Sociology: Social Stratification - Essay Example

SOCIOLOGY Social Stratification Given the many media reports on income inequality in America, it is not surprising to get news about the rich or the super rich. Sadly, a look at the social lives for those with the most power and wealth shows that they are often the ones that pay little or no attention to those with no such power. Logic dictates that a wealthy person is more likely get a college education. This also means that there is a higher chance that they will be well-mannered and respectful. However, the ultra-rich are known not only for being rich but people who are likely to disregard those who are not in the same social class as them. In addition, most like to interact, live and work or go to school together with those people who are also in a similar class. The social distance between people who are in upper-class and those who are in the middle or working class goes beyond the explanation that societies are socially stratified because of culture or racial differences. Even when race and culture are not the issue, most people still prefer being around those who are in a similar social class. Key words: Social class, social stratified, Income inequality Have you ever wondered why the richest people in America with more than $30 million like living, interacting and working with people who are in the same class as them? Last week I discovered the answer to this question when visiting my friend’s aunt in California. While on the way her cousin informed us that Richard Landry, one of the most reputed residential architects who designed most of the European-style manors we saw on the road. Most people assume that manors get designed by companies. Nonetheless, this is not the case because my friend said that her aunt had actually hired Richard Landry to design her dream home. An opportunity to talk with a domestic worker from one of the homes also led to the conclusion that the question was not only answered but it was easier to apply social stratification concepts learnt in class. Comprehending sociology terminology is critical because it is the only way that sociology students understand how communities carry their operations plagued with many complexities. This experience made it easy for me to understand why there are social classes and how people in certain classes behave. While social stratification is a known existence, some societies seem more stratified than others which continue to contribute to the mistrust between people from different social classes. In class, we learnt that social stratification has its basis on four key principles. One of these principles we learnt, is that social stratification persists over generations Kraus and Bennett 2014: 2). It was clear because of the many teenagers who were leaving the manors. It shows that the ultra rich continue to become rich because they ensure their children continue promoting adopting the ways of their rich parents and not those of people from other classes. The other principle is that social stratification is a common feature in a community. According to a website article written by Quentin Fottrell from the Market Watch Company, California has the highest number of people who are extremely rich. Fottrell (2014), a finance reported for this company asserts that there are around 13,445 people with more than $30 million in net assets. He also argued that the group was larger than that of similar millionaires and billionaires in United Kingdom. Though most people would not want to admit it, they feel more comfortable when they are around other people with similar lifestyles. Everyone in the neighbourhood seemed friendly. This rarely happens in all neighbourhoods. According to Fiske and Markus (2012:7), people from different class backgrounds often mistrust each other. This problem is further increased by stereotyped beliefs in each class. This is why there the lower-income groups of people assume that the rich smuggle their way to the top and the rich assume the people in lower-income class are lazy. This experience also reminded me that social stratification is collective because it takes place in all communities no matter how different they are. Moreover, people in the upper class are not only located back at home, but are also distributed in other states. As noted by Fiske and Markus (2012: 8), people like staying in places where their social behaviour will not have a negative impact with the other people in the environment. Lastly, when talking to the domestic worker from one of the homes, she informed me that the people who lived in the neighbourhood were not only the extremely rich, but some of them became rich by underpaying the employees working in their organizations. This is well explained because in the last principle of social stratification, it shows that the society’s philosophy is highly rooted in beliefs about inequality. In sociology, we also learn that conflict theorists assert that social stratification in a society is harmful and only serves to promote dysfunctional groups of people. In conflict theory, it is also evident that social stratification only seems to benefit the rich. Hence, the system of the successful and the losers continues to grow since it is facilitated by those who are at the top (Piff et al., 2011: 4087). As noted earlier in this paper, the richest in the society like hiring Richard Landry. It is not surprising to learn that there is professional relationship between Landry and his elite customers because they are all from the same class. Assuming that Landry was not rich, he would find it hard to get his current base of clientele. However, as noted by Steven Kurutz (2015) Landry is unlike any other architect because he has the ability to design what his clients want because he changes projects constantly. According to Corley (2010: 36) the law of attraction dictates that successful people with similar character tendencies opt to interact with those who are the same. This shows that the rich do not necessarily like living and interacting with those who are rich, but it is because majority of people in this class are also well-educated. Additionally, they possess the skills and experience required to complete projects. In conclusion, it is evident that the mistrust between those who are in upper classes and those who are in middle classes occurs because of their experiences, level of education and other differences. In the case of architects like Landry, they continue to get more clients who are the 1% privileged because they can value his skills, experience and other qualifications and not because he is also rich. As a sociology student, this allowed me to continue learning that understanding sociology concepts allows us to change the attitudes we have towards others. References Corley Thomas. 2010. Rich habits: The daily success habits of wealthy individuals. Minneapolis, MN: Hillcrest Publishing Group. Fiske Susan and Markus Hazel. 2012. Facing social class: How societal rank influences interaction. New York: Russell Sage Foundation. Fottrell Quentin. (Financial reporter). 2014, November 25. And the state where the richest people live is … Retrieved from http://www.marketwatch.com/story/and-the-state-where-the-richest-people-live-is-2014-11-24 Kraus Michael and Callaghan Bennett. 2014. Noblesse oblige? Social status and economic inequality maintenance among politicians. PLOS ONE journal, 9(1), 1-5. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0085293 Kurutz Steve. 2015, February 18. The king of the mega mansions. (New York Times) Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/19/garden/the-king-of-the-megamansion.html?_r=0 Piff Paul., Stancato Daniel., Cote Stephane., Mendoza-Denton Rodolfo and Keltner Dacher. 2011. Higher social class predicts increased unethical behavior. National Academy of Sciences journal, 101(11) 4086-4091, doi: 10.1073/pnas.1118373109 Thesis Statement: While social stratification is a known existence, some societies seem more stratified than others which continue to contribute to the mistrust between people from different social classes. Read More