Title: HOW BIG IS YOUR PIECE OF THE AMERICAN DREAM CHANCES ARE, YOU WILL NOT SEE A POT OF GOLD'
1HOW BIG IS YOUR PIECE OF THE AMERICAN
DREAM?CHANCES ARE, YOU WILL NOT SEE A POT OF
GOLD.
2SOCIAL STRATIFICATION
A SYSTEM BY WHICH A SOCIETY RANKS CATEGORIES OF
PEOPLE IN A SOCIAL HIERARCHY.
- IT IS A TRAIT OF SOCIETY
- DOES NOT REFLECT INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES, BUT
SOCIETYS STRUCTURE - IT PERSISTS OVER GENERATIONS
- SOCIAL MOBILITY HAPPENS SLOWLY
- IT IS UNIVERSAL
- WHILE UNIVERSAL, IT VARIES IN TYPE
- IT INVOLVES INEQUALITY IN BELIEF SYSTEM
- IDEOLOGIES JUSTIFY EXISTENCE OF STRATIFICATION
3SOCIAL STRATIFICATION BASED ON ASCRIPTION
HOW DO I LIKE MY WORK? WELL, HOW WOULD YOU LIKE
TO HAVE TO DO THIS EVERY DAY OF YOUR LIFE?
- BIRTH DETERMINES SOCIAL POSITION IN FOUR DISTINCT
WAYS - OCCUPATIONS
- ENDOGAMY IS PRACTICED
- SOCIAL LIFE IS RESTRICTED
- BELIEF SYSTEMS ARE OFTEN TIED TO RELIGIOUS DOGMA
- LACK OF MOBILITY
4THE AMERICAN CLASS SYSTEM OF STRATIFICATION
A SYSTEM BASED ON INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT, NOT
ASCRIPTION
5THE MOST OPEN SYSTEM IN THE WORLD
I DONT THINK YOU ALWAYS GET WHAT YOU DESERVE!
- INEQUALITY AS IN CASTE SYSTEM, BUT SOCIAL
MOBILITY IS POSSIBLE - EVERYONE HAS ACCESS TO
- EDUCATION
- JOB OPPORTUNITIES
- AN EVEN PLAYING FIELD
- SYSTEM IS BASED ON THE IDEALS OF MERITOCRACY
- YOU GET WHAT YOU DESERVE
6THE DAVIS-MOORE PERSPECTIVE
- THESIS
- STRATIFICATION HAS BENEFICIAL CONSEQUENCES (ITS
FUNCTIONAL) FOR THE OPERATION OF THE U.S.. - KEY POINTS
- MEMBERS OF SOCIETY HAVE NEEDS
- SOME STATUSES IN SOCIETY ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN
OTHERS WHEN IT COMES TO SEEING TO NEEDS - TO ATTRACT THE BEST QUALIFIED AND TO GIVE OF
THEIR TIME, EFFORT, AND ENERGIES, REWARDS MUST BE
SUFFICIENT IN NATURE (INCOME, PRESTIGE, POWER) - KEY CONCEPT
- MERITOCRACY AND GETTING WHAT YOU DESERVE
- DOES EVERYONE IN AMERICA GET WHAT THEY DESERVE?
7ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE
KARL MARX BELIEVED THAT CAPITALIST SYSTEMS
OF STRATIFICATION WOULD ALWAYS BENEFIT A FEW AT
THE EXPENSE OF THE MANY
- ONES PLIGHT IN LIFE IS TIED TO A PERSONS
RELATIONSHIP TO THE MEANS OF PRODUCTION - A PERSON EITHER CONTROLS MONEY AND EQUIPMENT, OR
WORKS FOR THOSE WHO DO - THROUGH INHERITENCE LAWS, SOCIAL CLASSES THEN
REPRODUCE THEMSELVES OVER GENERATIONS - EVENTUALLY, YEARS OF CLASS OPPRESSION WOULD LEAD
TO CAPITALISMS DEMISE - SOCIALISM REPLACES CAPTIALISM
8MARX BELIEVED CAPITALISM HELD ITS OWN SEEDS OF
DESTRUCTION
- INEVITABILITY OF MONOPOLIES
- ELIMINATION OF COMPETITION
- GOUGE CONSUMERS AND WORKERS ALIKE
- OVER PRODUCTION OF GOODS
- ECONOMIC SLUMPS, DEPRESSIONS, ETC.
