The document discusses the realities of class in American society. It argues that while class is rarely acknowledged openly, it has significant impacts, including on health, education, and life outcomes. There are large wealth disparities between the top 1% and the rest of the population. Success and social mobility are influenced more by one's class background than the myth that only hard work is required. Class differences determine many aspects of people's lives from birth until death.

1. Written by: Gregory Mantsios

2.  In American vocabulary, adjectives denoting class are avoided
 “Low class” is replaced with a person’s ethnicity, race, or geographic
location
 “Working class” identifies with a person’s employer or industry
 Class identity has been stripped from popular culture
 We are aware of class distinctions we simply don’t acknowledge
them because it is seen as un-American
 The only two exceptions to this are: Middle Class and “the wealthy”
or “the poor”
 Middle Class is used in politics to attract the broadest
constituency
 “The wealthy” and “the poor” are used as voyeuristic glimpses
into the extremes

3.  Myth #1: The United States is a classless society; class
distinctions are largely irrelevant; regardless of income all
Americans receive the same rights to healthcare and
education
 Myth#2: We are largely a middle class society despite
variations is economic status
 Myth #3: We are all getting richer; as a society Americans
are climbing the economic ladder; the global economy is
bringing most if not all American’s prosperity
 Myth #4: Everyone has an equal chance to succeed; success
in America only relies on hard work, perseverance, and
sacrifice

4.  The wealthiest 1% of American’s own 34% of the national wealth,
or 1/3 of all financial assets
 The wealthiest 20% own 85% of the household wealth
 There are nearly 400 billionaires in the US but it would take the
average American 298 lifetimes to amass $1 billion dollars
 13% or 1/8 of Americans live below the calculated poverty line
 3.5 million (1.4 of which are children) experience homelessness
 From 2003 to 2004 the yearly income for the top 1% increased by
20% while the bottom 80% only averaged and increase of 2.7%
 Between 1979 and 2003 the average income for the top 1%
increased by 111% while the middle fifth only saw an increase of
9% for the same time frame

5.  Reality #1: There is an enormous difference in the
economic standing of Americans; a large amount of
American’s occupy opposite ends of the economic
spectrum
 Reality #2:The middle class of American actually holds
a small share of the wealth of our country and even
that share is steadily decreasing; the gap between the
rich and the poor is greater than ever

6.  37 million people live in never-ending poverty
 However, American poverty is described as the “best dressed” poverty
in the world because it is nearly impossible to distinguish class from
out ward appearance
 Class differences in American dictate:
-where one lives -who their friends are
-how well they are educated -what they do for a living
-what they expect from life
 Class affects both physical and mental health with low class showing
increased rates of:
-infant mortality -arthritis
-diabetes -respiratory disease
-heart disease -eye and ear disease
-physical disability -nutritional deficiency
-mental illness

7.  The higher your class ranking the higher your life
expectancy
 Lower class has:
 Difficulty in finding appropriate housing
 More time spent on daily routine tasks
 A greater percentage of income going to pay for food
 A higher rate of victimization

8.  Reality #3: Even ignoring the extreme poles in the
economic spectrum, we are still faced with extreme
differences in the life-styles of the haves and the have-
nots
 Reality #4: From birth to death, class standing has a
significant impact on an individuals chance of survival

9.  Family income directly correlates to SAT score and
grades
 Students from upper-class families are twice as likely
to obtain training beyond high-school and four times
as likely to obtain a postgraduate degree
 1 in 5 people surpass the economic status of their
parents
 2/3 of people with incomes over $100,000 have
inherited family assets

10.  Reality #5: Class standing has a significant effect on
chances for educational achievement
 Reality #6: All Americans do not have an equal
opportunity to succeed

11.  Class domination is one force behind keeping individuals from
realizing their true potential
 The class system in America is due to its economic system:
capitalism, which promotes private vs public ownership
 Enterprises produce for the owners profits instead of fulfilling
societal needs
 Class divisions arise between those who have corporate control and
those who do not
 Race and gender cause issues as well however most of these
issues cross economical gaps; poverty increases and varies by
gender and race:
-a white male has a 1/12 chance of being impoverished
-black female has 1/3 -Hispanic male has 1/5
 Being female and non-white increases the chances of being
impoverished and having a low class status

12.  Reality #7: Racism and sexism compound the effects of
class in society