Marxist criticism of American society heavily focuses on the American Dream and the selfish nature of those who are privileged and the marginalization of those who are economically oppressed. For an American to analyze oneself through Marxist critical theory, they must look at their own role within the American class system and how they are affected by ideas such as classism, false consciousness, and rugged individualism. In order to reflect upon my own place within the Marxist model, I need to identify my place within the classes. As I am a college student from a family who owns a home and is relatively financially stable, I would fit into the middle class according to Tyson (pg. 53). I do not fit into the stereotypical upper class as my family cannot afford “two or more expensive homes” (Tyson, 2015, p.53), nor am I in the lower class as my family does not have a fear of becoming homeless. In accordance with this model, I am supposedly resentful of the poor as my class is helping to subsidize their existence. Likewise I am supposedly blinded by the American Dream and blissfully ignorant of the suppression of the lower classes. However, I believe myself to be aware of the realities of the difficulties of social advancement faced by the lower and underclass, and am supportive of …show more content…
For example, classism, according to Tyson, is the equivalence between one’s position in society and their value as a human being in terms of intellect, responsibility, ethics, and other virtues (pg.56). But personally, I do not believe it is righteous to equate class with one’s value as a human. It is possible for one to be a better human while being in a lower class as class is not an indicator of the actions one will take in their lives. Class can be inherited, while ethics and responsibility