• Two exceptions to class avoidance phenomenon: discussion about the middle class as acceptable and presenting glimpses of the poor and wealthy that conform to common stereotypes. Americans are misinformed to believe the following myths: class distinctions are non-existent, middle-class is the norm, everyone is getting richer, and the chances of success are equal for everyone.
• The U.S. has the highest income gap between the wealthiest and poorest in the industrial world, which is approximately 12 to 1. In 2004, the affluent experienced a wage increase by 12%, whereas the 99% of average income makers saw an increase of 1%.
• The Making of the Ghetto: One of the biggest forms of equity is home ownership, and between 1933 and 1978, the Federal
By being color conscious, we see the strengths in one another and acknowledge the experiences of one another as significant and valuable. This idea of being color blind vs. color conscious is directly related to the Black Lives Matter (BLM) and the All Lives Matter (ALM) movement. One of the criticisms in this ordeal is that the BLM never put forth the notion that all lives don’t matter. Obviously, all lives matter. But, I think saying all lives matter in response is ignoring the fact that blacks have been disproportionally mistreated, profiled, and arrested more often than
As Tim Wise mentioned, our media outlets have had a record of ignoring anti-white racism, such as with the example of William Campbell supporting the students of Little Rock. To label Kaepernick’s actions as unpatriotic or disrespectful is to ignore the message behind his actions, which is to stand against police brutality and social injustice. I don’t think his goal was to gain mass media attention, but in doing do, Kaepernick has created a discussion about racial inequality. I think the only problem we have with the discussion now as Tim Wise mentions is, “How do we confront the truth, without being overwhelmed about
3. What are the effects of this wealth inequality in the US and what causes it, as well as some possible solutions and their ramifications, will all be discussed and answered below. There has always been a wealth gap between the richest and poorest in society. However, in the past decade, the wealth gap between the richest and poorest citizens in the US has been growing rapidly. In the 70s and 80s, the wealth and income growth rate for both poor and rich people were similar, however, between the years 2009 and 2012 the top 1% income increased 31% while for the bottom 20%, their income actually dropped and for the vast majority of Americans, the average yearly income only increased by 0.4% [4].
The New York Times Editorial Board, in their article How Segregation Destroys Black Wealth (2015), argues that African Americans have been — and still are — discriminated against when buying property, resulting in the sprawl of poverty stricken, predominantly black neighborhoods. The Editorial Board supports this argument by providing historical evidence and analysis of the issue. They specify that “The Federal Housing Administration, created during the New Deal to promote homeownership, openly supported these racist measures; it forbade lending to black people even as it subsidized white families that moved from the cities to the suburbs. Cut off from
Charles, Camille (2003). The dynamics of racial residential segregation. Annual Review of Sociology, 167. Retrieved from http://jstor.org/stable/30036965.
The media portrays the upper class as something to strive for. Obtaining wealth and material possessions will bring you a happy life. The only way to get ahead is to emulate the rich and powerful and to live vicariously through them (Kendall 316). The media’s emphasis on the upper class takes away from people living life for themselves. Instead, they are persuaded to obtain a lifestyle that is realistically out of their means. Kendall states, “Largely through marketing and advertising, television promoted the myth of the classless society, offering on one hand the images of the American dream fulfilled wherein any and everyone can become rich and on the other suggesting that the lived experience of this lack of class hierarchy was expressed by our equal right to purchase anything we could afford”. Exaggerated views of the rich and successful in America are largely portrayed via television. Which gives a false idea of what happiness, wealth and material possessions can bring (Kendall 317). The poor and homeless are at the bottom of the class structure and are often overlooked, ignored and only portrayed as deserving of sympathy. They are stereotyped to be people who have problems such as drugs or alcohol (Kendall 318). Kendall goes on to explain that the middle class is considered the “working class” and are
In his article, “Race and Housing in the Postwar City: An Explosive History,” Raymond Mohl focuses on suburbanization and racial segregation in post-World War II America. Due to discriminatory practices in the housing market,
Goetz, Edward G.. New Deal ruins: race, economic justice, and public housing policy. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2013. Print.
With each class comes a certain level in financial standing, the lower class having the lowest income and the upper class having the highest income. According to Mantsios’ “Class in America” the wealthiest one percent of the American population hold thirty-four percent of the total national wealth and while this is going on nearly thirty-seven million Americans across the nation live in unrelenting poverty (Mantsios 284-6). There is a clear difference in the way that these two groups of people live, one is extreme poverty and the other extremely
In "Class in America", Gregory Mantsios says that "when politicians and social commentators draw attention to the plight of the poor, they do so in a manner that obscures the class structure and denies any sense of exploitation." Based off our readings, class discussion and films, income inequality is known to be erased or ignore. Our society frowns upon the expression of income in our daily conversations, as it could be seen braggy or a complaint depending on your status of income. Because it's frowned upon to talk about, the topic of income inequality becomes erased or ignored. In addition, income inequality in America's class structure can affect people's ability to reach their American Dream.
