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The link between social stratification and social mobility
The impacts of social class
The impacts of social class
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Social Stratification
A person's class status can be harder to identify than race or ethnic differences. However, I believe class status is an important indicator of what kind of opportunities lie ahead for people in various class systems, although, I don't necessarily agree with the current class structure. Class places people into a type of structure which goes against the principal belief 'that in America all are created equal,' or that even the poorest child can become President some day if he or she applies him/her self. I agree with the argument of Mantsios and Fussell that social class remains largely invisible because our society doesn't want to believe that poverty exists in America. If Americans acknowledged poverty, then they would have to take some kind of action and do something to remedy it. Such action, of course, would create a huge ripple effect involving the whole hierarchical system. This can be a heated and bitter subject when one begins speaking of finances, more government funding, more education, or more taxes. It's much easier to turn a blind eye and deaf ear toward the needs of the poor, homeless, and hungry rather than give up the government funding for some pork belly project that is so insignificant to the needs of our human society. As in the old adage, 'out of sight, out of mind.'
I realize in order for a society to exist there needs to be a certain amount of structure. I also believe we need to come up with a new ideology to re-create a new structure where those living below the poverty level can at least have the opportunity to rise above it and with dignity. All people need the opportunity to better themselves, not just some. Defining class not only involves finances and education, but it incorporates family lineages, and job status. I?m sure it would include race as well. If something in life becomes stagnant there is no room for growth and without growth or purpose then life ceases to exist. The media continues to cater to the needs of the elite and government officials because that is the side their bread is buttered. Why give any recognition or acknowledge those in a lower class setting? It only draws attention to a NOT so perfect society. Occasionally the media will throw in a token and report that some big executive cheated and stole funds from a company to make the upper class seem ?not so perfect.?...
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...o-workers of course thought I was completely insane doing something that is so counter cultural because they knew how hard I had worked over the past twenty years at putting my life back together. I don?t deny at times missing some of life?s little luxuries. However, I have come to realize these things weren?t mine to begin with, they were gifts to enjoy for a short period and then passed onto others.
In summary, yes the media does play a huge part in making most of the lower class disappear, because Americans can?t face the reality that a huge portion of American people live in poverty. I also speculate that putting people in a class structure is degrading and very demeaning. This can cause ill feelings and avoidance of what has become an uncomfortable subject. The politically and financially powerful upper class influences various policies, which fosters unfairness and inequality in the society, but they totally overlook this and other problems. Despite our country?s professed equality all things are not equal, nor will they ever be. As long as a society exists there will always be economic and social inequality. Maybe a social revolution overdue?
As Kendall notes, “the media portrays people who produce goods and services as much less interesting than those who excessively consume them” (429). Viewers want to be entertained, and simply just don’t care about the struggles of the working class. They overlook “low wages (and) lack of benefits” (429) because through caricature framing the media sways people to believe works to be stupid and reckless. Using this frame, they created people such as Homer Simpson, showing people that the working class doesn’t deserve raises, better healthcare, or any such luxuries because they can’t think for themselves. If that wasn't bad enough, the media often characterizes all workers as wanting to transcend their class (429). Through shows such as Extreme Makeover, they depict people who want to spice up their life and improve themselves as people, and that they need help to get to the next level. The media has undercut all of the hard work of this class, and has made people believe that the working class is unavailable, dumb and needs help to be their best self when in fact they are what allows for the success of
Growing up in The United States, people are given this idea of an American Dream. Almost every child is raised to believe they can become and do anything they want to do, if one works hard enough. However, a majority of people believe that there is a separation of class in American society. Gregory Mantsios author of “Class in America-2009” believes that Americans do not exchange thoughts about class division, although most of people are placed in their own set cluster of wealth. Also political officials are trying to get followers by trying to try to appeal to the bulk of the population, or the middle class, in order to get more supporters. An interesting myth that Mantsios makes in his essay is how Americans don’t have equal opportunities.
In "Class in America", Gregory Mantsios says that "when politicians and social commentators draw attention to the plight of the poor, they do so in a manner that obscures the class structure and denies any sense of exploitation." Based off our readings, class discussion and films, income inequality is known to be erased or ignore. Our society frowns upon the expression of income in our daily conversations, as it could be seen braggy or a complaint depending on your status of income. Because it's frowned upon to talk about, the topic of income inequality becomes erased or ignored. In addition, income inequality in America's class structure can affect people's ability to reach their American Dream.
