Class in America- 2006

Class In America - 2006

By Gregory Mantsios        

   As a child I was always taught that it is rude to ask or talk about money. As I have grown to an adult I find that people rarely talk about money or class because it is an awkward and uncomfortable subject to talk about.  Class is part of daily life, whether you are sitting on an airplane or booking a hotel your choices depend on your class. Gregory Mantsios mentions a good point that I strongly agree with; people refer more often to middle class than anything else. It is much more likely for people to refer to the middle class because it is something that wont offend people or cause conflicts.  The truth is that “the middle class in the United States holds a very small share of the nation’s wealth.” (Mantsios, 150) The fact the the middle class is the easiest and most often class mentioned in discussion yet the smallest share of the nation’s wealth proves the discussion of class is one that is uncomfortable to talk about.

        I think the biggest problem in the nation is that there is becoming a larger and larger gap between the rich and the poor every year. The middle class is declining which means that the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer.  One of the facts that stunned me was how prevalent the upper class is in compare to the nation’s wealth. “The wealthiest 1 percent of the American population holds 34 percent of the total national wealth.” (149) I may be easier to say middle class than lower or upper class however if the economy continues to develop the way that is is there may be only the two extremes and no middle class at all!