HOW BIG IS YOUR PIECE OF THE AMERICAN DREAM CHANCES ARE, YOU WILL NOT SEE A POT OF GOLD'

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HOW BIG IS YOUR PIECE OF THE AMERICAN
DREAM?CHANCES ARE, YOU WILL NOT SEE A POT OF
GOLD.
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SOCIAL STRATIFICATION

• A SYSTEM BY WHICH A SOCIETY RANKS CATEGORIES OF
  PEOPLE IN A HIERARCHY

WHILE THE TRAGIC CONSEQUENCES OF THE TITANTIC
ARE WELL DOCUMENTED, THE MODERN DAY IMPACT OF
SOCIAL CLASS OFTEN GOES UNRECOGNIZED. HOW CAN A
PERSONS SOCIAL CLASS IMPACT HIS OR HER LIFE
THESE DAYS?
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THE BASIC PRINCIPLES

• 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

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SOCIAL STRATIFICATION BASED ON ASCRIPTION
HISSS, AND THE PAY STINKS!

• BIRTH DETERMINES SOCIAL POSITION
• OCCUPATIONS
• ENDOGAMY IS PRACTICED
• SOCIAL LIFE IS RESTRICTED
• BELIEF SYSTEMS ARE OFTEN TIED TO RELIGIOUS DOGMA
• LACK OF MOBILITY

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THE AMERICAN CLASS SYSTEM OF STRATIFICATION
A SYSTEM BASED ON INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT, NOT
ASCRIPTION
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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

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STRUCTURAL-FUNCTIONALISM

• 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?

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SOCIAL CONFLICT
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

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MARX 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

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• 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

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• WEALTH STILL REMAINS HIGHLY CONCENTRATED IN THE
  UPPER CLASS
• WHITE-COLLAR JOBS OFFER LITTLE TO WORKERS
• PROGRESS REQUIRES STRUGGLE
• THE LAW STILL FAVORS THE RICH

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S.E.S. IS MAX WEBERS IDEA AND OFFERS A
MULTIDIMENSIONAL LOOK AT STATUS DIFFERENCES

• COMPLEX INTERPLAY BETWEEN
• CLASS (ECONOMIC INEQUALITY)
• STATUS (SOCIAL PRESTIGE)
• POWER (ABILITY TO CONTROL)
• S.E.S. AND LOW STATUS CONSISTENCY
• IN AMERICA, IT IS IMPORTANT TO CONSIDER HOW
  SITUATIONS IMPACT UPON A PERSONS S.E.S.
• SOCIAL CONFLICT CAN THUS BE VIEWED AS MORE
  COMPLEX
• NOT JUST BETWEEN TWO MAJOR SOCIAL CLASSES

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