People like Us: Social Class in America Web Assessment essay
How does social class matter? This issue has been widely discussed in our society. For many years, it has been a common assumption of many experts, including sociologists, economists, historians and political scientists that social class really matters a great deal. Social class does exist in America today, because many Americans realize that income and job, family background, education, attitudes and behaviors, aspirations, and even individual appearance can mark any person as a member of a particular social class.
Actually, the most important indicators of social class are income, occupation and education. It is necessary to combine these indicators to identify some hidden process that may affect human interpretation of the role of social class. The PBS website provides many examples that point out to the fact that social class really matters in human life. The PBS website, People Like Us: Social Class in America, assesses class differences in various styles of living and various living standards as a fundamental hallmark of today’s society. Although some sociologists suggest that social class no longer exists in our society and does not affect people’s lives, it would be wrong to accept the “death of social class.” We identify different classes in our society, including middle class, working class, upper class, etc. Undoubtedly, social class can be very hard to identify, much harder than racial differences, but in many cases, social class can be regarded as the major predictor of an individual’s financial and educational opportunities. In the final segments of the documentary People Like Us: Social Class in America, the authors represent Anderson High School in Austin, Texas as an effective microcosmic example of the so-called social segmentation that has the potential to be extended throughout the macro level.
Besides, many Americans would agree with the ideas of Peter Berger that can be found in his Invitation to Sociology first published in 1963, “different classes in our society not only live differently quantitatively, they live in different styles qualitatively”. As a matter of fact, people are treated differently because of different social classes. William Domhoff analyzes capitalist class as a social class and as a ruling class in today’s society.
I cannot but agree with these ideas. I have experienced class differences in my life and know that social class plays an important role in the lives of all Americans. Those people who live in Park Avenue penthouses differ from the residents of Appalachian trailer parks and bayou houseboats, as well as from the residents of suburban gated communities. They have different lifestyle choices, different opportunities and different preferences in their lives. The documentary People Like Us: Social Class in America helps to better understand the impact of social class on human life and identify the existing differences between social classes. In fact, American citizens are aware of class distinctions, which cause inequalities of opportunity. I agree that Americans classify each other, paying due attention to the effects of our inherited social class, including individuals’ self-perceptions and expectations.
Thus, race, ethnicity, education, income and other factors make the arrangement of social distinctions in our society more complicated. This fact means that social class does exist in American society today. Moreover, most Americans realize the meaning of class, placing emphasis on the role of social and economic conditions, power, income, job, race, religion, self-image and attitudes, and many other factors.
Do you like this essay?
Our writers can write a paper like this for you!
(No Ratings Yet)
Loading...