No Middle Class Essay

1069 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Social class and its effects

No Middle Class It the world we live in today, everything is about money whether you realize it or not. People are getting greedier, trying to find a way to increase their wealth constantly. Sometimes people do this at the risk of other people; in seek of their own “happiness.” Food, clothes, transportation, bills, and so much more all require money of some sort. Adriana Delgado says, “The vast differences between the rich and the poor, the powerful and the powerless, will be the catalyst for the best intentions to be rewarded with ungratefulness and contempt, creating resentment and mistrust between the classes.” This line quoted by Delgado shows how power is related directly to money. When she refers to the classes, there are the 3 well …show more content…

Many countries are trying to hire people for cheap labor, which is where the greed for money comes in. The company owners can get away with paying such low wages for the fact that the people that work there need the job. Large companies usually hire those who are not furthered in their education or qualified for higher paying jobs, which makes it easier to keep their wages low. The wealthy don 't need these jobs because they most likely have other jobs that are going to pay at a much higher amount, with the qualifications being met. Generally the higher paid jobs are not the dirty or hard working jobs, but more of the intellectual jobs that few actually meet the expectations required. Patti Duncan says, “We were expected to function as cheap--or cheapened--labor, invoking Cynthia Enloe 's discussion of the processes that produce certain bodies as cheap labor, imported to perform the dirty work that the "real" citizens within the academy do not want to do.” The rich are getting richer because the jobs that pay better are all taken by those who are wealthy and the poor can 't or won 't qualify for them. The less money you make or the more desperate you are for many, the higher chances it is that you would settle something for with minimum or lower

Show More
Related

  • A Classless Society In Mantsios's Class In America

    1410 Words  | 3 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Social Mobility in the United States

    1859 Words  | 4 Pages

    Does social mobility in our contemporary American society really exist? Is it possible for someone from the deepest depths of poverty to become successful, and ascend into the upper echelons of society? Could the American Dream still be attained in these times where we see the stratification of contemporary American society based on their wealth and social class so vehemently pointed out and perhaps emphasized to a certain degree? Or perhaps, could Charles Sackrey, Geoffrey Schneider, and Janet Knoedler (authors of Introduction to Political Economy) be right about the American Dream being a "particularly deceitful myth?" This is a topic which has been debated over a long period of time between different scholars, analysts, and people just like us - in American society today, it could be broken into many parts: some observe the rich, the middle class, and the poor, and others lean towards the 99% versus the 1%, in regards to debates stemming from wealth distribution. The American Dream, a long-standing national ethos which definitively puts forward the idea that our freedom allows us the opportunity for great prosperity and success, as well as upward social mobility through the application of hard work, is perhaps central to this idea of whether social mobility, as scholars continue to debate that it is less attainable in this day and age compared to previous generations, and that it is much less prevalent in the U.S. than in other western countries. As for social mobility, it's also argued that while it exists to a greater extent in other western countries, it is no less attainable in the United States today than it was in the past. The purpose of this essay is to really get a good look at both sides of the coin in terms of this i...

    Read More

  • Money And Social Inequality In Sicario And Steve Jobs

    853 Words  | 2 Pages

    Though money may not be the root of all evil, it certainly contributes to inequalities between those on opposite ends of the wealth distribution map. Upward mobility becomes difficult for those whose income does not match that of the wealthy because of the lack of opportunities provided to the people who are in the working class (Marx). Unfortunately, this repetitive cycle of wealth inequality draws parallels with the racial inequalities that are seen today. Statistically, people of color and women collect less revenue than white men, who are less restricted in their mobility, in America (Rowe). According to Karl Marx, money can buy anything from education to beauty, due to the fact that money is valued more than the lives of those who do

