The document discusses class in America and argues against common myths. It notes that the wealthiest 1% own 34% of total wealth and the richest 20% own 85% of household wealth, showing sharp differences. In contrast, 13% of Americans live below the poverty line, including 1.4 million homeless children each year. It concludes that with such extremes, the US cannot be considered classless and that class has a significant impact on life chances from education to survival.

1. CLASS IN AMERICA
By Alyssa Baker

2. WHAT IS CLASS?
 Many people think discussing class in America is unacceptable
 It is acceptable to talk about “middle class” Americans because it
is such a broad spectrum
 Low suggestion of conflict when discussing middle class
 Low class & high class are rarely talked about, except when
referred to as “rich or poor”
 Life on the street vs. a look inside the rich and glamorous

3. 4 MYTHS OF CLASS IN THE
US
 1. The US is a classless society. Rich or poor we are all equal in the
eyes of the law
 2. We are a middle class nation. Most people have risen up and
have achieved affluence of some kind.
 3. We are all getting richer, steadily moving up the economic
ladder.
 4. Everyone has an equal chance to succeed.

4. “Are there significant class differences among
Americans? Do these differences have a significant
impact on the way we live? Does everyone in the US
have an opportunity to succeed?”
• -Class in America

5. THE ECONOMIC
SPECTRUM: THE
WEALTHIEST
 The wealthiest 1% of americans own 34% of total national wealth
 They also own over 1/3 of all consumer durables and financial
assets
 The richest 20% of Americans hold nearly 85% of the total
household wealth in the country
 There are nearly 400 billionaries in the US today

6. ECONOMIC SPECTRUM:
POVERTY AND DESPAIR
 13$ of the American population, nearly 1 in 8 people, live below
the official poverty line ($10,590 for an individual and $21,203 for a
family of four)
 An estimated 1.4 million of these people are childreen and
experience homelessness in any given year.

7. “The contrast between rich and poor is
sharp, and with nearly one-thrid of the
American population living at one extreme
or the other, it is difficult to argue that we
live in a classless society.” –class in America

8. 7 REALITIES
 1. there are enormous differences in the economic standing of
American citizens
 2. The middle class in the US holds a very small share of the
nations wealth and that share is declining steadily. The gap between
the rich and poor is larger than ever.
 3. There are enormous class differences in the life-styles among
the haves, the have-nots, and the have-littles

9. REALITIES (CONT…)
 4. from cradle to grave, class standing has a significant impact on our chances
for survival.
 5. Class standing has a significant impact on chances for educational
achievement.
 6. All Americans do not have an equal opportunity to succeed. Inheritance laws
ensure a greater likelihood of success for the offspring of the wealthy.
 7. Racism and sexism significantly compound the effects of class in society.

10. QUESTIONS
 1. How has class affected your life? Do you think would be a
different person if you would have been born into a different class?
 Do you believe what this study suggests? That class plays a major
role in the course of your life from birth? Why?

11. CITATION
 rothenberg, P. S. (2009). Race, class, and gender in the united states. (8th
ed., pp. 177-191).