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 media portrays the upper class as something to strive for. Obtaining wealth and material possessions will bring you a happy life. The only way to get ahead is to emulate the rich and powerful and to live vicariously through them (Kendall 316). The media’s emphasis on the upper class takes away from people living life for themselves. Instead, they are persuaded to obtain a lifestyle that is realistically out of their means. Kendall states, “Largely through marketing and advertising, television promoted the myth of the classless society, offering on one hand the images of the American dream fulfilled wherein any and everyone can become rich and on the other suggesting that the lived experience of this lack of class hierarchy was expressed by our equal right to purchase anything we could afford”. Exaggerated views of the rich and successful in America are largely portrayed via television. Which gives a false idea of what happiness, wealth and material possessions can bring (Kendall 317). The poor and homeless are at the bottom of the class structure and are often overlooked, ignored and only portrayed as deserving of sympathy. They are stereotyped to be people who have problems such as drugs or alcohol (Kendall 318). Kendall goes on to explain that the middle class is considered the “working class” and are
The only type of media left out of Loewen’s article is social media and the younger generations are major consumers in the twenty first century. Watkins article uses the specific social media platforms Facebook and Myspace. Facebook typically had white users that were considered middle class. However, Myspace users were usually Black or Latino and came from the working class. People use social media to interact and trends of social stratification are apparent. TV is not interactive so the division of classes should not be as obvious, but “Poor people are more likely to watch TV.” (Loewen, 204). Hooks feels that “Television shows and films bring the message home that no one can truly feel good about themselves if they are poor.” (Hooks, 434). He uses Pretty Woman as evidence for this and says that the show portrays the ruling class or rich as “generous, eager to share, and as unattached to their wealth in their interactions with folks who are not materially privileged.” This sends a stronger message than interacting with others of a social media because it is not reality. TV can really send the wrong message to the poor or the rich. The privileged may get the idea that they have to take care of the poor, when the poor are hardworking people with values and morals just like the rich. From this the poor may see themselves as not as competent in society. Hooks mentions that self-esteem issues
Where would you consider yourself with your ranking in America 's social classes, are you upper class, middle class or even lower class? This is actually very important when it come to you receiving opportunities and in a sense special treatment. I’m referring to of course social inequality which is still very much alive in America and still affects a lot of families mostly in a negative way. This problem in America has grabbed the attention of two authors, Paul Krugman who wrote “Confronting Inequality” and Gary S. Becker and Kevin M. Murphy who wrote “The Upside of Income Inequality”. However, they both have different views on inequality Krugman believes that social inequality is only negative while on the other hand, Becker and Murphy believe
Stratification systems, categorized people by class, gender, ethnicity, wealth/income. When people are categorized, start looking at different systems within the social system or social mobility. “The four main systems of stratification have been slavery, caste, estate, and class. Each of these systems allows greater or less flexibility in terms of social mobility. Social mobility is the ability to move up or down within a social stratification hierarchy” (Larkin, 2015). Slavery is a social status began with social norms allowing people to own others. The slaves had no wealth or power while under this social status. Caste systems are all aspects of social status are assigned at births and held forever,
There are many opportunities in America that can improve one’s wealth and power, thus leading to the mass amount of immigrants coming to American. Most immigrants that come to American usually are categorized as the lower class immigrants, but they take any opportunities to improve their economic status. In an article by Howard P. Chudacoff, it states “immigrants generally chose upward paths that led from manual labor into small proprietorships” (Chudacoff 1982: 104). This explains the reason why immigrants choose to come and stay in America. They start out small as laborers then over time they will work to own a small business. Even though immigrants gets to grow to move from the lower class to the middle class, the natives will be always
Even though people are created equally, there is a very difficult to change the class you were born into. Not only because of a lack of easy upward mobility, but also because people can become content almost anywhere. If someone is born into poverty there is very little likelihood of them wanting to leave their safety-net, or even seeing an opportunity for a way out of their impoverished life. Complacency and a lack of motivation are things that are more prominent in recent generations, and so these issues also affect the poor. Although many in poverty are hard working people, they can barely get by because of the lack of good full-time work. People have to work two to three jobs just to make enough to live on. The fact of the matter is that whose who need to work can find a job, but will it be a job that can sustain them? In all likelihood, no. Businesses cannot afford to pay their employees enough to live
Social Stratification in the African American community has changed over the years. Social stratification is defined as a rigid subdivision of a society into a hierarchy of layers, differentiated on the basis of power, prestige, and wealth according to Webster’s dictionary. David Newman in Sociology Exploring the Architecture of Everyday Life describes stratification as a ranking system for groups of people that perpetuates unequal rewards and life chances in society. From slavery to the present, the African American community has been seen to have lower status compared to white people. Today, the stratification or hierarchy difference between whites and black are not really noticeable, but it is still present. However, during slavery, the difference in social stratification was noticeable. Whites dominated over the blacks and mulattoes (offspring of a white and black parent). The mulattoes were seen to have a higher stratification than an offspring of black ancestry. Because the mulattoes were related to the whites, they were able to obtain higher education and better occupations than blacks. For example, most slaves of a lighter skin tone worked in the houses and darker slaves worked in the fields. As the people of light skin tone had children, they were able to have advantages too. The advantages have led into the society of today. In this paper I will discuss how stratification has been affected in the African American community over time by skin tone to make mulattoes more privileged than dark skin blacks.
...rank of middle class tend to have a much lower level of involvement in politics while those who rise above the line feel quite the opposite. Granted there will be deviant cases that can on some level disprove these theories. But on the grand scale, class remains as the supreme cause of such severe division among the attitudes expressed by the American people.
...s citizens view them varies immensely. In a study, “55 percent of republicans blamed the poor for their poverty, while only 13 percent blamed the system for it; 68 percent of democrats, on the other hand, blamed the system, while only 5 percent blamed the poor”. The fact is one side will always blame the other if they don’t understand the other side, which is why adolescents need to be brought correct and relevant information in textbooks about social classes and how they function and who they are made up out of. Do we need a new system perhaps with new tax laws, new government leaders and new values, or can we fix what we have and make this country better for everyone. There will always be social classes in America but all citizens should be educated to know what each means and have the opportunity to strive to make their lives better, and their children’s as well.
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
People uses it to indicate your economic status and power level. Class has been an essential object of analysis for many scholars. Sociologists, political scientists, anthropologists, and historians have all further extend their theory with the concept of class. However, there isn't a consensus on its best definition. While the 'perfect definition' is yet to be decided, many scholars tend to agree that the term has different contextual meanings. Generally, public understand it as a model of social stratification in which individuals are placed into a group based on their social categories: upper, middle, and lower classes, with upper class controls majority of the wealth and lower class having less accessibility to resources. This ties in well with Marxian as Marx focused mainly on economic attributions.