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Social and economic class in modern America
Social and economic class in modern America
Social and economic class in modern America
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Each borough in New York City has different levels of income, whether it’s high, middle or low. Although no one can choose where there are born, they can choose where to live when they become adults. Many people remain in the same place where they were born. For some, it’s a choice and for others, it’s because of unfair circumstances. As a result, they contribute to the statistics of certain incomes in each borough. Socio-economic class plays a huge role when it comes to where and how people live. The Bronx and Brooklyn are the two boroughs with the highest percentage of lower-income residents. According to the article, “Where do middle-class New Yorkers live” by Zoe Rosenburg, the Bronx has the highest percentage of lower-income earners
Schaffer, Richard, and Neil Smith. "The Gentrification of Harlem?" Annals of the Association of American Geographers 76.3 (1986): 347-65.Department of Geography. Hunter College of the City of University of New York. Web. 25 May 2014. .
Putnam refers to this segregation as “residential sorting”, and states that, “residential sorting by income [.] has shunted high-income and low-income students into separate schools,” (163). Rich parents want their kids in the best schools, with the best teachers and the best peers, and are able to afford living in the right areas to send their kids to the right schools. Overall, Robert Putnam’s Our Kids presents an interesting argument about the class inequality in America and the resulting opportunity gap between the upper and lower class. He points out the differences between upper class and lower class family life: upper class have more successful marriages and are better prepared for the bear children, and so their children are better off than the lower class children (61-79).
The small river that divides the Washington Heights and Harlem from the South Bronx area, makes up "one of the largest racially segregated concentrations of poor people in our nation" (Kozol 3). This segregation increases the inequality problems by overpopulating the inner-cities that do not offer as many employment opportunities. As a result of the inequalities in this district, the children are not allowed as many opportunities as other fortunate individuals may receive growing up in a separate society. Kozol seems to think that the odds of these South Bronx children obtaining wealth and moving out of the area are ...
I will be analyzing the essay “Class in America --2012”. The topic of this essay is talking about does it matter what your social and economical standings are, and do they play a role in if you succeed in life. I personally agree with this. If someone is hard working and willing to do the job then I feel that they can be successful. Their background, race, and social and economical standings don’t justify everything that they are. Mantsios effectively communicates the phenomenon of stereotyping certain races, genders, and social classes will be more successful than others in America.
If you have ever read the book 1984 by George Orwell, then an interesting topic may have crossed your mind. The way the classes of people break down can be quite similar, and very different at times. In the United States, we have classes like the lower class, the working class, and the middle class. In 1984, there were such classes as the Proles, the Outer Party, and the Inner Party. The way the classes are broken down in 1984 reminds me a little bit of my old history class. When I studied medieval times and the classes back then were broken down into the nobles, the bourgeois, and the serfs.
Racial segregation has been a tactic used to isolate certain populations from success, while concentrating wealth amongst specific communities. San Francisco is a quintessential example of how an exceptionally affluent city is able to segregate poverty-stricken individuals from one of the worlds most prosperous economic regions Since the inception of the tech boom two facts have become evident, the wealth of Silicon Valley has risen exponentially, and the black population has plummeted. In a city where the top five percent of workers earn over $400,000 annually, 20 percent of the population still earns less than $30,000. From a monetary standpoint the numbers alone are staggering, but when taking into account racial components, health disparities
In discussions of Gentrification, one controversial issue has been with displacement. Gentrification is the process of renovating and repairing a house or district so that it complies to wealthier residents (Biro, 2007, p. 42). Displacement is a result of gentrification, and is a major issue for lower income families. Gentrification is causing lower-income residents to move out of their apartments because they’re being displaced by upper class residents who can afford high rent prices and more successful businesses. Throughout out the essay, I will discuss how gentrification affects lower income residents and how it results in displacement. Then I will follow on by discussing some positive and negative effects that take place because of Gentrification.
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
But many interviews from residents experiencing Gentrification say otherwise. In some cities there are people being asked and bribed to leave by landlords so they can make room for wealthier renters who are willing to pay two times the price just to live in the city. Take for instance Brooklyn, NY. The low income residents are escaping raising rents and going farther east. Rachel Cruz, a former resident was offered a 10,000 buyout by her landlord to move and make room for the current higher earning income residents. Unlike Rachel there are also some residents who refuse to move and face the consequences of being treated unfairly when it comes to the quality of
Park Avenue, on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, is one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in all of New York City, home to the ultra rich, the top tier of the American upper class, the 1% (Park Avenue). Those who reside on Park Avenue not only have vast amounts of wealth, but an immense amount of influence that has turned the tables in their favor. But, if you go a couple of miles north of Park Avenue and cross the Harlem River, you arrive at the other side of Park Avenue, otherwise known as the Bronx, one of the poorest districts in all of New York (Park Avenue). Here you see the real hardships average Americans must navigate through in order to put food on the table and provide shelter for their families. 40% of the 700,000 residents who live in the Bronx live in poverty making less than $40 a day (Park Avenue).
Gentrification is the keystone for the progression of the basic standards of living in urban environments. A prerequisite for the advancement of urban areas is an improvement of housing, dining, and general social services. One of the most revered and illustrious examples of gentrification in an urban setting is New York City. New York City’s gentrification projects are seen as a model for gentrification for not only America, but also the rest of the world. Gentrification in an urban setting is much more complex and has deeper ramifications than seen at face value. With changes in housing, modifications to the quality of life in the surrounding area must be considered as well. Constant lifestyle changes in a community can push out life-time
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
Social class is a system of social stratification, the hierarchy creates specific types of social inequalities. Social inequality refers to the existence of social inequalities created such as ownership, types of occupation that creates differences in wealth, income and power, while social stratification refers to the existence of social groups. Class can be arranged to economic factors such as income, education, wealth and other factors at work. Poverty remains high and could argue that true poverty cannot exist in a country as rich as the United States. It is clear that poverty has an impact on certain groups of people, while other groups have it easy, but poverty is often associated with something low education, poor health and social inequalities groups. Nearly a quarter of less than high school (23.6%) education live below the poverty line, while 3.6% of people with tertiary education live below the poverty line (U.S. Census 2007). The assumption that poverty is something that adds to increasing educational opportunities for the poor and education overall, suggests that it is very difficult to get out of poverty. You can see some similarities between health, poverty and employment status. The results of poor health, poor health contributes to poverty, and the difficulty of working full time. These are all things that come to be in a state of poverty.
“While there is significant variation across regions, within the cities and within the rural areas, the most significant inequality is between the urban and the rural” (Saich, 2011:316).
Looking at how my social location was affected by my family life is in many ways telling a story of American society and how things you have no control over have more effect on some of your own life then your own choices. As an example, one's race, gender, the access to opportunity and good schooling. In many senses America has instilled in us that being white is “right” or “better” by giving privilege to those who are white middle class. Being Latina I have faced more discrimination than my parents, but the key is their “whiteness” and geographic location helped me gain the building blocks to my success whether they were meant for me or not. Social policies made sure that my white family was equipped to have success beyond poverty. I was lucky to grow up in the community that I did because my life chances would have been opposite if I had grown up in a community like West Oakland. According to Mendenhall some of the biggest factors that contributed to upward mobility is a mixed residential area with a majority of two parent households and access to a good education (2006). My families act to be middle class gave me a perception of a different world outside of poverty, it allowed me to receive a good education and make connections with people who understood the importance of college for my future. Due to my family's race, geographic location, openness to accept financial assistance from the government and their act of a middle class family put me in a position to be at the best public university in the world and experiencing different life chances than many individuals who are in similar life