The Vanishing Middle Class: A Major Problem for the US

Conflict perspective emphasizes on inequality through the division of groups among poor and rich class.

As civilization has evolved, economic inequality has existed since the feudal era and has made its place in modern society. It is a dilemma that examines the gap between the low wealth of the middle-class worker and the profitable earnings of the monopolizing upper-class business owner. It is a socio- economic issue that can best explored through the lens of the conflict theory; thoroughly explaining as to how the wealth gap came to exist and the consequences of such an economic state on the interaction between the middle-class worker and the wealthy businessman.

In an article concerning this author Hope Yen said, “Tensions between the rich and poor are increasing and at their most intense level in nearly a quarter-century, a new survey shows. Americans now see more social conflict over wealth inequality than over the hot-button topics of immigration, race relations and abortion.” (Yen).

215 chapter 8 Sociology In Our Times: The Essentials) this is to suggest that the different classes in society are in conflict because the more powerful groups maintain and control the distribution of resources, rewards, privileges and opportunities by exploiting the less powerful. They also believe that inequality is a result of profits being generated from the cost of labour being less than the cost of the goods and services being produced from that labour, also known as the surplus value. Conflict theorists do not believe that stratification is functional for society, or that it serves as a source of stability. Rather, they believe that stratification will lead to instability and social change.

This first lecture gave us a close look into the unequal share of wealth and the factors that determine the wealth of individuals in the American society. One of the first factors that affect immensely the inequality in America is the obsessiveness of wanting to classify people and make them mark a box for their gender, race and class. Where men and whites have more privileges than any other person and are not only paid higher, but would most likely spend less time in prison for committing the same crime as an African American. The United states is so unequal that the top 1% of the population has 38.1% of the wealth and the bottom 40% which is a little less than half of the people living in America only have 0.2% of the wealth. And as if that statistic alone was not scary enough, we learn in this

So, in Warren’s The Vanishing Middle Class, her question initially was, “What is the middle class?” Which laid out her platform for her main stance: to expose the true issues of the middle class and why they’re suffering. For example, she counters the idea that they’re spending too much money on consumer goods by observing that “fixed” and necessary goods are up while their wages aren’t keeping a pace. With that being said, she makes a suitable point that the cost of living in America for the middle class is rising at a higher rate than the families can handle. In recent studies, like the ones she’s cited using figures and diagrams, have shed light among the profound changes within the incomes of these middle-class families and how they’ve been kept in the shadows. For instance, she addresses the issue of savings and debt in our nation, by providing statistical information based on families over a thirty-year time period to show the dramatic change generation after generation. Warren also emphasizes that people are quick to blame middle-class’ short comings in wages on overconsumption (especially those of luxurious goods), however the facts, stats and graphs don’t match up with that, but that of fixed costs, the things you can’t avoid (housing and childcare) have gone up so the middle-class can’t be to blame for that. Finally, she discusses the impact taxes had on two-income families by emphasizing the ups and downs of family’s incomes over the past generation. Ultimately, what is at stake here is, if the majority of the middle class doesn’t get some form of recognition and attention needed soon, they’re going to be whipped off the spectrum of today’s society.

“Approximately 13 percent of the American population- that is, nearly, of every eight people in this country- live below the official poverty line,” (Mantsios 179). I define being wealthy as having an immense amount of money, enough to not be stressed about paying bills.

Social inequality is a growing problem in developed nations. In a country like the United States citizens are divided into the upper, middle, and lower class. The people in the top class are making 40% of the wealth in America even though they only account for 1% of the nation's population. This fact shows how the nation is run by the upper class and there is a huge gap between the upper classes income and the income of the other 99%. The people at the top tend to stay there when those at the bottom tend to stay at the bottom.

