Social Stratification - A Division Among Classes

This last week in class we had the chance to watch a film dealing with the different class systems in America. Those classes consisted of upper class, middle class and lower class. So how exactly do we define class? Is it a state of mind? Is class based on money? Class can be defined as a way of social stratification based on the possession of money or material possessions. In other words you are put into a class based on the property or material possessions you own, your wealth or the total value of everything you own, and your income or the money you earn from a job.

The second part of this film focused on the three class systems that we have in America. It first talked about the upper class. In the film it used a group known as the WASPS to describe what kinds of people are associated with the upper class. In the film they interviewed a writer who grew up in this upper class system and considered himself as a WASP. They asked him questions about how you could describe a person who was considered a WASP. This writer described WASPS as being better, smarter, dressed nicer, and eats healthier. He was basically saying they were better period! He went on to say how people in the upper class are most comfortable with people that are like them, who are similar to their lifestyle. He also mentioned that there is a certain “look” you have to have to be placed in this particular class. As I was watching this portion on the upper class, I noticed that these people were very proper and polite, but they had a stuck-up feel about them. It’s almost like they knew they were better than everybody else because they were a part of an upper class system. Why is this? What is it that makes them better than everyone else?

Next, the film discussed the middle class. Most Americans consider themselves as people of the middle class. Why is this? I think it’s because being in the middle class makes you “average”. You aren’t classifying yourself as being poor and having nothing, but you aren’t classifying yourself as being rich and having wealth. Being a part of the middle class makes you “average” and that is okay! People classified in the middle class tend to have values that are shared with others. One of these values is the urge to gain enough “class” to be able to climb the social ladder. In other words people always want to make it up one step higher in the social class system. One thing the film mentioned was that the American dream seems to be within the middle class. Why is this? I believe it’s because the middle class is a “comfortable” class to be in. It’s a class where you are able to live your life and be comfortable, meaning you have money to do the things you want to without being placed into the upper class, or not having anything and being place in the lower class. One thing that stuck out to me during this film was that there is a “black middle class”, and a “white middle class”. Is there a difference between the two? Over the last generation more and more black people have moved into the middle class. I think that people tend to give black people a “stereotype” of being poor, so it’s weird for people to see blacks being placed in the middle class. Do you think that there is a difference between “black middle class” and “white middle class”? Is there even such a thing?

Last but not least, the film leads us to the lower class! The lower class was comprised of people who we would consider as red necked, blue collared, poor people. People associated with the lower class system are people who don’t have very much. They were most likely born into a lower class family. It’s hard for these people to climb the social ladder because they don’t have the resources to do so. From watching the film I noticed that the people in the lower class want to be like everyone else, they want to have the American dream, they want to make something of their lives, and they want to be the best kind of person they can be. People in the lower class want a life of happiness, but that if affected by the way other people treat them. They work hard at what they do, but the jobs that they do have are jobs that don’t pay much, making it harder for them to climb the social ladder. They want a better social status, but they don’t have the means to achieve it, or they don’t know where to start to do so. Do you think it’s possible for people in the lower class to be able to climb the social ladder?

As I was watching this film, our professor asked us to look at the quality of life within each of the classes. As I watched I noticed that the higher the class, the lower the quality of life was. For example, the upper class people seemed boring and had no fun. Fun to them was drinking a cocktail, sitting and talking with friends, or going to an event were everyone was dressed up nice, but all they did was stand or sit and talk amongst each other. The middle class seemed to be more down to earth, they had fun but only when the work was done. The middle class was more laid back, but they still worked hard, and had fun when the work was over with. However, the lower class seemed to have the best quality of life! They were always having fun, everyone was always laughing, and they were always with their friends. How can a class that doesn’t have anything seem to have the greatest quality of life? I think it’s because these people don’t have anything to be worried about. In other words they have nothing to lose. People in the lower class seem to make the best of what they do have. Even though they have a hard life, they choose to make that life fun by surrounding themselves with their close friends and family who are similar to them. You would think that the higher the class, the higher the quality of life would be right? That’s what I thought too, but it was the exact opposite. Why do you think this is?