Lifestyle > Train of Thought
does social class exist in America?
ecrazy:
--- Quote from: RODZILLA is BAY AREA Hip Hop on November 09, 2004, 12:50:08 AM ---^ I know exactly how U feel....
I can get along wit a rich cat, I like talkin 2 em to learn their side of shit....but juss as much as they look down on us, alot of my people hate on them too....won't associate wit em....too hood for their own good.
but why is it in America, U can't spot a rich or poor person....well not at most times anyway, like I kno poor ass muthafucaz drivin 2004 model cars....but they ain't got shit to their name. Why is it in a place like Cuba or some place like that, you'll know right off the bat who's rich and isn't....discuss this u filths.....i got an essay 2 do lol
--- End quote ---
I thought Cuba Was communist & everyone was the same ???
isnt that how communist works
im going away from the topic, im sorry
:(
*Jamal*:
I wrote a report on a similar issue back in high school. I don't have the report, but I remember some of the things I discussed.
-----
First of all, you could easily side with each of the viewpoints, but I believe that a person will recognize class and the fact that it exists, only when that person finds it convenient to defend his or her interest.
However, there exists one "general American culture view" of class, and that is that:
a) most people are middle class workers, somewhat successful, and are living the "American Dream"
b) there is a handful of "successful" people who have come up with a bright idea/innovation/or have made great business deals (the rich)
c) there is a small group of unsuccessful people(the poor), when compared to the "middle class"
The general notion is that the unsuccessful people are uneducated, or are too lazy to work, and expect the government to take care of them (aka our tax money), so they're considered to be holding back the rest of us in a way.
So, the general view is that America is classless, and that a vast majority of people fall in the category of the working people (middle class).
I disagree with that. Just like some people would have you believe that we have a "colorblind" society, I think it isn't true that we live in a "classless" society.
Let's face it, racism does exist. We must also realize that in some cases, racism can prevent a person from succeeding. Some might agree or disagree with that, but that's just my view; there are plenty of people who will agree though. As I mentioned above, the general view is that "poor" people are lazy and want a free ride. Just like some people are blind to the fact that racism prevents a person from succeeding, some are also blind to the fact that classism can prevent a person from succeeding.
A perfect example of the above is education. We all know that in order to have a "successful" job, these days, a good education is basically essential. Studies show that standardized test scores in economically poor neighborhoods are lower than they are in "better/richer" neighborhoods. There could be several explanations for this, but when you think about it, schools only receive a certain amount of federal aid, the rest comes from local taxes. So, if you live in a poor neighborhood, your property is worth less, so you pay less taxes, hence there is less money going to the schools in the poor neighborhoods. On top of that, drugs and violence are a greater issue in these poor neighborhood schools than at richer ones. This lack of education earns them a mediocre job, which wouldn't really enable them to move out of the poor neighborhood, and that's probably where their children will end up growing up. So, unless a child is smart, strong, and motivated enough to realize how important it is that he/she does well, and works really hard, he/she is bound to end up like his/her parents. I know there are obviously exceptions to this scenario, but in general, this is what's going on in our society.
Anyways, there's more, but I kinda have some shit to do for my own classes LOL, but I'm sure this will help you get started and will give you somethin' to work with.
MANBEARPIG.:
theres 3 initial classes and then those are broken up:
Upper class represented by U
Middle Class represented by M
and Lower represented by L
Upper class has 2 divisions:
U-U upper upper class < Fortune 500- Owner
L-U Lower Upper Class < Business Execs- Supervisor
Middle Class has 3
U-M Upper Middle Class < Advantaged- Management
M-M Middle Middle Class < most citizens- Middle Management
L-M Lower Middle Class < Working Poor- Employee
Lower Class has 3
U-L Upper Lower class < Poor
M-L Middle Lower Class < Impoverished
L-L Lowesst class < lLowest of the Low
That is the Chart I learned last year in Sociology hope that helps
Don Seer:
you're not talking about class in the sense of a society like the one I live in.
you're talking about rich people vs poor people.. thats a division of wealth, not class.
rich people can still be lower class...
over here.. a person IS upper class because they are born into it (i.e. blue blooded) but they can be stupid, uneducated and poor.
*Jamal*:
--- Quote from: Overseer on November 09, 2004, 04:18:29 AM ---you're not talking about class in the sense of a society like the one I live in.
you're talking about rich people vs poor people.. thats a division of wealth, not class.
rich people can still be lower class...
over here.. a person IS upper class because they are born into it (i.e. blue blooded) but they can be stupid, uneducated and poor.
--- End quote ---
I know what you mean, but class can also be used to refer to where a person stands on a "wealth bracket".
By the way, you pointed out something interesting. Back when Bush (Sr.) was campaigning (1988 I believe), he said "division of classes is a European thing, and America shall be classless"... or something very similar to that...
Anyways, he later complained that the rich was being taxed too much LOLLLL
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