Introduction
The debate between the ideas that society is inherently class-based and the notion is a factual truth that cannot be changed vs. the importance of distancing and moving towards a more classless paradigm is becoming more acknowledged. However, while classes are dynamic in their characteristics, they have always been a major part of US history. The debate, however, has taken a turn now that reaching a new class has become harder to do since upward mobility has become less prevalent. Hence, the argument is that a class-based society is inherently unjust based on the current circumstances.
Criteria for Gauging Class
Determining whether a person belongs to a certain class has become more challenging. Authors attribute the phenomenon partly to the more extensive access to luxury goods that can be acquired by people with different income levels, including clothing, cars, and technology (Steinhauer, 2005). However, the concept of class itself has been historically significant, as illustrated in literature and other art forms (Mcgrath, 2005). Currently, there are four distinct criteria that define one’s class, namely, education, income, occupation, and wealth (Scott & Leonhardt, 2005). These are the four pillars that define a person’s place in the social hierarchy.
While the aspects may seem influential in an academic, professional, or political environment, adherence to a class is present in all aspects of life. Thus, the power dynamics in a marriage will highlight the one with wealth being the primary decision-maker (Lewin, 2005). Similarly, a student from a low-income family is less likely to graduate compared to peers from middle and high-income families (Leonhardt, 2005). Disparities occur even in the spiritual realm. Thus, the University of Brown is the institute of choice of 400 Evangelical Christians, while the entire university has a student body of fewer than 6,000 individuals (Goodstein & Kirkpatrick, 2005). As a result, the prevalence of class, which is based on the four aforementioned criteria, creates inequality in various domains and areas of life.
Upward Mobility
The concept of upward mobility highlights an individual’s ability to raise call-wise. According to Domhoff (2021), mobility can also be social such as one that is prevalent for a specific race or gender. There is also evidence that the phenomenon has stopped from a professional standpoint. Thus, a person cannot effectively climb a hierarchy within an organization based on skills alone (Egan, 2005). The American dream is an example of how the concept has diminished. Before, an immigrant was able to acquire benefits and resources much easier than currently (Depalma, 2005). Thus, the US society is not upwardly mobile but stagnant, as illustrated in the difficulties of leaving a class and moving towards a higher one.
Intergenerational Wealth
Intergeneration wealth, namely, resources transferred to beneficiaries, is one of the reasons why intergenerational mobility is stagnant. Namely, wealthy people transit their resources to their heirs, which limits the abilities of innovative and talented people to acquire similar results based on their skills rather than family name (Johnston, 2005). Needless to say, this does not correlate with the idea that new money is better than old money since those acquiring new money often have little understanding of how to adequately invest them (Fabrikant, 2005). The argument is that individuals who have fewer opportunities but, perhaps, more intellectual capabilities are deprived of resources partially because considerable money is inherited rather than earned.
Conclusion
It is certain that the US society is primarily class-based, and those at the bottom have little to no opportunity to climb unless they are exceptional. Such a rigid system limits options and creates more disparities. As a result, the class becomes primordial and defines the whole country as one in which a person’s education level, wealth, occupation, and income dictate most of the aspects of the individual’s potential.
References
Depalma, A. (2005). 15 years on the bottom rung. The New York Times. Web.
Domhoff, G. W. (2021). Concepts, definitions, and power indicators.Who Rules America?, 9–36. Web.
Egan, T. (2005). No degree, and no way back to the Middle. The New York Times. Web.
Fabrikant, G. (2005). Old Nantucket warily meets the new. The New York Times. Web.
Goodstein, L., & Kirkpatrick, D. D. (2005). On a Christian mission to the top. The New York Times. Web.
Johnston, D. C. (2005). Richest are leaving even the rich far behind. The New York Times. Web.
Leonhardt, D. (2005). The college dropout boom. The New York Times. Web.
Lewin, T. (2005). When richer weds poorer, money isn’t the only difference. The New York Times. Web.
Mcgrath, C. (2005). In fiction, a long history of fixation on the social gap. The New York Times. Web.
Scott, J., & Leonhardt, D. (2005). Shadowy lines that still divide. The New York Times. Web.
Steinhauer, J. (2005). When the Joneses wear jeans. The New York Times. Web.