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The Pros And Cons Of America's Social Classes

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In the United States of America, even from a young age, we are defined by the social class we are born into. Social class is something that is most often determined by a household’s wealth or income. Due to this, our social class can frequently affect our lives in positive or negative ways. America is commonly known to have three major social classes: the upper class, the middle class, and the lower class. While around half of the US population consists of the middle class, only a small percentage of citizens make up the upper class. The remaining amount is considered the lower class, which is often deemed the hardest to move up from. Despite America’s fondness for the idea of the “American Dream”, social mobility can be incredibly difficult to achieve for a large majority of people. In this essay, I will further discuss the pros and cons of America's social classes though the ways the middle and upper classes …show more content…

Despite the discrimination the lower class experience, they are undeniably the backbone of this country. I showcased this in my essay through discussing how our social class can determine the benefits we receive, the generational problems of the lower class, and how it influences society’s opinions on us as individuals. Overall, I am immensely grateful for the opportunities that growing up as a middle class individual has provided. There is plenty of privilege I was able to experience as a reflection of my parents. Regardless, I strongly believe that this system of class creates a great amount of harm at the same time. I highly doubt it’s escapable in this day and age, but I hope there comes a day where it doesn’t define us nearly as much. More importantly, hopefully with time, people can learn to see beyond social class and truly appreciate those around them for who they are. At the end of the day, we are nothing more than

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All Americans don’t have an equal opportunity to succeed; inheritance laws provide built in privileges to the offspring of the wealthy, which just adds to the likelihood of their success (Colombo 392). In Gregory Mantsios article “Class in America,” he states that the social class you are in affects how you will succeed in school, relating to test scores and the level of schooling that you receive; thus determining how the rest of your life will turn out. He highlights many other beliefs that are broadly held about social classes and rebuts them using statistical evidence. Mantsios believes that the class a person resides in will determine their future more than he or she is willing to admit. Mantsios communicates that social class is prevalent in America, however I believe that it doesn’t determine a person’s fate.

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The American dream is a dream of a land in which one can prosper with ambition and hard work. This idea has created many illusions for some because in reality the American dream is proven to be something that is rarely achieved. No individual is guaranteed success or destined for failure, but it is apparent that women, people of color, and those born into poverty will face greater obstacles than others, despite being a greater part of the American population. An author that tackles the issue of class in the United States is Gregory Mantsios. In his essay, “Class in America-2009”, Mantsios aims to prove that class affects people’s lives in drastic ways.

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The lower social class goes through many life challenges

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The lower-class is seen as the class that is struggling financially. They are the “blue collars” and “low wage workers” and people who work for other people. They are the social class with little to no college education. They are seen as the ones who rent properties and with little to no savings. They are seen as the social class that abuses of the welfare system.

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There is lower, middle, and upper class, but there are also subcategories that fill the gaps in between, like the impoverished and the top one percenters. “Class in America”, written by Gregory Mantsios, addresses the myths and realities about socioeconomic class in America and how they affect American lives. His article highlights the unequal divide that has persisted over the course of history and will continue to manifest in the future. To introduce the existence of this issue, Mantsios states that this country’s citizens “don’t like to talk about class...or class privileges, or class oppression, or the class nature of society” (Mantsios 378). This is the case in America today because people are neglecting to acknowledge the existence of these elusive

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