How do members of the upper class in modern Western society influence the general population?
Introduction
In modern Western societies, the upper class is a social class made up of 1-2 percent of the population that wields the majority of the population’s wealth (Boundless, 2015). It is this 1-2 percent that also has the power to influence the behavior of people in lower social classes, such as the middle and lower class (Boundless, 2015). However, it is how this minority in Western society influences the masses. I chose this topic because I was intrigued by how a minority, such as the upper class, in society has the power to influence the masses. My investigation aims to show how a minority social class uses multimedia, propaganda and wealth to influence the general population on a global scale. Primary sources will include adolescents, adults and seniors of the middle and lower class. Secondary sources will be articles, books and written reports by experts.
What are the differences between the social classes in modern Western society?
To understand how individuals of the upper class influence people from lower social classes, it is important to understand the gap that exists between the social classes; as well as the layers that exists within each social class. It is also important to understand why these gaps exist and how they contribute to who has power in modern Western society.
Upper class
People who are considered to be members
The upper-upper class are those who come from old money, which is inherited from previous generations.This class compose less than 1% of the population, but possess a great deal of power, and influence society. The upper-lowers are those who come from “new money.” Most of these people a famous stars and are sometimes referred to as the “working rich” because they work for the money they earn. Although the upper-lowers may possess more money than the upper-uppers, they often find it difficult to be apart of the upper society.
Social class plays a major role in a society. A person’s social class affects his/her education, respectability, and ability to get a job. Most people in America’s society are born into their social class, but it is easier now to move up than it was in 16th century England. Although there are some slight differences in these two social classes, the social classes of 16th century England are shockingly similar to the social classes of modern day America.
In reality class always matters and it shapes our interests in life. We all come from different background and ethnicity. I believe that class is shaped mainly by income and occupation. However, many people think if a person is wealthy, therefore, he belongs in the upper class. But there are other factors that define class and it is more than just how much money you have. It can be the network of people that surrounds, traditions, and academic status that can also define class. Many of it has to do in which family you have been born and network that creates it. All of my family members have been born and raised in Russia; they completed universities, got jobs, and had enough income to support a family. “Each of us is born into a family with a particular class identity and class history—sometimes it is a mixed or hybrid identity—but almost always it is part of a network of other relationships—to other families in a community, to work and jobs, and to institutions” (Zandy 112).
|class and the upper class. The inequality of class causes poverty as individuals are limited to wealth, resources and opportunities |
The concept of social class has been around for ages and is still a part of today’s society. Social class is not only based on the individual’s wealth but also on their social standing such as; monarchs, priests, nobles, merchants, and peasant class. The peasant class was practically ignored, which means that the higher classes would only pay attention to each other. This can be the case in society today, there are some people who feel that their career makes them higher than a janitor. Even though humans have been around for centuries, social class is still a big issue.
People consider that social stratification in the United States contains social classes such as upper class, middle class, and lower class. People who are categorizing in upper class not only have power and control over their own lives but also their social status gives them
Theory: connect it to the symbolic-Interaction Theory. The micro level analysis of social stratification is important because people’s social standings affect their everyday life. Rich people do not want to hang with homeless people. Everyone thinks highly of themselves that poor people just don’t want to work and are lazy is not surprising. Because of their social standing, they try to justify inequality.
Social class describes the different "layers" that exist in society. These "layers," or classes in society, are a division that civilization has been running on ever since the beginning of mankind. In most modern societies, our system of social class division is one of opportunity. We experience a good deal of social mobility, where people through generations or in their own lifetime can move up or down the social scale. By examining the many different perceptions of social class along with S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders, it is illustrated that social class has an impact on people while they are growing up, and will usually deny them from rising above adversity.
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 big part of people’s life. Everyday people are working, studying, trying to be better. Even though right now it’s time when everyone has many opportunities in his life, anyway there is a gap between classes and groups of people with same features. And your background probably will build your future. And we need to find what kind of class we have right now and look into these classes. The main idea is that Social Classes still exist and it’s most general part of U.S.A society. There are three reasons why gap between groups still exist.
The realtion of social class to power, is a belief about equality of opportunity that seems to be ignore by former upper social mobility. According to Domhoff's statement about the relation of social class to power, "No group or class had power in America, but only influence". In other
People are keenly aware of their class status, perhaps not in terms of the specific categories but they instinctively know that in relationship to others whether they are a part of the upper, middle or lower classes
Each of these groups is stratified into its own class; the group of people ranked most closely to them in property, power, and prestige. A person’s position in the stratification system affects everything about their life, from what they think and expect in life to how they see the world, as well as what opportunities they will have access to. Although, your status is still assigned at birth, but you have the chance at upward social mobility based on material possessions that you acquire, or things that you achieve. Or you may be on the other end of the spectrum and experience downward social
class, or the Outer Party, are trying to become part of the higher class. While the poor, or
Sociologists study it to contextualise and quantify social relations and divisions. Therefore, they study class, and what constitutes and contributes to one’s class, and how this has changed over time and has transitioned from an almost entirely economic system of stratification to one that encompasses economic as well as the social and cultural capital a person holds. Moreover, sociologists study class to understand its impacts on a systematic basis, as well as an individual one. Class as a system of social stratification is useful to sociologists to help them understand how the divisions between classes impact society, as explored through the way in which classes vote and the conflict they have between each other. Additionally, sociologists study class to gain an insight into the way in which class affects people personally, and their own social experience of class, through their day to day life and the culture they consume. Therefore, sociologist study class because it is an ever-present part of our lives and our society which must be
Wealth in relation to the upper class is defined not as income, but “the value of everything a person or family owns, minus any debts” (Domhoff 2005). Income according to Domhoff, “is what people earn from work, but also from dividends, interest, and any rents or royalties that are paid to them on properties they own” (Domhoff 2011). Those who own a great deal of wealth do not derive it from income, although they may have a high income resulting from the returns on their wealth. (Domhoff 2011) As for the power the upper class wields on politics, the economy and the government, it is indirectly carried out “through the activities of a wide variety of organizations and institutions. These organizations and institutions are financed and directed by those members of the upper class who have the interest and ability to involve themselves in protecting and enhancing the privileged social position of their class” (Domhoff 2005). This description of the upper class by Domhoff provides the basis for the argument that it institutionally exist - an organized, cohesive group set apart by its wealth and power.