The Stickiness of Social Class Systems in America - Essay Example

The Stickiness of Social Systems in America In America, it is assumed that there is equal opportunity for everyone and that what family one is born into is irrelevant. This however, is not the case. Unfortunately, individuals born into families with money are statistically more likely to have money themselves, in adulthood. The same is true of individuals born into poor or lower class families, as children born into low income families remain in the low income bracket later in life. The existence of a class system is very real and somewhat problematic in America. The purpose of this essay is to discuss why social class systems are “sticky” as well as what the sources of class inequality are. How classes exist through generations will also be examined. The society that prevails in America today emphasizes the importance of education. Essentially, we are all living in the “information age” and therefore education is paramount. Families with money statistically send their children to good schools and eventually to good University and Iv league schools. This is one way in which social class follows generations. It is families with little to no economic means or social status that are left with no option but to send their children to public schools and then to state universities. Those individuals eventually are picked over when seeking jobs, for individuals who went to better and more expensive Universities. This is an example of how class systems are sticky. Individuals are more and more, a social product of their environment. Children are born into money, and then grow up and have money themselves and the cycle continues, “ At the top end of society we have a mass upper-middle class. This is made up of highly educated people who move into highly educated neighborhoods and raise their kids in good schools with the children of other highly educated parents. These kids develop wonderful skills, get into good colleges (the median family income of a Harvard student is now $150,000), then go out and have their own children, who develop the same sorts of wonderful skills and who repeat the cycle all over again”(Brooks, 2005). Sociologist Paul Blumberg refers to the topic of social class in America as “America’s forbidden thought”, referring to the taboo nature of discussing class openly. In other words, most Americans still believe or would like to believe that there is no prevailing class system in this country, even though there clearly is. (Fussell, 2008). There is a resounding amount of embarrassment for many surrounding the topic of social class. Usually, it is those on a middle to top rung of the class ladder that become embarrassed or even annoyed at the topic. The truth is however, that people in higher income brackets are inclined to segregate to higher income neighborhoods with other higher income people. These individuals go to the same restaurants, clubs, malls as well as work at similar jobs. The same rings true for individuals of lower income brackets. People who are of lower income families, live in lower income neighborhoods and shop at lower income bracket stores and work at lower income jobs and so on. In many cases there is little room for advancement. This is the other end of the “stickiness” of American class systems. Many will deny the existence of class systems in America but some will assume that a class system is made of three categories: the rich, the middle class and the poor. Scholars on the subject have created models consisting of a dozen or more different brackets. In truth, the class that one is socially placed in has to do with financial means, occupation, education and income level. Many Americans would like to consider themselves upper-middle class. This suggests an almost stereotype of the owning of SUV’s, cookie cutter homes, name brand clothes, private schools and so forth. If there was not such social pressure to achieve these particular status symbols, then Americans would not be in debt to such a large extent. One prevailing theme in American Society that poses a problem is that each generation encounters new obstacles that threaten to minimize opportunity. Again, once an individual is born into a social and economic setting, they are somewhat set in that bracket and it is becoming more and more difficult to move away from that. It is a proven fact that sons’ are most likely to have the same general income level as their fathers and brothers’ also tend to land in the same socioeconomic bracket. (Brooks, 2005) In today’s society, it is not a matter of the upper- middle -class individuals frowning upon the poor and uneducated. The difficulty is that upper-middle-class are setting the bar higher and higher and each generation is finding it more difficult to compete with the expensive and elite educations received by these individuals. There is also a sense of social segregation between classes that draws invisible lines between classes in such a way that children of families with less financial means are rarely involved or interact with children with better and richer educations. The communication skills of lower income children is typically much more rudimentary than the communication levels of higher income children. Certainly education is important, but part of the problem is the availability of better educations to those who are born into poverty or low income environments. Education is not the only aspect of the “information age” that makes climbing the socioeconomic ladder more and more difficult ‘Circumstances exist under which a telecommunications policy of universal access leads to an increase in the gap between the information ‘haves’ and the ‘have-nots‘." A national information infrastructure which provides only channels and not incentives for information sharing might therefore lead to results which are reversed from those originally intended”(Alstyne et al, 1996-2008). It can also be said, that behavior of those in middle class upbringing is different from that of individuals brought up in upper or lower class settings. The distinction between classes is often made based on how someone acts or behaves. This is another example of the “stickiness” of class systems in America. Even if someone moves to a new location and starts a new life, where they came from can often make a big difference in getting a job, being accepted in a neighborhood, being accepted in new schools and so on, “its less about what you have than where youre from. Income level and field of employment are far less relevant than background in recognizing the differences in attitudes, behaviors, lifestyle, and relating”(Sheckels, 2007). Truly whether people wish to admit to it or not, there does exist a prevailing socioeconomic class system in America which redefines itself more rigidly with each generation. It is becoming more and more difficult for people to climb the socioeconomic ladder when starting from middle to lower rungs. Individuals are defined by their educational background, family status, past and current employment and behavioral patterns as they conform to specific class behaviors. The idea of a classless society exists heavily in America even though a very real class system exists and dominates society. Many individuals that see America as a classless society, will then turn around and label themselves as “middle class” when asked. W. Lloyd Warner said of class systems in America, “We are proud of those facts of American life that fit the pattern we are thought but somehow we are often ashamed of those equally important social facts which demonstrate the presence of social class. Consequently, we tend to deny them, or worse, denounce them and by doing so we tend to deny their existence and magically make them disappear from consciousness”.(Warner et al, 1949). Without drastic social and economic reform, class systems will continue to define American life. The rich continue to become more wealthy and the poor remain in poverty. The best schools in the country establish quotas for how many low income individuals are required to be admitted but overall, it is the children from middle to high end income families that are receiving the best educations and opportunities. This only perpetuates the “stickiness” of class systems in America today. Works Cited: Alstyne, M.V. Brynjolfsson, E. (2008) Communication Networks and the Rise of an Information Elite, retrieved May 1, 2008 from “Social Inequality and Classes” website at: http://www.sociosite.net/topics/inequality.php Brooks, David. 2005, The Sticky Ladder, The New York Times Warner, Lloyd; Marchia Meeker, Kenneth Eells (1949). What is Social Class in America, Lloyd Warner. New York, NY: Irvington Publishers Fussell, Paul. (2008) A Touchy Subject, retrieved April 29, 2008 from website at: http://www.pbs.org/peoplelikeus/resources/essays6.html Sheckels, Ceetee. (2007) An Overview of Socioeconomic Class Differences, retrieved April 30, 2008 from Associated Content website at: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/183098/an_overview_of_socioeconomic_class.html Read More