People in any given society usually form opinions about each. In most cases, these opinions are prejudiced and discriminative. The forming of opinion and categorization of people based on their social and economic status is termed as classism (Kadi 9). Like any other prejudiced and discriminative categorization, the economic and social status is used to alienate individuals ranking them in the society in a certain arbitrary hierarchy.
Classism is a common phenomenon in all societies including those found in developed and developing countries. However, classism is more rampant in developing countries where economic power is wielded by a few individuals in the society leaving a greater majority to wobble in the murky waters of poverty.
Moreover, since economic status for a long time has been used and the yardstick for measuring and demarcating social boundaries, it is the same rich people who are considered to have high social standing in the society. Such people enjoying such privileges as better education system and health care provision services which only serves to elevate them even more.
In any society, there exists a group of individuals oppressed and discriminated against. The prejudice and discrimination is usually directed by a clique of people who may not necessarily be many by number but wield the powers that come with money or social status. Classism is so ingrained in our societies today that even language use between the various classes is different.
Classism runs deep in our societies and can be traced to the origin of our nations. Even in such well developed democracies such as United States of America, classism can be traced to the founding fathers of the nation (Carrier 20). This prejudiced and discriminative apportioning of worth and ability based on these arbitrary reasons has always affected the victims in their daily lives in the same manner it did hundreds of years ago.
Individuals who are considered to be of low social standings in the society have limited access to quality education, transport, health care services and economic empowerment opportunities among others. This is because such services are provided in an auction-style manner where the best services are delivered to highest bidder.
The highest bidder in this case will always be the individuals with fat pockets and hence, high social standings. At the end of the day, members of the low social class will receive the services they ‘deserve’ which is always poor.
This will confine them in their poor class for almost all their generations. That is, classism is a vice which is inherited in a manner similar to the inheritance of traits from parents to offspring. Those who break away from this vicious cycle are few and are comparable to traits arising from gene mutations.
The end result of classism is a polarized society where mistrust and prejudice is the order of the day. Such a society is difficult to govern and hence any viable growth would be a pipe dream. This always works to the advantage of the first class citizens as they will continue with social and economic dominance while the third class citizens will always be poor.
Unluckily, it is the first class citizens who in most cases are the leaders in the society so maintenance of the status quo is always the order of the day. Classism may also lead to wars as the poor may rise against the rich. This will lead to loss of lives and damage to properties and in the process, deepening the division between the two classes.
Works Cited
Carrier, Jerry. The Making of the Slave Class. New York: Algora Publishing, 2010. Print.
Kadi, Joanna. Thinking Class. New York: South End Press, 1996. Print.