(27) There is a demarcation between the classes beginning with the rich elite, the upper upper class and the lower upper class. Those with inherited wealth are placed above those with self-earned wealth while those with great wealth are distinguished from those with a moderate amount of wealth. They are stable within their ranks, not dependent upon the economic climate of the country to sustain their positions. The upper middle class belongs to those people who are doing well and whose position also is not likely to change with the economic climate of the country. The middle class is comprised of people who are relatively comfortable and can afford a minimal number of luxuries. The working class can afford very few luxuries and are just getting by. Their position, like the middle class is subject to change with socio-economic changes in the country. The working poor cannot actually make ends meet and often become displaced workers with the ability to plummet down into the lowest class. They are not usually able to access the minimal comforts of the working class. The Underclass is a desperate position whose ranks lead substandard lives with no amenities and little chance for mobility.

Capitalism has been the central force behind the growth of the United States’ progressive economy. Within such advanced economic system the chances of economic disparity are significantly high. In fact, over the past three decades there has being a steady increase in unequal wealth distribution among the economic classes. To sustain the current unequal wealth distribution among the classes of the American population, there are numerous factors that influence and shape this trend. For some members of the population it is alarmingly disturbing to know that recent statistics have shown that, “In the US [alone] the wealthiest 1% of its population owns more than the bottom 95 %” (Gutman). As for the difference in economic wealth, it resulted

Over the past few decades, the “American Dream” vision has been quickly vanishing as a result of the increasing troubles and weakening of the middle class. It has lost the view of being the most successful and wealthy middle class in the world, while the middle classes in other countries are excelling in earning higher middle and lower class incomes. The issue of the declining wealth of the middle class explains a huge problem in the United States’ future prosperity and well being for the citizens and the country. There are many issues that affect the success of the middle and lower classes, such as structural differences in the economy, culture, and government. The gap between the middle and high classes is increasing specifically. The United States has the image of giving people life and prosperity, but inequality is increasing significantly due to issues in education, decrease in taxation among the upper class, and decrease of middle class power in the democracy, while other ideas and mechanisms can be take from other nations.

After the Financial Crisis of 2008 the economic status of the country began taking a toll on the middle class. As the years have progressed, the increase in inequality without any aid to these hard working middle class families has grown to be a problem for Americans. Currently, the attitude of the American middle class is that they are being ignored by the United States government. This comes from many factors that have diminished the value and definition of a middle class American, in addition to forcing these Americans to struggle to make ends meet. The sense of pride of being a working middle class American has lost its appeal and has changed the predisposition of what it means to live above the means. Middle class families are struggling to provide necessities for their children. They are constantly worrying about how they will stretch their incomes and provide a comfortable lifestyle for their families. In order to provide immediate relief to the middle class action must be taken directly by the United States government. This concern for direct impact is shown with the initiatives by Democratic party leaders to aid the middle class. The Democrats have been strong proponents of pushing the middle class back up to its previous standard. They have actively defended the middle class, showing their support for immediate reform that would benefit specifically middle class workers. The middle class has continued to shrink and without action taken immediately this problem

One of the social issues concerning power, status, and class in American society today is income inequality. The income gap between the social classes has increased drastically throughout the last few decades, creating a significant gap between the wealthy and the poor. This gap has become so large that the middle class has nearly diminished, creating a social class comprised of the rich and the poor. The significant gap between the two social classes is unhealthy for the economy because it provides too much power in the hands of those with high social status.

When one thinks of the “American Dream,” notions of unconditional patriotism and pride fill their mind, as if ‘red, white, and blue’ is coursing through their veins. In this metaphorical scenario, one is so enveloped in this idea of the “American Dream,” that ‘red, white, and blue’ is siphoning oxygen and blood from their brain, and they can no longer think clearly.

Society has evolved to the point where money is the biggest factor in our lives. People spend an incredible amount of time at their workplace for that miniscule pay raise. Money also plays a role in our relationships with the people around us, seen in the fact that people of similar economic status tend to congregate. This desire to gain more money causes conflict, mainly between people who have a great deal of money, and the people who struggle financially. There are many examples of conflict between the different economic classes. Class conflict in Russia led to the Russian Revolution, and class conflict in France led to the French Revolution. Economic status is also the cause behind many ordinary crimes. This conflict, both between and within classes, is exemplified in The Great Gatsby, which shows that conflict occurs because of the differences among the classes and the strive to rise to a new class, known as the American dream. In order to effectively reduce conflict in any form, something must be done to eliminate the distinction between the different economic classes.