A Preliminary Look at Social Class in the US

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Social classes exist in modern America, and this notion is connected with inequalities in the power division. It is problematic to state that all people in the United States have the same opportunities and quality of life. American society seems to have a rigid division into social classes that live in various districts, attend different places, and have distinct aspirations. The division into groups that are not equal is evident even in the school context when there are more privileged famous students and the rest of the adolescents (Belles, belles, belles, 2001). The existence of the rich and the poor illustrates the class division because it represents the extremes in the level of life and income.

Power distribution leads to social class division because access to resources is the most crucial class indicator. It supposes that the upper, middle, and working-class representatives have different rights because their resources are incomparable. The egalitarian approach to social structure presumes that class division emphasizes inequalities in the community (Domhoff, 2021). Therefore, people belonging to various social and economic classes have different starts in life and different opportunities, and everything surrounding them emphasizes their inequality. For instance, different backgrounds affect how people perceive daily things (Trouble in paradise, 2001). From one point of view, this class division might motivate people to develop and grow financially. From another point of view, these chances are minimal due to the comparatively low level of social mobility in the United States (Domhoff, 2021). It means that most people born into working-class families are unlikely to change their class because they do not have access to higher education, and they often have to work from adolescence to provide for themselves.

People do not usually focus on inequalities between social classes because they communicate in a group of equals during their lifetime. Upper-class representatives do not live in the same district as immigrants or working-class populations, reducing their chances of interaction (Alvarez & Kolner, 2001). As is shown in the documentary “People like us: Social class in America,” individuals pay attention to the visual and spoken markers of others and categorize them subconsciously. Those belonging to different social classes are perceived as aliens and ignored.

The story of Tammy Crabtree, who works for years at Burger King and has to provide for her two children, illustrates the idea of social class inequality vividly. The woman has to fight poverty every day and has no opportunities to change her work due to the absence of education and skills. (Tammy Crabtree, 2001). Tammy Crabtree lives in a poor old house, and its poverty is especially evident compared to the luxury mansion where judges live (You are your stuff, 2001). The difference in people’s everyday surroundings who belong to different social classes emphasizes their inequality and the enormous economic gap.

Class division is integral to American life, but many people perceive it as a natural phenomenon. People rarely see those living in extreme poverty or difficult circumstances because they have nowhere to see each other. They study in different educational institutions, live in various districts, and do not communicate daily. It creates the illusion that society is equal and that all people have the same opportunities for personal growth, which is not entirely true.

References

Alvarez, L. & Kolner, A. (2001). People like us: Social class in America. PBS.

Domhoff, G. W. (2021). Who rules America? Routledge.

PBS. (2001). Belles, belles, belles.

PBS. (2001). Tammy Crabtree.

PBS. (2001). Trouble in paradise. Web.

PBS. (2001). You are your stuff. Web.

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