- PROFIT SEEKING CAPITALIST MOTIVES
- ELIMINATION OF WORKERS BY MACHINES
- CONTROL OF THE STATE BY THE WEALTHY
- PASSING LAWS THAT FAVOR THE FEW
9- FRAGMENTATION OF THE CAPITALIST CLASS
- WE CAN ALL HAVE A PIECE OF THE PIE THESE DAYS
- WHITE-COLLAR JOBS AND A GENERAL RISING OF THE
STANDARD OF LIVING - MORE PRESTIGE
- INCREASE IN UNIONS
- BETTER WAGES AND BENEFITS
- ACCESS TO LEGAL PROTECTION
- COURTS ARE SUPPORTING WORKERS CLAIMS
- HOWEVER, MAJOR CLASS DIFFERENCES REMAIN
10- WEALTH STILL REMAINS HIGHLY CONCENTRATED IN THE
UPPER CLASS - A VERY SMALL PERCENTAGE OF THE POPULATION STILL
CONTROLS OVER HALF OF THE CORPORATE STOCK - WHITE-COLLAR JOBS OFFER LITTLE TO WORKERS
- JOB SECURITY IS NO LONGER OFFERED TO WHITE-COLLAR
WORKERS, AND WORKERS CAN EVEN EXPLOITED MORE - PROGRESS REQUIRES STRUGGLE
- CONFLICT AND DISTRUST STILL REMAIN AS OBSTACLES
BETWEEN MANAGEMENT AND WORKERS - LITTLE HAS BEEN WON RECENTLY
- THE LAW STILL FAVORS THE RICH
- ACCESS TO LEGAL REPRESENTATION FOR THE POOR HAS
BEEN SEVERED - THE AVERAGE AMERICAN STILL CANNOT USE THE LEGAL
SYSTEM TO THE SAME AS EXTENT AS THE RICH
11THE KUZNETS CURVE
GREATER OPPORTUNITY AND EQUALITY UNDER THE LAW
COMES ABOUT IN INDUSTRIAL SOCIETY. ALSO,
POLITICAL RIGHTS AND ECONOMIC LEVELING HELP
REDUCE SOCIAL DIFFERENCES.
HUNTING AND GATHERING
INDUSTRIAL SOCIETY
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13MEDIAN FAMILY INCOME, 1993
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19The American Class System
20- SUPPORT FOR EQUALITY UNDER THE LAW
- EQUAL RIGHTS ARE ACCORDED TO ALL
- WE CELEBRATE INDIVIDUALITY
- PEOPLE FORGE THEIR OWN LIVES
- SIMILARITYAND ATTRACTION
- BRIEF ENCOUNTERS WITH OTHERS
- THE U.S. IS AN AFFLUENT SOCIETY
- BELIEF THAT EVERYONE IS FINANCIALLY COMFORTABLE
- THUS, IT REMAINS A TOPIC THAT MOST PEOPLE DO NOT
REALLY UNDERSTAND, OR THEY ARE TAUGHT THAT IT IS
NOT AN APPROPRIATE TOPIC FOR CONVERSATION
21DIMENSIONS OF CLASS
- INCOME
- OCCUPATIONAL WAGES AND EARNINGS FROM INVESTMENTS
- WEALTH
- THE TOTAL VALUE OF MONEY AND OTHER ASSETS, MINUS
ANY DEBT - SOCIAL POWER
- THE ABILITY TO CONTROL, EVEN IN THE FACE OF
RESISTENCE - OCCUPATIONAL PRESTIGE
- JOB-RELATED STATUS
- EDUCATION
- KEY TO BETTER CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
22- ANCESTRY
- BORN TO PRIVILEGE OR POVERTY MAKES A BIG
DIFFERENCE - RACE AND ETHNICITY
- SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES STILL EXIST WHEN
COMPARING MAJORITY AND MINORITY GROUPS ON SOCIAL
AND FINANCIAL VARIABLES - GENDER
- IT IS STILL A MANS WORLD IN AMERICA
- RELIGION
- PROTESTANT RELIGIONS ARE STILL IDENTIFIED AS
CHURCHES WHOSE MEMBERSHIP ARE MOST AFFLUENT IN
AMERICA
23THE CLASS SYSTEM
- THE UPPER CLASS
- 5 OF THE POPULATION
- THE MIDDLE CLASS
