Class in america
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Transcript of Class in america
CLASS IN AMERICA
By Alyssa Baker
WHAT IS CLASS?
Many people think discussing class in America is
unacceptable
It is acceptable to talk about “middle class” Americans
because it is such a broad spectrum
Low suggestion of conflict when discussing middle class
Low class & high class are rarely talked about, except
when referred to as “rich or poor”
Life on the street vs. a look inside the rich and glamorous
4 MYTHS OF CLASS IN THE US
1. The US is a classless society. Rich or poor we
are all equal in the eyes of the law
2. We are a middle class nation. Most people have
risen up and have achieved affluence of some kind.
3. We are all getting richer, steadily moving up the
economic ladder.
4. Everyone has an equal chance to succeed.
“Are there significant class differences
among Americans? Do these differences
have a significant impact on the way we
live? Does everyone in the US have an
opportunity to succeed?”• -Class in America
THE ECONOMIC SPECTRUM: THE WEALTHIEST
The wealthiest 1% of americans own 34% of total
national wealth
They also own over 1/3 of all consumer durables
and financial assets
The richest 20% of Americans hold nearly 85% of
the total household wealth in the country
There are nearly 400 billionaries in the US today
ECONOMIC SPECTRUM: POVERTY AND DESPAIR
13$ of the American population, nearly 1 in 8
people, live below the official poverty line ($10,590
for an individual and $21,203 for a family of four)
An estimated 1.4 million of these people are
childreen and experience homelessness in any given
year.
“The contrast between rich and
poor is sharp, and with nearly
one-thrid of the American
population living at one extreme
or the other, it is difficult to argue
that we live in a classless society.”
–class in America
7 REALITIES
1. there are enormous differences in the economic
standing of American citizens
2. The middle class in the US holds a very small share of
the nations wealth and that share is declining steadily. The
gap between the rich and poor is larger than ever.
3. There are enormous class differences in the life-styles
among the haves, the have-nots, and the have-littles
REALITIES (CONT…)
4. from cradle to grave, class standing has a significant impact
on our chances for survival.
5. Class standing has a significant impact on chances for
educational achievement.
6. All Americans do not have an equal opportunity to succeed.
Inheritance laws ensure a greater likelihood of success for the
offspring of the wealthy.
7. Racism and sexism significantly compound the effects of class
in society.
QUESTIONS
1. How has class affected your life? Do you think
would be a different person if you would have been
born into a different class?
Do you believe what this study suggests? That
class plays a major role in the course of your life
from birth? Why?
CITATION
rothenberg, P. S. (2009). Race, class, and gender in
the united states. (8th ed., pp. 177-191).