Classism In America

Poverty is a multifaceted issue, it is dependent on many factors and the ‘one size fits all’ approach does not work. Out of all the possible explanations as to why people are still living in poverty in the U.S., the structural view of poverty covers the most bases. The structural view of poverty explains that poverty can only ‘be understood and explained only with reference to political and economic characteristics of the society’ (Kerbo, p.266). With this in mind, this theory considers the position of the poor in the occupational structure. Since the poor have jobs that require low skill, which means anyone can learn how to do them, there is much more competition for such jobs. Those with jobs that require greater skills, such as doctors,

A Framework for Understanding Poverty by Ruby K. Payne builds a model for combating poverty by tackling it at the earliest level of perpetuation-in schools. Schools, Payne advocates, should be the first line of defense against encroaching poverty and also the most effective weapon to beat it back. Unlike most economic tools, schools should be fine-tuned and deployed according to strict frameworks. Payne identifies two types of poverty and list eight resources which makes one a candidate. The thrust is thus primarily on how to deal with poverty in schools and how to equip the students with tools and education

In America, each citizen is promised that through working hard we are all given the chance to achieve the success we work for. The promise is that an individual can climb from class to class and eventually end up at the top with the rich and the famous. However, this isn’t the case in our present day and age; citizens in America are of often stuck in the social class they were born in due to the surrounding opportunities presented in that class. The income between each class is also widely varied, the poor being lowest and the rich being highest in the class ladder. Many people may not see this as a big concern because the poor are “poor for a reason” and they believe that the rich get

Poverty is usually caused by one or more of four things, horrible work rates, poor education,

As a white male in today’s society, I never put much thought into how privileged I am already without even having to work for it necessarily. One of the reasons why I have never felt this way was due to being in a lower middle class family. As I have grown up, I have started to notice all the disparities in today’s societies between people of a different race, gender, and class. However, noticing the magnitude of the problems regarding race, gender, and class did not catch my attention until I was in high school, partly due to the fact that I became more mature in my metacognitive and observational skills. I started to notice what people were going through by the stories they told and sometimes by the clothes they wore, although I was never

Even though having the “poor class” is a necessary evil needed for society to function, most Americans, at some point in time, will experience what it is like to live in poverty or live below the poverty line. One main reason for having a high percentage of people living in poverty is because the U.S. policy makers have ignored the poor and have given tax breaks to those with a much higher income. Funding for welfare was slashed and extended unemployment benefits were ended. With little success with the economic reform the United States has been going through for the past five years, about 14.5 percent of Americans are still living under the poverty line.

This week in class the focus has been on generational poverty. There are a lot of key factors that lead to poverty. Poverty does not exist because people want it to. Poverty is a way of life for those who don’t know another way and feel that they don’t have a way out. Every day in society people turn their heads or frown up their nose at people who they see living in poverty because they think they are better than them and will not lift a hand to help them out. The big question is why do we do this? In most cases, the poverty line or clash of the classes are based on wealth and there is certainly a variation in the wealth among the population. But classism exists from the beginning of education to death.

This article informs the reader about Thomas Malthus population theory, he asked parliament for help believed that the population was increasing faster than the goods available. He stated that the population should be put in check to prevent and drastic growth. Malthus even concluded that if people wouldn’t control population then plagues and war would take care of it.

Classism is the systematic oppression of subordinated class groups to advantage and strengthen the dominant class groups. It’s the systematic assignment of characteristics of worth and ability based on social class. ….Classism is held in place by a system of beliefs and cultural attitudes that ranks people according to economic status, family lineage, job status, level of education, and other divisions. Middle-class and owning- or ruling-class people (dominant group members) are seen as smarter and more articulate than working-class and poor people (subordinated groups)…(What is Classism, p. 1).

In the novel Pride and Prejudice the author, Jane Austen, employs sarcasm coupled with irony and characterization in a tantalizing expose that brings to light the unreasonable societal expectations and behaviors of the 19th century and the influence of classism in the search for matrimony.

This review is formulated with scholarly sources and references based off of poverty in America. This disclosure is approached with a value free sociological approach, and it will give insight on the social causes of poverty and the effects it has on America. Poverty is a very controversial topic. Many will assume that people living in poverty are lazy, made bad life decisions, or that they are solely the reason for their predicament however, people living in poverty would argue that their are deeper issues for it. Poverty will be deeply explained and researched from both perspectives

In our book Sociology: A Down to Earth Approach by James M. Henslin, states that one-fifth of United states population is in the poor or working class, this translates to over 60 million people (Henslin, 2017, pg.263). These people are all classified as poor. Education is a big factor of poverty and is a beneficial aspect to the future of individual people and their families lives. Low education is an aspect of poverty because it can make it harder to get a job in the future, leads to a loop of poverty in your family and you will not be paid as much. Barack Obama even promoted education by saying "The best anti-poverty program is a world-class education" (Barack Obama).

Classism is a discrimination based on your social class, but it’s more than that, it’s shunning a fraction of people because they are a different class, it is an inequality in what it is to live. This is a colossal issue that impacts millions and this directly ties into billions through poverty. I may be going on and on about poverty, but you may not know what it is and so you may not know how massive of an issue it is. Poverty is being in a state of such lack of resources and fundamental needs to the extent you are extremely poor. This is an issue that many are no stranger to and that’s the issue, people shouldn’t know what it’s like to starve until day’s end or having to work and work knowing that you may just get next to nothing, but it’s the only option for them so they continue and that is the abominable issue that is poverty.

Kino’s love for his family forced him to realize his dreams, hopes and plans of what his new fortune could do for them, but he never would have imagined the classism and oppression and greed that also came along with his wealth. Many novels include multiple themes because they are effective in getting a message across. John Steinbeck does this in his novella, The Pearl. This story employs the use of multiple themes to enhance Steinbeck’s tale of Kino.

Poverty is fundamentally the result of the way society is sorted out and assets are apportioned, whether these are money related or different assets, for example, access to housing, wellbeing, social services and education. Without a doubt, that there are altogether different levels of poverty, what this means is that every country faces different level of poverty due to their resources and opportunities. Individuals or nations that face Poverty additionally need to manage with inequality too. For example economic inequality, healthcare inequality, social inequality, etc.