Week 7: Social Class

Social class in the US can be viewed in a number of different ways. Social groups are separated based on power, class, and status. Frequently, a social class is based on how much wealth and power a person has, but this is not always the case. The question of whether social class really matters in the U.S. is a difficult one to answer. The textbook makes the case that based on what social class a person is a part of, their opportunities for advancement may be different. A person in the working class living in rural Kansas most likely will not have the same opportunities and advantages as a middle class person living in Washington DC. The person in DC will be exposed to more powerful and wealthy people. They will also have access to better healthcare facilities and may have better job opportunities as well. If the person in rural Kansas is part of a lower social class, they might not have the resources to move to and live in DC, and so their opportunity for social advancement will decrease.

So, according to the book, your social class determines your opportunities for social and financial advancement. In my life experience, I have not seen a huge separation between people of different social classes. I consider myself to be in the middle class but my whole life I have known people in both the upper class and the working class. I have lived in both cities and in extremely rural towns. There is definitely a difference in the way people live, such as the way they celebrate holidays, decorate their homes and speak towards one another. But I have known many people who have experienced social mobility meaning they are not in the same class their parents were part of. I do not think that in the United States, your social class standing determines how you are viewed and treated as much as other aspects do. Based on the movie “People like us”, and the way classes are portrayed in the media, social class seems to matter a lot. In that PBS documentary you could see that everyone had their own ideas and stereotypes about other classes, and their own class. I think whether social class really matters in the U.S. depends on the person you ask, and in my opinion based on my life experience, I believe that while it does matter to some degree, it is not extremely important.