Classism In The American Dream

The book called They Say I say with Readings contains multiple articles. However, chapter nineteen focuses on the American Dream. Chapter nineteen, “What’s Up with the American Dream?” indicates how the article will be focusing on the American Dream. The American Dream changes over the course of time as the income inequality widens between the higher and lower class. Few events occurred that affected the income, which led to a growing gap between the different classes. The income of a person depends on the education that a person possesses, which can affect one’s income. Consequently, causing inequality between the different classes. People believe the American Dream changes over time as situations and circumstances vary. Health care is affected by the income inequality because different choices of insurances and doctors are available to those with specific incomes. The impact of the Income Inequality on the American Dream by the gap increasing between higher and lower class, education, interpretation of the American Dream over time, health care, and gender roles. Various authors from chapter nineteen and others from different resources focus on how income inequality affects the American Dream.

In the first article titled “Class in America” by Gregory Mantsios the discussion on class affecting the United States negatively is brought up. Gregory talks about the fact that people do not choose to be poor but they are put into situations where they cannot move up in class. Due to the fact that class creates an immense gap in communities, there are many issues linked to being categorized as the lower class. In the article Gregory states that “class affects more than lifestyle and material well being. It has a significant impact on our physical and mental well-being as well.” CITE) The author connects the idea that if you are in the lower class than you will also deal with other issues include your mental and physical health declining. Alongside this idea, the author also states “All Americans do not have an equal opportunity to succeed, and class mobility in the United States is lower than that of the rest of the industrialized world. (CITE) This goes along with the idea that once your born into a class, breaking out of it is virtually impossible. The author is also making the point that in the United States class is more problematic than other developed nations and because of this not everyone is given the chance to break free from a poor lifestyle.

Class, the system of ordering a society in which people are divided into sets based on perceived social or economic status. An economical structure where individuals are grouped in lower, middle and upper class. A social structure powered by gender roles, defining masculinity, manliness and femininity. Are we truly living the American Dream? Throughout this essay we will discuss the condition of the working class, women’s right to vote, taking a look at the rise of the Progressive Era and how it changed relationships between big businesses, government, and the working class.

Here, in the United States, the “American Dream,” is a popular belief. There is a strong relationship between hard work and success. In this perfect scenario, those who put in multiple hours are on the road to success and can move up the social ladder. Thus stating, one could be thrust into the lowest of the social status, and with some hard work, one can elevate into the world of the social elite. As a demonstration to this global view of the United States, immigrants from all over the globe have made the excursion to the “land of opportunity” in beliefs of better education, employment, government, communities, religious freedom, and lives for not only themselves but the generations that come pursuing behind them. All of this survives based on a game of social stratification – a diagram on how to successfully obtain the American dream. This observation of social class is based on many mechanisms, some of which is bestowed to people at birth, and not rewarded for hard work and dedication. The class system at play in the United States has become incredibly complex – it no longer has the fundamental class values of our forefathers. Those trying to move up in the social ladder of America are often caught replication the actions of the rich and famous, but this alone cannot make them part of the higher social class. Some think that there are simple rules to follow to climb higher into another social class ladder, but there is more to being upper class than just talking the talk or having the right identity.One way to look at class is the model developed by Janny Scott and David Leonhardt's article, “Shadowy Lines That Still Divide,” in The New York Times. They assert that “one way to think of a person’s position in society is to imagine a hand of cards. Everyone is dealt four cards, one from each suit: education, income, occupation and wealth, the four commonly used criteria for gauging class” (Scott and Leonhardt 27). While being sure on these four criteria, a basic understanding of a person’s predicted class can be made. While this model works fine for providing an elementary level of perception, it must be recognized that a person could rate well on this scale and still be in a different class than those

The American Dream. The dictionary defines it as “the ideals of freedom, equality, and opportunity traditionally held to available to every American.” The American Dream is a different image to each individual. To some it is living comfortably in the suburbs with their family. To others it is owning a large mansion and along with fancy sport cars. Class, a status based on social factors, has long played a role in the process of achieving the American Dream. In the first chapter of Class Matters, a book written by correspondents of The New York Times, the authors dive into the subject of class and class mobility, which is the ability of individuals to move up or down in their class status. The correspondents discuss class and class mobility