    Read More

  • Disparities In The 1920s

    714 Words  | 2 Pages

    It is important to understand the origin and history of the wealth gap and the reason it is increasingly widened. The 1920s is known as the Roaring Twenties with significant economic growth, increased prosperity, and increase in the wealth gap. In the 1970s, the income gap between wealthy households and the rest of America increased. The economic slowdown had a significant effect on the middle and lower income taxpayers, while the income for the wealthy continually increased. Currently, the disparity is more apparent than ever. “The United States exhibits wider disparities of wealth between the and poor than any other major developed nation.” In the 21st century, the net worth of a majority of households have decreased, while the median net worth of the wealthier households have seen an increase. A large

    Read More

  • The Great Gatsby and Today

    1573 Words  | 4 Pages

    Society today is split in many different ways: the smart and the dumb, the pretty and the ugly, the popular and the awkward, and of course the rich and the poor. This key difference has led to many areas of conflict among the population. The rich and the poor often have different views on issues, and have different problems within their lives. Moral decay and materialism are two issues prevalent among the wealthy, while things such as socio-economic class conflict and the American dream may be more important to those without money. Ethics and responsibilities are an area of thought for both classes, with noblesse oblige leaning more towards the wealthy.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Sacrifice In The Great Gatsby

    240 Words  | 1 Pages

    Money is sweeter than honey but can be destructive. It simplifies a man’s life while a lack of it confines him in the streets of poverty. It raises his social status while an absence of it leaves him unnoticed. It gives him a feeling of superiority and importance among others, while a shortage of it makes him worthless

    Read More

  • The film The Hunger Games

    1517 Words  | 4 Pages

    difficult it is it move up socially and economically in today's society because of the widening gap between the rich and the poor (Aspects of Class in the US: An Introduction).

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Capitalism In Today's Society

    1508 Words  | 4 Pages

    Divisions within the social stratum is a characteristic of societies in various cultures and has been present throughout history. During the middle ages, the medieval feudal system prevailed, characterized by kings and queens reigning over the peasantry. Similarly, in today’s society, corporate feudalism, otherwise known as Capitalism, consists of wealthy elites dominating over the working poor. Class divisions became most evident during America’s Gilded Age and Progressive era, a period in time in which the rich became richer via exploitation of the fruits of labor that the poor persistently toiled to earn. As a result, many Americans grew compelled to ask the question on everyone’s mind: what do the rich owe the poor? According to wealthy

    Read More

  • Why The Rich Are Getting Richer And The Poor Poorer?

    1000 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the book by Jacobus, A World of Ideas, Robert Reich wrote the article, “Why the Rich are Getting Richer and the Poor, Poorer,” and he uses a metaphor to describe the three economic groups that are now in different boats. He compares how the routine producers’ boats and the in-person servers’ boats are sinking while the symbolic analyst is rising. He also discusses how immigration and technology increases competition jobs of routine producers and in-person servers which makes their boats sink , while the symbolic analysts are in great demand. Robert Reich is correct on his perspective that the symbolic analyst has the potential to become wealthy, and it is expected for them to have a high level education and job experience: for example, being

    Read More

  • Income Inequality

    939 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...ment, income inequality will exist due to the rise of some economically successful people and the further development of factors that push people into poverty. Although it may not seem fair that there are rich people blowing money on impractical and meaningless things while people live in poverty, it’s a reality that the United States has experienced for centuries.

    Read More

  • Why the Rich are Getting Richer and the Poor, Poorer

    1571 Words  | 4 Pages

    The report of Robert Reich: “Why the Rich are getting Richer and the Poor, Poorer,” is an eye opener and a warning for society regarding unemployment that it will be facing and is currently facing due to a lack of technology and education. It clearly articulates that the jobs of routine producers and in-person servers have vanished totally as modern techniques have replaced them. The author has stated that the only people whose jobs are on the rise are symbol analysts. As stated in the report, symbol analysts are the real problem solvers. Their skills are highly in demand worldwide because they are the ones who first analyze the problem and then solve it. The Hart Report, on the other hand, also states the same problem of unemployment and the global recession which has left employers focusing on employees not only with specialists’ skills but also a “broader range of skills and knowledge” (page 6-7). The Hart Report clearly reflects what the needs of contemporary employers are, but the question is whether it is the universities or the students themselves who fail to cope with the requirements of the contemporary world which is filled with technological advancement and critical thinking. The Texas Work Source has also played an important role in examining what is actually missing in today’s generation and the reasons behind such a great decline in employment. The central