- 45 OF THE POPULATION
- THE WORKING CLASS
- 30 OF THE POPULATION
- THE LOWER CLASS
- THE REMAINING 20 OF PEOPLE
24THE UPPER CLASS
- THE UPPER-UPPERS
- THE BLUE BLOODS
- MEMBERSHIP ALMOST ALWAYS BASED ON ASCRIPTION
- THEY HAVE OLD MONEY
- THEY ARE SET APART BY THE AMOUNT OF WEALTH THEIR
FAMILIES CONTROL - MUCH TIME DEVOTED TO COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES
- THE LOWER-UPPERS
- THE WORKING RICH PEOPLE
- THE NEW RICH BY OLD MONEY STANDARDS
- CAN STILL FIND THEMSELVES EXCLUDED FROM CERTAIN
ORGANIZATIONS AND CLUBS
25- UPPER-MIDDLES
- 50,000 TO 100,000 YEARLY INCOME
- EDUCATION IS IMPORTANT
- HIGH OCCUPATIONAL PRESTIGE
- INVOLVEMENT IN LOCAL POLITICS
- AVERAGE-MIDDLES
- LESS PRESTIGE IN OCCUPATION
- FEW WHITE COLLAR, OR HIGH-SKILLED BLUE COLLAR
JOBS - INCOME PROVIDES MODEST SECURITY
- COLLEGE KIDS NORMALLY ATTEND STATE-SPONSORED
COLLEGES
26- THE TRUE INDUSTRIAL PROLETARIAT
- 15,000 TO 35,000 ANNUAL INCOME
- ROUTINE TASKS AND LESS SATISFACTION
- FEWER CHILDREN GO TO COLLEGE (ONLY ONE-THIRD)
- SENSE OF FATALISM TO BRING ABOUT CHANGE IN THEIR
LIVES - MUST LOOK DOWN TO FEEL GOOD ABOUT THEMSELVES
- AT LEAST I HAVE A JOB
27THELOWER CLASS
- LACK OF FULL-TIME WORK LITTLE INCOME
- 1996 ALMOST 40 MILLION AMERICANS FELL INTO THIS
GROUP - LIMITED SCHOOLING NEARLY FUNCTIONALLY ILLITERATE
- CHILDREN FEEL IMPACT OF LABEL AND SEE LITTLE HOPE
FOR FUTURE - WELFARE MAY BE VIEWED AS ONLY HOPE
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29WAYS IN WHICH CLASS MATTERS TO YOU
- HEALTH
- AMOUNT AND TYPE OF HEALTH CARE
- CULTURAL VALUES
- TOLERANCE AND GRATIFICATION
- POLITICS
- DEGREE OF INVOLVEMENT AND OUTLOOKS
- FAMILY AND GENDER
- TYPE OF PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT AND SOCIALIZATION
PRACTICES
30- UPWARD
- CLIMBING UP FROM A LOWER CLASS
- DOWNWARD
- FALL DOWN FROM A HIGHER SOCIAL CLASS
- HORIZONTAL
- REMAIN IN THE SAME CLASS, WHILE MOVING BETWEEN
JOBS - INTRAGENERATIONAL MOBILITY
- MOVEMENT THAT TAKES PLACE WITHIN ONE PERSONS
LIFETIME - INTERGENERATIONAL MOBILITY
- MOVEMENT THAT TAKES PLACE ACROSS GENERATIONS
WITHIN A FAMILY - GENERAL TRENDS
- FAIRLY GOOD FOR MALES WHEN CONSIDERED
INTERGENERATIONALLY
31THE TRUTH ABOUT MOBILITY
- AMONG MEN, MOBILITY HAS BEEN FAIRLY HIGH
- LONG-TERM TREND HAS BEEN UPWARD
- INTRAGENERATIONAL MOBILITY IS INCREMENTAL, NOT
DRAMATIC - SHORT-TERM TREND HAS BEEN THAT OF STAGNATION WITH
SOME INCOME POLARIZATION - MOBILITY BY INCOME (1980 - 1996)
- RICHEST FIFTH OF AMERICANS HAVE HAD A WINDFALL
WITH RESPECT TO INCOME - THIRD AND FOURTH FIFTHS HAVE SEEN MINOR INCREASES
IN INCOME - THE TWO LOWER FIFTHS HAVE SEEN THEIR INCOME FALL
32FOR MANY PEOPLE, THE AMERICAN DREAM HAS EVOLVED
INTO AN AMERICAN NIGHTMARE!
