Interviews about American Incomes - Assignment Example

?American Incomes Conversation in getting to know the Me: Hello, my is (insert and I am from Saudi Arabia. Anonymous: Hello Me: I am new around here, so not aware of the specifics followed around here. If I am not bothering you, I would just like to know a few basics of US. If you could explain to me what kind of a routine is followed around here? That is, the time that I should be coming to school, the level of tolerance to tardiness, and the dress code etc.? Anonymous: The level of tardiness is accepted but not recommended, there are continuous classes and a recess in between. We usually attend all our classes, then either go home, or somewhere with friends. Depends on where we are residents. I live in this state and therefore prefer to go home for a while, whereas others would probably grab a bite to eat, since they don’t have a home here to go and eat. The dress code is liberal; not too liberal, but moderately liberal. You will not be mocked if you wish to wear your traditional dress because our country is open to different cultures and minorities and wishes to treat them well. On formal presentation days it is recommended to dress better than the other days, but most people like to dress casually on the rest of the days. Sports are an important and widely accepted part of our society; there is football, basketball and ice hockey. You should definitely check that out if you want to get a feel of our culture. Me: Thank you very much. Conversation # 2 (in recess) Me: Do you mind if I join you? Anonymous: No problem. Me: I have been hearing a great deal about the elections around here. They are on November 6th if I am not wrong? Anonymous: Yes. There is always a buzz around the time of elections. Me: What is your view on the politics of your country? Are you leaning more towards the Democrats of the Republicans? Anonymous: I do cast my vote, and I am for Democracy, therefore I will probably vote for Obama. However, I am more for the social welfare of the economy than politics as a whole. Me: For a greener better society or something related to social classes? Anonymous: Both actually, but a better society would be a greener society I believe. Me: I am actually really interested in the scenario of classes in the US. If you ever have some extra time, we can discuss this in length. Anonymous: Happy to help. Interview #1: Me: Continuing our previous conversation, I was a little unclear about what comprises the concept of ‘class’ here in the US. Anonymous: Class is synonymous to socioeconomic status and there are three stringent divides: lower middle and upper class. However, there are variations between the three as well. These depend on the amount of income an individual or families own, their property, financial assets and investments, their life expectancy, education and intellectual ability, whether they have a job or not and their stability in that job. In 2009, twelve classes were determined, and this is a great extension of the three stringent ones. These could be the working poor, who live from hand to mouth, different classes of middle income groups, such as those who have transitioned into the middle income group as well as those who were already there, etc. and also the upper class variations, depending on the degree of power they have. And I believe that the twelve classes are better than the three, because if we follow the stringent criteria, I have noticed people becoming narrow minded in their judgment of classes, because they do not fully understand the predicament they are in. They will not understand why a working poor person will barge into a clearance sale before anything else, and if someone has been in the middle or upper class forever, they feel uncomfortable shopping from second-hand stores. There is also the concept of new money, which has money in their hands for about a generation or so such as Oprah Winfrey. Me: Do you think that the statistic of 1% of the ruling owning 50% of the wealth of the nation is true? (Kincheloe and Steinberg) Anonymous: I agree with it. Since the rest of the 99% have to deal with owning 50% of the wealth, the statistic you quoted needs to be true as well. It’s not just wealth overall, but if you look at financial wealth, the top 1% owns 42% of the financial wealth, and the bottom 80% owns 7% of the financial wealth. And this leads to around 27 million Americans unemployed or underemployed because the ruling class and those with more power have dominance in the society. However, I feel that Obama will have a good change in the economy, if he wins the elections again this November. Me: What socioeconomic classes do you or did you perceive yourself to be in? Anonymous: I perceived myself to be in solidly middle class since forever. My siblings are in college, studying or expected to study, graduate, work. My family, including my immediate family that is my parents has investments, we own a home, and we are expected to do the same with our future. They work hard, but not that hard that they have no time to enjoy the pleasures of life, we have never had to use hand me downs or so, but I do not view it as something condescending either. I believe I am in a good position of the socioeconomic ladder. I am also not a social taboo; I have friends who are ruling class as well as those who are working poor. I think flexibility is important. Me: So would you call your country’s economy a stratified one? Anonymous: All the facts I mentioned above about social class do qualify as the strata’s of my society. There is one category I forgot to mention perhaps and these are the people living on the poverty line. Poor people also need money to survive, and they don’t have it, which is a burden to the government, therefore the ratio of 1% of the population owning 50% of the wealth of the nation needs to be changed so that more people have ownership and employment and can meet their basic needs. Strata’s are a living thing in all societies though I believe; their always present and you just cannot ignore them at all. Maybe the ruling class will object to Obama’s presence in the country though, since he would shift the balance of power. Me: Thank you for the insights and your time. I think I have a fairly good idea about what America is all about. Bibliography Kincheloe, Joe L and Shirley R Steinberg. Cutting class : socioeconomic status and education. Rowman & Littlefield Pub, 2007. Read More