Summary Of Who Rules America The Corporate Community And The Upper Class By Domhoff

The reading that caught my eye was “Who Rules America? The Corporate Community and the Upper Class” by G. William Domhoff. Domhoff wanted to argue that the upper class was not just one intertwining unit, but that the upper class also contains power by controlling economic and political decisions regarding our country. To gain better insight on his argument, Domhoff collected various types of data from reliable people on how the upper class go about their lives, and how their lives can directly and indirectly affect America. Domhoff started by talking about social class in general in America. He found that “Americans tend to deny that social classes are based in wealth and occupational roles but then belie that denial through a fascination

These areas consisted of power and how to prepare for it, social clubs, the debutante season, and marriages. Although three of these only contain minor differences from other social classes, the upper class benefits greatly from them. These differences can be anywhere from how extravagant a wedding and its reception are, to having a special ceremony for transitioning into adulthood, or owning a membership to a prestigious country club, simply by having a high income and being a part of the upper class. They may be minor at first glance, but these can shape relationships with political figures and high-ranking business professionals. Then there’s power, the most influential thing an upper-class citizen can have possess. Upper class citizens prepare for future power by going through top of the world schooling, like boarding schools as teens, with others that are going to succeed just as much as them. After graduating from college, which is most likely going to be an Ivy league school, they are fully prepared to handle the power they are going to receive in the coming years. This power can influence many things like future politicians they may meet and even the economy and how the market is going to

In his terms, he defined socioeconomic status by how much money someone earns annually, how far they took their education, and the type of work they do for a living. This concept shows how society ranks an individual, based upon the type of success they have had. In modern day society, someone who has a high socioeconomic status would be an individual who most likely makes more than $250,000 yearly as a business owner, a CEO of a business, or is a doctor in the medical field. This person would also have a masters or doctorate degree from a well-known university. Whereas someone who has a low socioeconomic status would most likely be an individual who lives at or below the poverty line by working in a profession that does not pay well, but must be filled to help society function, and either have a high school diploma or never finished high