The main claim of the article is that African Americans have been treated unfairly throughout history and are still being treated unfairly compared to Caucasians. One of the reasons given in support of the claim is “In the early 20th century, civil rights groups documented cases in which African-Americans died horrible deaths after being turned away from hospitals reserved for whites, or were lynched — which meant being hanged, burned or dismembered — in front of enormous crowds that had gathered to enjoy the sight.” (Editorial Board, screen 3) Another reason given in support of the claim comes from the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. saying “The dead have something to say to a complacent federal government that cuts back-room deals with Southern Dixiecrats, as well as to every Negro who has passively accepted the evil system of segregation and who has stood on the sidelines in a mighty struggle for justice.” (Editorial Board, screen 3) The argument consisted of several components such as quotes from famous activists and referring to historical events involving African Americans being victims. The components are presented in a certain order with the historical events coming first, the quotes from famous activists coming second, and the overall explanation of the Black Lives Matter movement coming
Actions speak louder than words, and contrary to BLM’s redundant stance, the sad truth is, they couldn’t care less for black issues. Black people are responsible for ninety-three percent of black homicides in the U.S. (Dailywire) BLM has always been up in arms about police shootings, but when a black on black crime surfaces they’re completely silent. Back in 2016 Peggy Hubbard’s nine-year-old child was killed by a stray bullet in a drive-by shooting. (Foxnews). BLM remained silent in regards to this,
In the United States there are four social classes : the upper class, the middle class, the working class, and the lower class. Of these four classes the most inequality exists between the upper class and the lower class. This inequality can be seen in the incomes that the two classes earn. During the period 1979 through the present , the growth in income has disproportionately grown.The bottom sixty percent of the US population actually saw their real income decrease in 1990 dollars. The next 20% saw medium gains. The top twenty percent saw their income increase 18%. The wealthiest one percent saw their incomes rise drastically over 80%. As reported in the 1997 Center on Budget's analysis , the wealthiest one percent of Americans ( 2.6 million people) received as much after-tax income in 1994 as the bottom 35 percent of the population combined (88 million people). But in 1977 the bottom 35 percent had about twice as much after tax income as the top one percent. These statistics further show the disproportional income growth among the social classes. The gr...
A stereotype of social classes would be that all people from the lower class are not intelligent and fully rely on their government and the tax-paying people of the middle-class’s dollar for support. Although this is not always true, this misconception is still believed by many people from all aspects of life and social class. The middle class is defined as people who have to work hard daily and who are not wealthy, but at the same time are not poor. The upper class is stereotypically the people that do not have to work hard and have life the easiest. Although all these people are different without a doubt, there is nothing that defines these people as having to fall within these stereotypes. A poor person can work very hard without government assistance and still be poor, a rich person can work hard, and a middle-class person doesn’t necessarily mean that they are hardworking. Just the same, if a person believes that one social-class is better than another social class, then to that person, this mindset is a
Inequality exist and is high in America because the amount of income and wealth that is distributed through power. In America the income distribution is very inequality and the value of a person wealth is based on their income with their debts subtracted. “As of 2007, the top 1% of households (the upper class) owned 34.6% of all privately held wealth, and the 19% (the managerial, professional, and small business stratum) had 50.5%, which means that just 20% of the people owned a remarkable 85%, leaving only 15% of the wealth for the bottom 80% (wage and salary workers)” (Domhoff, 2011). In contrary the poor do not get ahead and the rich get more. Americans are judged and placed in class categories through their home ownership which translates to wealth. Americans social class is often associated with their assets and wealth. “People seek to own property, to have high incomes, to have interesting and safe jobs, to enjoy the finest in travel and leisure, and to live long and healthy lives” (Domhoff, 2011). Power indicates how these “values” are not distributed equally in American society. Huge gains for the rich include cuts in capital gains and dividends and when tax rates decrease for the tiny percent of Americans income is redistributed. Taxes directly affect the wealth and income of Americans every year.
Many feel that Black Lives Matter is only causing more hate and violence through their protest. The BLM believes, however, that racial bias among police officers is at an all-time high and that their fight is reasonable. The BLM argues they are simply seeking equality for blacks. Their website page states, “We are committed to embodying and practicing justice, liberation, and peace in our engagements with one another. We are committed to practicing empathy; we engage comrades with the intent to learn about and connect with their contexts”. (Black Lives Matter)
Black Lives Matter is not a movement that believes all lives do not matter; nevertheless, it highlights the fact that black lives are taken for granted by the judicial system. Protests around the world have taken place to fight for justice in the black community. The immense number of deaths of unarmed black men and women is a clear sign that they are more likely to be killed by police than white people. Physical violence and excessive use of force by the U.S. police towards African Americans are seen in the news regularly.