Class in America

Any sociologist, anthropologist, psychologist or any other ‘ist’ that asserts the claim that there are no class distinctions in America has not been paying attention to a growing divide and a growing trend in American society that is rapidly turning us into a two class society. In their New York Times article of 15.05.2005, Janny Scot and David Leonhardt assert that the lines that divided classes have become blurry since the end of World War II. Where as the distinctions in class were clearly defined based on occupation, education, religion, and race and certain people fell into certain groups and generally stayed there for life, those distinctions have become less evident as many Americans have become more mobile, better educated, and have been able to move through education, work, and geography from one social class to another. However, for as much as these lines have been blurred America remains one of the most class based societies in the world.

We have become a nation of the ‘haves’ and the ‘have-nots.’ The gap between the two classes is also growing. However, Americans whether they are liberal or conservative, Democrat, Independent, or Republican, Christian or Jewish, East Coast, West Coast, urban or suburban, in their egalitarian want-to-be politically correct socialistic (and not of the communist style) mind set will say, when asked, ‘Oh there are no classes in America.” But class is what drives us. It drives the media, politics, zip code, and lifestyle.

The distinctions that defined the classes have been clearly defined in the media. Reality TV has for modern Americans separated and elevated the top 1- 5% to celebrity status. Prime Time Cable TV shows such as The Real Housewives of New York, Orange County, Atlanta, and now New Jersey have showcased the spending, social, and dramatic (sometimes over dramatic) family lives of these women over a thirteen – week season. Other televisions shows such as The Apprentice franchise, The Bachelor and Bachelorette, showcase the rich and semi famous for the rest of America. Through lavish prizes, parties, and shopping sprees, these programs clearly separate the haves and the have-nots dramatically.

Politically, in all aspects of politics, the divisions between the two classes are evident and are being made more evident by the policies, procedures, and laws that the legislature are enacting. There was a period when any one could run for public office regardless of social standing. If a person had the desire, the skills, and the tenacity to run a political campaign, he or she would be able to launch a campaign, run the race, and win or loose, depending on their communication skills, innovative ideas, and breadth of promises, an election. Now whether it be a local planning board or the highest office in the country a person needs to have a war chest of funds, disposable funds, to run a campaign that needs to have signage, newspaper ads, radio and TV spots and a staff of paid professionals, para-professionals and unpaid volunteers. In order to have a successful or winning campaign, an individual needs to have the disposable, reserved funds available. Simply put, the person who spends the most money, some of which comes from donations but also from the candidate’s own bank accounts, is the person who seemingly wins the election. Politicians have become a group of lawyers and businessmen who are from the top 1-5% of the population who are wealthy and privileged. Professional politicians from this group are and remain out of touch with mainstream or Main Street American society (all one needs to do is look toward the reforms being attempted in American education for an example of the disconnect).

Once in office, these new or veteran politicians are enacting tax laws that protect the rich and tax those not as affluent. The idea that if you make more, you pay more seems to be lost. If you make more you are able to find the loop – holes in the tax laws that allow you to pay less. The fact that 1 – 5% of the population end up with most of the nation’s wealth allows them the luxuries and the opportunities of the best of everything. This wealth, material or otherwise also allows this section of society control and access to the best of everything that society has to offer. It is not difficult to see, particularly in this economic climate how those who can afford to pay for benefits, homes, cars, college educations, and other necessities, wants and needs will continue to do so. The people who suffer in this kind of an economic downturn are those who are and have been struggling in a grim financial and economic market.

These members of our society, the so-called middle-class, often times live paycheck to pay check, struggle with mortgages, auto-loans, school loans and the basic necessities of life. It has often been said, ‘it takes a lot of money to live – to simply exist; and it does. These people are the ones hit hardest by a downturn economy and are the ones who generally lose when the financial, economic, and employment markets suffer. They are forced into a more difficult situation than they are already in often losing the house, the car, the health benefits and other aspects of what makes or is purported to make living in America more egalitarian. Once this happens, the rich get richer while the rest of society gets poorer increasing the gap in this “egalitarian” society.

Finally, zip code and lifestyle seem to drive class differences home in America. Where you live and how you live helps to determine what and who has access to any number of services, cultural activities, and personal safety. There is a growing trend of people moving in and out of the city, some urban environments are becoming havens for crime, gangs, poor housing, poor education, and ambivalent police, fire, and rescue services. (I am excluding cities like New York, Boston, Chicago, or Los Angeles) Smaller urban setting however are suffering from the issues I have just articulated. The people who live in these settings have little or no recourse to relieve themselves from the situations they are in. Often times they are struggling financially, have received sub-par educations, and have ‘go no where – do nothing jobs’ that do help them to break the cycle they are in.

If, however, one has the good fortune to be able to live and work in a place like The Upper East Side of New York (Fifth Avenue on Central Park) or an affluent suburban community many of the issues that less fortunate have to endure, are not part of their experience. These individuals live in larger homes; their children attend well-funded public schools or heavily endowed private schools. They have the connections through work, and social life to meet those who are the best teachers, lawyers, doctors, and health and wellness professionals. They visit the city for cultural or social events, events that others do not have access to because they do not have the capitol to be able to luxuriate themselves in the benefits of a cultured educated circle.

For these reasons and many others, the multi-classed American “egalitarian” society is fast becoming a two class society, one of wealth and privilege and one of poverty and struggle. In a down turn economy where everything is driven or was driven by a strong American dollar the gap between the two classes is widening at a rapid rate. Men and women are losing homes, jobs, securities, entitlement programs, and lifestyles at a rapid rate. The rich are getting richer; the poor are getting poorer. The middle-class is rapidly disappearing. Let no one tell you that there is no class structure in American Society. There most assuredly is and if things do not change it will be extremely difficult for men and women to regain lost wealth and security and the gap will be impossible to cross.

Although the law is well intentioned it has some flaws.  What recommendations would you make to state and federal legislators as they begin the process of improving the law to re-issue NCLB?