Application one power point
- 1. Written by: Gregory Mantsios
- 2. In American vocabulary, adjectives denoting class are avoided “Low class” is replaced with a person’s ethnicity, race, or geographic location “Working class” identifies with a person’s employer or industry Class identity has been stripped from popular culture We are aware of class distinctions we simply don’t acknowledge them because it is seen as un-American The only two exceptions to this are: Middle Class and “the wealthy” or “the poor” Middle Class is used in politics to attract the broadest constituency “The wealthy” and “the poor” are used as voyeuristic glimpses into the extremes
- 3. Myth #1: The United States is a classless society; class distinctions are largely irrelevant; regardless of income all Americans receive the same rights to healthcare and education Myth#2: We are largely a middle class society despite variations is economic status Myth #3: We are all getting richer; as a society Americans are climbing the economic ladder; the global economy is bringing most if not all American’s prosperity Myth #4: Everyone has an equal chance to succeed; success in America only relies on hard work, perseverance, and sacrifice
- 4. The wealthiest 1% of American’s own 34% of the national wealth, or 1/3 of all financial assets The wealthiest 20% own 85% of the household wealth There are nearly 400 billionaires in the US but it would take the average American 298 lifetimes to amass $1 billion dollars 13% or 1/8 of Americans live below the calculated poverty line 3.5 million (1.4 of which are children) experience homelessness From 2003 to 2004 the yearly income for the top 1% increased by 20% while the bottom 80% only averaged and increase of 2.7% Between 1979 and 2003 the average income for the top 1% increased by 111% while the middle fifth only saw an increase of 9% for the same time frame
- 5. Reality #1: There is an enormous difference in the economic standing of Americans; a large amount of American’s occupy opposite ends of the economic spectrum Reality #2:The middle class of American actually holds a small share of the wealth of our country and even that share is steadily decreasing; the gap between the rich and the poor is greater than ever
- 6. 37 million people live in never-ending poverty However, American poverty is described as the “best dressed” poverty in the world because it is nearly impossible to distinguish class from out ward appearance Class differences in American dictate: -where one lives -who their friends are -how well they are educated -what they do for a living -what they expect from life Class affects both physical and mental health with low class showing increased rates of: -infant mortality -arthritis -diabetes -respiratory disease -heart disease -eye and ear disease -physical disability -nutritional deficiency -mental illness
- 7. The higher your class ranking the higher your life expectancy Lower class has: Difficulty in finding appropriate housing More time spent on daily routine tasks A greater percentage of income going to pay for food A higher rate of victimization
- 8. Reality #3: Even ignoring the extreme poles in the economic spectrum, we are still faced with extreme differences in the life-styles of the haves and the have- nots Reality #4: From birth to death, class standing has a significant impact on an individuals chance of survival
- 9. Family income directly correlates to SAT score and grades Students from upper-class families are twice as likely to obtain training beyond high-school and four times as likely to obtain a postgraduate degree 1 in 5 people surpass the economic status of their parents 2/3 of people with incomes over $100,000 have inherited family assets
- 10. Reality #5: Class standing has a significant effect on chances for educational achievement Reality #6: All Americans do not have an equal opportunity to succeed
- 11. Class domination is one force behind keeping individuals from realizing their true potential The class system in America is due to its economic system: capitalism, which promotes private vs public ownership Enterprises produce for the owners profits instead of fulfilling societal needs Class divisions arise between those who have corporate control and those who do not Race and gender cause issues as well however most of these issues cross economical gaps; poverty increases and varies by gender and race: -a white male has a 1/12 chance of being impoverished -black female has 1/3 -Hispanic male has 1/5 Being female and non-white increases the chances of being impoverished and having a low class status
- 12. Reality #7: Racism and sexism compound the effects of class in society