- EARNINGS HAVE STALLED FOR MANY WORKERS
- MANY PERSONS NEED TO HOLD MORE THAN ONE JOB
- MORE JOBS OFFER LITTLE INCOME
- YOUNG PEOPLE ARE REMAINING AT (AND RETURNING TO)
HOME
33SOCIAL INEQUALITY MEANS POVERTY
- POVERTY
- RELATIVE (IN RELATION TO OTHERS)
- ABSOLUTE (LIFE CAN BE THREATENED)
- POVERTY THRESHOLD
- IN 1993, FOR A FAMILY OF FOUR THE POVERTY
THRESHOLD WAS SET AT 14,763 ANNUAL INCOME - EXTENT OF POVERTY IN AMERICA
- 15.1 OF AMERICANS ARE SO CLASSIFIED
- 12.5 OF AMERICANS ARE MARGINALLY POOR
- A TOTAL OF 51.8 MILLION AMERICANS
- REALITY CHECK
- ROUGHLY 50 OF ADULTS AND CHILDREN CLASSIFIED AS
POOR ENDURE HUNGER ON A DAILY BASIS IN AMERICA
34WHO ARE THE POOR?
IS POVERTY MORE PRONOUNCED AMONG
CERTAIN CATEGORIES OF PEOPLE WITHIN OUR
POPULATION?
- AGE
- IN 1993, 22.7 OF ALL CHILDREN WERE POOR
- RACE AND ETHNICITY
- TWO-THIRDS OF ALL POOR ARE WHITE, BUT...
- IN 1993, 33 OF ALL AFRICAN AMERICANS AND 30.6
OF ALL LATINOS LIVED IN POVERTY - GENDER
- THE FEMINIZATION OF POVERTY
- LOWER PAYING JOBS
- TEENAGE PREGNANCY
- DIVORCE AND SINGLE-PARENT HOUSEHOLDS
MOMMY! WHY CANT I HAVE THAT?
35THE HOMELESS
THIS IS ALL GREAT, BUT DO YOU REALIZE HOW MANY OF
US ARE ONLY A COUPLE OF PAYCHECKS AWAY FROM BEING
HOMELESS!??!
- NO PRECISE COUNT
- HOW COULD THERE EVER BE?
- EXPERTS GUESS-TI-MATE
- 500,000 ON ANY GIVEN NIGHT
- 1.5 MILLION AT SOME TIME DURING THE COURSE OF THE
YEAR - TYPICAL VICTIM
- FEMALE-HEADED, SINGLE-PARENT FAMILY WITH A COUPLE
OF CHILDREN - CAUSES
- THEY ARE POOR
- LACK OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING UNITS
- ONE-THIRD ARE SUBSTANCE ABUSERS
- ONE-FOURTH SUFFER FROM MENTAL ILLNESSES
36EXPLAINING POVERTY
BASICALLY, ONE HAS TWO CHOICES
- CULTURE OF POVERTY THEORY
- BLAME THE POOR FOR THEIR SITUATION.
- SOCIETY OFFERS CONSIDERABLE OPPORTUNITY TO ANYONE
WHO WANTS TO WORK HARD TO ACHIEVE PERSONAL GAIN. - THOSE WHO ARE POOR SIMPLY ELECT TO BE POOR. THEY
REFUSE TO APPLY THEMSELVES AND ONLY HAVE
THEMSELVES TO BLAME. - STRUCTURAL THEORY OF POVERTY
- SOCIETY IS RESPONSIBLE FOR SETTING UP HOW
RESOURCES ARE DISTRIBUTED AND IS THEREFORE
RESPONSIBLE FOR THE POVERTY IN AMERICA. - LACK OF JOBS, LACK OF HOPE, AND ANOMIC ATTITUDES
ARE JUST PART OF A VERY STRATIFIED ECONOMIC
SYSTEM. - POOR PEOPLE ARE SIMPLY A CONSEQUENCE OF THE
CAPITALISTIC SYSTEM.
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