    Read More

  • The Pros And Cons Of Poverty In America

    1186 Words  | 3 Pages

    Inequality exists in income, wealth, power and education. Persons who are legally and socially poor in the United states tend to stay in a cycle through life, not always by choice but because they are given fewer opportunities, education and tools to achieve success. Poverty class has a much larger income gap than the upper class, the American Dream lessens through opportunity and is shown through statistics. One in every four urban child is living in poverty. On the United States Census website there is a chart that separates the races and the percentage of each one in poverty. The highest percentage is American Indian and Alaska Native alone at around 28% and White alone and Asian alone are tied at around 11% (Macartney & etal ,

    Read More

  • Havoc Analysis Essay

    1134 Words  | 3 Pages

    In “Working Class Whites” Angeline F. Price quotes Fussel saying, “[o]ne class gets the sugar and the other gets the shit” (Fussel, 25). Later Price responds, “in American society the ‘other’ is invariably poverty stricken and powerless” (Price 648). That is to say that the comfort of the rich is at cost of the discomfort of the poor. Correspondingly, wealth or the lack of, have been associated with a complex of superiority versus inferiority. Therefore, one is treated according to the amount of wealth one has accumulated. Such ideology was created by the rich through the widespread rhetoric of separation based on socioeconomic factors. This separation has benefited the upper class, and hurt the lower class especially when it pertains to the

    Read More

  • Equality For All: Inequality In America

    1631 Words  | 4 Pages

    Many people don’t see it as a problem and many people do. The one man who wants to completely wipe away the gap is Karl Marx. In his “Communist Manifesto,” he promotes “revolution and the abolishment of class separatism” (455). Basically Marx is rooting for everyone to be equal. Though he recognizes the “oppressor and the oppressed,” Marx is too idealistic with his ideal of communism because in a country to populated it’s completely impossible to make everyone equal (457). One such man that promotes the wealth gap is Andrew Carnegie. In his essay, “The Gospel of Wealth,” he roots for the gap because he believes without having the rich there wouldn’t be anyone responsible to provide to the poor. This need of the rich to give is true, but it still doesn’t help the gap shrink. Rich people would still be earning more money and even most rich people don’t want to give to the poor because they are just to prideful. Robert Reich a man who knows the modern world today more discretely has a very different approach to the wealth gap than Carnegie or Marx. In his powerful documentary, “Inequality for All,” he demonstrates how the gap keeps widening. He brings both the rich and the poor people to talk about their own experiences with the issue. One of his own students from the university he teaches at mentioned how difficult it was

    Read More

  • Racism, Prejudice And Racial Discrimination

    577 Words  | 2 Pages

    Being wealthy gives you the power to do everything, and to get away with everything. For example, on February 20th 2017, Ryan Steeves, one of the teacher assistance, was giving a presentation, Ethnicity, Economy, and Politics, and he talked about how power and social class all related. The Banana Republics videos on the presentation shows us a great example of how power and social class rules the society. There were three main fruit companies, United Fruit Co., Cuyamel Fruit Co., and Vaccaro Bros., they were the rulers of everything and they made the decisions because they had a lot of money. For example, the company of Cuyamel killed the Honduras president because they gave some of its land to the Cuyamel’s competitors. Moreover, they convinced the United States that Honduras was trying to be communist, so the US killed the president of Honduras, again. Being wealthy, high social class, and power are all connected and it is how society

    Read More

More about No Middle Class Essay

Open Document