Question: How much do you think social class matters in the U.S. today?
I think social class is very important in the U.S. today. I cannot say that I agree with these divisions and the stereotypes at accompany them, but they exist and they determine and/or influence almost everything: who your friends are, how you dress, how you talk, the education you obtain, the money you make, the possessions you have, the opportunities you have, and how you are regarded by others.
Our book makes several references to stratification in high school, and I agree that it is highly stratified (though I cannot say I agree it's because teenagers crave power over their lives, I think it is more about trying to formulate one's identity and figure out where one fits into society. I see it more as testing the waters in who one is and where one belongs). Anyway, this stratification, which can be cruel, is infamously illustrated in the movie Mean Girls and the labels, associations, and reputations of each of the groups. These labels can largely determine one's experience.
I think life chances, a term coined by Max Weber signifying the opportunities a person may have for achieving prosperity, also largely determine one's life experience, and are initially created by one's background and their parents' social class. Someone from a wealthy background will have opportunities to go to prestigious private schools, make friends with people who possess similar values, own nice cars, attend upscale colleges, obtain high degrees, make good money, make connections for more opportunities through the well-off people they know, and be regarded with prestige. However, someone from a more modest background might not have these opportunities, or associations for networking. Therefore, social class determines one's upbringing from the get-go. Though class is not thought to be determined at birth like castes in the caste system, R. Couri, a social columnist quoted on the People Like Us website captures the early determinants of class well by saying,
"There's actually a recipe I can tell you for you to become socially acceptable. You have to go to the right preschool. It starts that young."
While class can be achieved and altered through social mobility, it is largely determined by the family and environment one is born into.
As our textbook also describes, vertical mobility, or "the movement up or down a hierarchy of positions in a social stratification system" is determined by educational attainment, family social status, and family background, further illustrating the importance of social capital. The book even shows a picture of the Bush family, the two former presidents and governor, which is a prime example of one's background determining one's opportunities.
While I see value in the the industrialism hypothesis, which theorizes that societies become more open to movement between classes as they become more technologically advanced and people get jobs because of achievement rather than ascription, I still think ascription is a largely determining factor. Wealth, opportunities, connections, and abundance will only help someone continue to succeed, and lack of opportunities, money, and connections won't necessarily prevent one from succeeding, but they can make the path more challenging, or create the need for creative methods of obtainment, such as loans, working different jobs, applying for scholarships, or other creative ways to save money or make connections.
As the People Like Us website demonstrates, class determines interactions. The story of Roberta and Ben's different backgrounds proved to be a conflict in their relationship because their families could not accept, relate, or handle interacting with a person from a different class. Karen's story shows how she feels about associating with different classes and how she preferred the upper-class and the sense of belonging with the privileged and important in-crowd. Charles's story also shows conflict of interaction because his father was a surgeon and has never visited him since he dropped out of medical school and bought a shrimp boat in Louisiana. Val's story also shows strain in relationships since her family, especially her father, shows discomfort and resentment to her wealth.
I think a lot of the strain in interactions stems from people's pride. People care about how others view them and this view greatly depends on who and what a person associates with. People will not associate with someone or something of a different class because it goes against the social norms for their class, and breaking these norms creates discomfort and insecurity.
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