Many people around the world have been faced with inequality at some point in their life whether it is because of race, ethnic background, or gender. Also, social class plays a major role within inequality because, depending on the social class one is born into it can predict a lot about their future. Class is defined as the status one hold in society, socially or economically: according to socioeconomic factors, it can be one's status pertaining to things such as education, wealth, or occupation. Social class in our society has always been, and continues to be, a major problem for various social inequalities related to work, educational opportunities, and health benefits. Although there have been many improvements in our social structure in the past decades, many people in the United States find themselves at disadvantage because of their social class.

The purpose of this essay is to provide an explanation on why sociologists are interested in class. This assignment will define what class is and to what extent class matters. Other social divisions will be explored in this assignment to show how they intersect with class. The social divisions which intersect with class which will be discussed include economic and social inequalities, social mobility and identity. The beliefs from well-known theorists, Karl Marx and Max Weber who disagreed on the nature of class, will also be included to support the main points which are

While the concept seems outdated, a class system remains in America. Terms such as wealthy, middle class, and lower class still act as labels. Studies reveal the growing gaps between these classes, resulting in the struggle of achieving greater things. Defining “class” proves difficult, however regardless of definition, it still exists.

Recognizing classism and the consequences that are associated with it is a crucial step in making sure all Americans have equal access to benefits such as education, financial literacy, and health care. It is important for us to work together as a nation and figure out how to best serve our entire population and not just the people in certain

Betty Wolder Levin and Nina Glick Schiller (1998), define class “as a set of people whose position within the productive system is similar” and this position plays a major role in the amount of resources and degree of power they have (pp. 4).

The topic of social class is a discussion that is taboo in America especially when it is easier to believe that we live in a classless society where everyone has an equal opportunity, yet the reality is far from that. Social class can determine status, power and the things that people enjoy or lack in their daily lives. Class is related to almost every decision that we make such as the music we like, the clothes we wear and how we interact with one another. Social class is not just about the status of our careers, our wealth, the cars we drive or even the schools we attend, it goes beyond the surface, affecting our wellbeing, how we feel, think and act. The increasing gap between the rich and the poor has caused negative effects on our well-being, self-confidence, relationships, prejudice and stereotyping. The process of how social class is internalized directly effects our well-being and the success we experience in life.

By living class status that implies that people often reaction and behave in coordination to what society stereotypes about a certain race, ethnicity, wealth, occupations, and even gender. The most common class status, in fact the most common for people to classify without knowing is the income of an individual or of a family. Although, it is applicable to be say that not everything or everyone is living by class status, but I do believe that class status no matter who you are, will always be a factor that someone thinks about. For instance, when purchasing a home, often people explore into the neighborhood looking for the ‘broken window’ effect because people with higher wealth are more likely to move away from a home of that caliber or even searching for a

There are many ways in which society is stratified, one of the most definitive being class.

Society has developed the concept of social class to categorize people into different groups based on economic, political, and educational status. The three primary social classes in the United States include; the upper class, middle class, and lower class. There are several subgroups within these extensive sections. This system of social ranking contributes to the difficulties that the middle and lower classes have to experience in order to succeed in the United States; always trying to obtain the success and respect that the upper class receives. America is a place where all people are supposed to be equal, but social class has created divisions in our society.

Economics is a major cause of inequality. Classism is a type of economic inequality. Upperclassmen are the people who have the highest status in society. They get the best education, great health care plans, and the best public services. They get treated like they are superior and in some cases that think they are superior as well. Middle classmen are the people who are stable. They get the standard education, standard health care plans, and general public services. The lower classmen are the people who have the lowest status in society. They are working class - poor. They get a poor education, little to no health care, and terrible public services. Generally, people in higher classes think that are better than lower class and treat them differently. They start to