Social Classes And Spending Behavior

Have you ever referred to someone as “high class,” “middle class,” or “low class?” The article “Class In America” is a very educated read and describes the way people are characterized by their “class.” I think that this article informs all types of readers and allows people to see how people are grouped based on themselves. “Class in America” is written to show and prove to society that people do not talk about “class” anymore, because of the way the world looks at it today. Gregory Mantosis is the author of the article, and he uses many facts and data to prove his points.

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.

There is much debate about the issue of social class in the United States. There are arguments about whether social classes are distinctly separate or fluid, dependent upon one’s community or society as a whole, and if they are subjective or objective (Hughes and Jenkins). However, despite the debate surrounding social classes, it is still important to try to define them and analyze their effects, as they are such an important part of our identity and our opportunities in society. Although our society has tried to appear as though we have no classes, and it is becoming harder to tell what class someone is in by material goods, classes do still exist today (Scott and Leonhardt). The trend has been to divide the U.S. into four major

Social class is a topic of discussion that is generally avoided, especially in America. In a country where all of one's dreams can allegedly come true; the notion of class highlights the jarring inequalities and social divisions between one American and another. In recent years, recognizing one's privilege is beginning to become a cultural value. However, it has always been something that people were aware of, as seen in the eye-opening documentary, People Like Us: Social Class is America (2001). The documentary strives to accurately portray how the contrasted people of America live, interact, and see themselves and others. Of the ideas the doc showcases the most important are, the higher classes influence over the poor, and the poor's poor self-image, as these ideas strike the core of why one should be conscientious of their class.

Times have since changed. Gender roles and expectations have evolved just as the societal lines dividing the social classes. Where populations were once divided in two broad groups, aristocracy and commoners, social stratification has deepened and expanded. The Industrial Revolution, Post World War Two technological advances, the Civil Rights Movement and the Feminist Movement have each played a significant role in the development of the class system of modern society. The widespread use of credit has done the most to blur the lines of social status distinction, but has not stopped advertisers from relying on the conventional standards of using luxury items to offer the appearance of elevated social status. Even with the blurring of class lines, advertisers continue to reinforce the preconceived notions that social position is related

The spectacle of working-class subcultures erupted into a gap between class relations as they are lived by working-class youth and the classless categories according to which capitalist markets are structured. Ever since W.L. Warner's (1960) classic study of social class in America, the marketing establishment has measured consumers against typological grids on

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.

An inequality in society, economy, wealth distribution, and political corruption and the influence in cooperation of government led to

Money will not always be there for you, but your family and friends will be. According to society, being in the upper class, you have to have money, nice clothes, and a nice house. To be in the middle class, you have to have some money, some nice clothes, and a good-looking house. To be in the lower class, you have to have little money, not very many clothes, and a house that is not in good condition. American society does not put people’s personalities and characteristics into consideration. American society puts people’s physical features and wealth into hand.

Americans also hold idea that theirs is a “classless” society. Derived from revolutionary ideas in Europe and shaped by American dislike for special privilege based on birth or rank, this classless notion had denied culturally derived differences based on caste or inheritance but extolled differences in status based on ability and achievement. This concept of classless men obscures the fact that blurred and non-rigid stratification lines based on achievement and wealth, position and power, do exist in America. Sociologists generally divide American society into three strata or class: Upper class, middle class and lower class. Frequently they make gradations within these three

The United States is often seen by many as a country of equal opportunity. A place where social classes do not exist. Unfortunately, thoughts such as these are wrong because the US is far from being the only country to escape this exception. When observed closely there are signs that each person manifests that distinctively show what social class they belong to. Although money is the most common marker of class, education along with health related topics such as heart disease and eating habits are strong inicators of class.

Social class is a division of a society based on social and economic status which can include levels of wealth, success, power of authority, and influence. Status is can be defined or grouped having common economic, cultural, or political interests.

Classism separates the rich from the poor. There are many things that some folks simply cannot afford to do. The rich will never understand the poor because they have never lived that life. The rich and poor do different things, and they live in different places. They just do not have any interaction with one another. When it comes to pecuniary issues, the separation causes the word classism to pop back up (Domhoff, “The Class Domination Theory of Power). The mall is a fun place for many people to hang out in. It should be a place where the rich, working class, and poor meet up. All economic social classes do gather here, but certain stores can separate them. There is not need for a poor person to shop in Saks Fifth Avenue because they do not make enough money to buy anything in there. Even department stores encourage classism because certain people will not be able to shop in them. Private schools contribute to classism, because most working class families cannot afford to send their

In the United states, social classes is a controversial issue in terms of defining the actual nature of the classes themselves. Many individuals have categorized the society into three elementary groups that is the “poor”, “middle class” and the “rich”. Additionally, a more complex system of social classes is derived from the three elementary classes. In this regard, a four-class system includes “the capitalist/upper class”, “the middle class”, “the working class” and “the lower class” (Thompson, 2005). Moreover, sociologists have expanded the for-class system into a six class system includes “the capitalist or upper class”, “the upper-middle class”, “the middle class”, “the working class”, “the lower-working class” and “the lower class”.

Social class is the position or ranking of people in society based on social stratification variables like income, occupation, type of residence, education and qualification that affect purchase pattern and buying behaviour. Social classes show distinct product and brand preferences, especially for goods considered as luxuries such as cars, furnishings and leisure activities like golf. For instance, wealth, power and prestige are popular factors frequently used in the estimation of social class. Social class influence can be used as a basis for segmenting markets, and may reflect the aspirations of consumers. (Schiffman, L., Bednall, D, O’Cass, A., Paladino, A., Ward, S. & Kanuk, L., 2008) Members within a social class share similar