Reasons for the Gap between Social Classes in America

In Class Matters, Bill Keller examines the meaning of the word class and how it plays on the life of the US citizens.According to Class Matters, a class is represented as four cards, one from each suit: education, income, occupation, and wealth. Based on your cards you are put into a class. Most people end up with the same cards as their parents. Keller explains how a class can be predetermined by a person’s upbringing or how they were raised. In this book, Bill Keller suggests that it is quite difficult to move into other social classes than the one we were born in, or a class we have been associated with for a long time. Based on the reading of this book along with other resources, moving into other social classes is exceptionally

In the article, “The Shadowy Lines that Still Divides,” by Scott and Leonhardt, the author is arguing that 30 years ago the class system was more clear, but in today’s society, the class system is not so obvious and got complicated. Therefore, there are a lot of individuals who think American society became classless. I think even though people do not consider income as a factor of class and think American society is no longer divided, but the division still exists in the form of opportunities, education, race, religion, occupation, lifestyle, residence areas, and political opinions. Additionally, with the passage of time, the mobility should have been rising as a result of improved educational opportunities and programs such as affirmative

In the article, "Class in America", Gregory Mantsios (Myths and Realities 2000) shows us how what class a person is in affects his or hers life more than they think. This article is written sufficiently well however, it does have some weak spots. I will prove my thesis by examining his use of examples and showing factual data and statistics, but also show how this article could have been better.

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.

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.

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.

In modern the modern day United states, Americans face a problem that drastically affects the way we have to live life. Our healthcare system has become drastically irregular and unequal in the current system. After thorough analyzation of the provided CTSIP tables one can clearly see the gap between economic and social classes that exists in the current structure and can place the said data into both a functionalist and marxist perspective.

They’re many reasons why many Americans are disturbed by the topics of social classes, inequality, and the lack of class mobility. One reason is the way that the media portrays thing. The media makes it seems as if everything is fine, and that those who speak out about social class, inequality, and the lack of class mobility are just people who want “free things” or “did not work hard enough”. In the other hand the media always portrays those in the top bracket of the income as hard working Americans, who through struggling obtained their wealth. When in reality many millionaires did not earn their money instead they inherited it from their parents.

The different wage gap and social class is yet another aspect that will hinder the ability for good people be able to achieve what they want to do in life. Part of the reason that poverty is such a problem is the fact that it relates back to racism and the fact that only certain people and certain genders are able to hold jobs in business and communities. There is a huge pay gap between different races compared to the white income level. The mean black income is 60% less than the white pay. This causes a numerous amount of different problems that hold other races back. It makes it harder for them to raise a family and change their life. One of the ways that they could change their life is if they were to move to a different area and try to

The author, John Meacham, cites many pieces of evidence to show the current state of classes in American society. Meacham’s purpose for portraying the current state of classes is

People can not put on the news without seeing at least one story about social inequality or injustice, if everyone knows about these inequities why are they not being solved? Inequities are not limited to America, social inequity is a global problem making it extremely important to raise awareness of the topic. Inequities such as racism and sexism impact teenagers in America, but to counteract this persecution authors can use various genres of literature to promote tolerance and reduce the effects of inequities. Racism and sexism violates people’s rights in schools, the workplace, and almost every place in the world. Through the words of authors, society can learn the harmful effects of these inequities, and learn how

Race still predominantly plays a role in everyday classism. Discriminatory housing practices traps minorities in the lower class for generations. Moreover, America’s healthcare system unfair to people who have low income. Also, Public transportation does not properly serve the needs of those who use it; as well as, it makes it formidable to secure, and maintain a stable job. Additionally, education for the poor unequal in graduation rates; along with, a social polarization against lower class students. Classism in America is an old, yet consistent problem that, creates an unfair economic divide of

In the article “Confronting Inequality”, Paul Krugman argues that the gap of inequality between social classes in the United States is growing because of self- interest. He cites a “movement conservative”, Irving Kristol, who claims income inequality is not important because there is social equality. Krugman uses Kristol’s statement as a starting position to state his own. Krugman describes the claim as being a “fantasy world” and not the “real America we live in” (Krugman 246). I agree with his statement, many people were not aware of this issue five years ago, the fact that the upper class is gaining power. They have “their own virtual country” and “a separate economy” (Krugman 246). The upper class has many opportunities that prevent

All through history, the lower class has repeatedly been placed at a disadvantage. This group has been suppressed to their superior counterparts since the beginning of time. Society may try to ignore the gap, but it is dangerously prominent and constantly growing. The economical difference is only one part of many in the differences of the rich and the poor. Hence the fact that they are tremendously different in most aspects and this keeps the divide at large. It is also vastly difficult to move up the class because the wealthy want to remain as prosperous as they can. Even though it is not always obvious, the upper and lower classes are differentiated by their opportunities throughout life, their education, and their social status.

British novelist Benjamin Disraeli once wrote: “There are two nations; between whom there is no intercourse and no sympathy; who are as ignorant of each other 's habits, thoughts, and feelings, as if they were dwellers in different zones, or inhabitants of different planets; who are formed by a different breeding, are fed by a different food, are ordered by different manners, and are not governed by the same laws … the rich and the poor.” A description of industrial England during 1845. However, these words could easily be applied to modern America. “Social mobility has been sliding in the United States. Within the past decade, there has been a growing gap between rich and poor social classes. A poor kid in America now has about the same chance of becoming a rich grown-up as in socially rigid England" (Ferguson). Moreover, this fear of an increasingly socially rigid America has inspired several reforms to take place. Most notably, higher minimum wages, in an effort "to reduce household poverty [...] to protect unions from low-wage competition, and to promote social justice and other normative/ideological goals” (Kaufman), which are all important attributes for a socially elastic society. To exemplify this, last year the highest minimum wage in American history was passed. Enter Seattle, “Members of the Seattle City Council recently voted unanimously, nine to zip to increase the minimum wage from $9.32 to $15. That’s a 60 percent increase” (Bustamante) in an effort to