Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Senior Seminar
Social Class
December 3, 2018
Social class divides humanity by success and region; it is normally judged by the money
a person makes and their living conditions. These classes change the way people speak and act
around each other. It separates people into groups with stereotypes, and can have negative effects
on boths sides of the spectrum. Like most, I am part of the middle classes and was lucky enough
to be born into it. If I were born into a poverty class, I would have less opportunities and options
for my life. Humans are constantly comparing others’ lives to their own which creates these
placements in society.
There are two extreme sides to social class: poverty and the rich 1%. The lowest/lower
classes normally have limited education and find struggle covering all their needs. Sometimes
the poorest people will be homeless and need to use free, public benefits; and they seem to have
disrupted lives. However, most of the time even those outside of poverty will have little control
over their job/labor. Their class can also affect their children, “that inequality of income for one
generation may mean inequality of opportunity for the next” (Greenstone). Class is changeable,
but it is difficult. The lower classes also show more religious lives than other classes. These
citizens can be the nicest or the cruelest people you ever meet. This is due to the fact they are
anymore. These people have much more money than they need and that amount only grows with
every successful generation. The higher classes normally have people who have 4+ years of
college education, and are employed with power. This is commonly seen in English-speaking
countries, especially Britain, “even more of the top 1% work in finance in Britain than in
America” (“Who”). The distribution of money to these higher classes is even more unfair than
the average person thinks. We are also very far from what the average person thinks is the
“ideal” distribution. The rich 1% actually has more wealth than the “ideal” wealth of the top
20%, and meanwhile the bottom 40% barely has any money. By distributing more of this money
equally, people in the lower classes could reach their full potential.
Like most, I am part of the middle class because I was born into it, and I hope to continue
to be a part of this class in the future. I will need to work on being more socially mobile and
connected. I’m stressed about needed to be responsible for my own money and social class. My
parents always provided what I need, but they also seemed stressed. My class gives me the
opportunities to succeed, but ultimately it will be my work that determines my future class.
Social class affects what a person can receive (treatment, taxes, financial aid, etc.) and
will ultimately affect what they can accomplish. This inequality of money distribution causes
great minds to go unnoticed, and give others an unnecessary advantage in life. This distribution
needs to be disrupted otherwise, as the phrase says, “the rich will get richer”. The “ideal”
distribution is a far goal now, but with time better classes will form. It is up to the upper class to
let go of some of that unneeded income, or all other classes suffer. However, most need to
change their attitude around giving which keeps them from helping others.
Citations
Greenstone, Michael, et al. “Thirteen Economic Facts about Social Mobility and the Role of
www.brookings.edu/research/thirteen-economic-facts-about-social-mobility-and-the-role-
of-education/.
“Who Exactly Are the 1%?” The Economist, The Economist Newspaper, 21 Jan. 2012,
www.economist.com/united-states/2012/01/21/who-exactly-are-the-1.