge.