Sociology Applied 4 (Social Class and Stratification) - Essay Example

Social and Stratification Playing monopoly according to the ‘stratified monopoly’ rules, I played under the lower class. This social stratum in the game represented the parallel social stratum in the United States society as per the game rules. There are certain game rules which provide a mirror reflection of the real circumstance of the people that belong to the lower class in the society. In the game, the lower class has the least amount to inherit to begin the game with. In real life, children born in lower class families have minimal to inherit in terms of money or property.

In the game rules, the lower class also received the least amount of salary. This reflects upon real life where those who fall under the lower class are victims of poor or minimal pay (Walter, 108). During the game, I experienced minimal mobility as a result of playing under the lower class. My social stratum in the game ensured that I remained fixed to the bottom and mostly experience downward mobility. My game experience reflects the real life experience of people who belong to the lower class.

People in the lower class have minimal chance of making it in life due to the minimal chances they get presented with in life. For example, in the game, the lower class only gets one chance to throw the die when trying to get out of jail compared to the other classes that to throw two dice or more. This gives a parallel experience by those in lower class in real life who get minimal chance to get out of hardships. Belonging to different classes impacted on the economic and social interactions during the game.

The first interaction occurs when taking turns to play the game. The lower class is the last to make a move after the working class. The only interaction between those in the upper class and lower class was economic (Water 96). This took place as the upper class controlled the bank and its functions. The upper class controlled the bank and thus forcing the other classes to rely on him to provide economic services during the game. The conflict/ social conflict theory best explains the overall perspective of the game.

The division of the game into classes provides unfair advantages to various participants. The conflict theory distinguishes the society into various classes, which compete for the scarce resources (Walter, 132). This reflects in the game as the participants get classified according to social classes. This theory also states on how the elite control the poor and weak in the society. In the game, the upper class had more ability ad responsibility compared to the other participants. This gives the upper class more authority to always manipulate key game decisions in his/her favor rendering the other classes powerless.

During the game, the participants representing the second and working class would play similar moves against the upper class. This would mean to curtail the influence of the upper class on the game. This represents a challenge against the status quo in the game and encouraging change in the game.Works CitedWallace, Walter L. Sociological Theory. New York: Aldine Transaction, 2008.