美国梦

Middle Class Facts
Q. What % of Americans?
– 43%
Q. Extent of wealth?
– – – Some Ownership—own home Income—mid to high income
– Engineer, $58,000 – Teacher, $34,000 – ALC Professor, ??
Corporate Class Facts
Q. What % of Americans?
– 0.5%
Q. Extent of wealth?
– – – – A lot, but not as much as the upper class Usually not major owners of companies median CEO salary $10.8 million President of the U.S. $400,000 (why do it then??)
Social Classes
The hierarchical distinctions between individuals or groups in societies.
Social Stratification
The study of systematic inequality between groups of people
Social Mobility
• The movement of families up and down the economic ladder • 40% of incomes stayed at about the same level; 60% moved up or down. • Only 37 of America’s 400 wealthiest inherited their money from their family.
Upper Class Facts
Q. What % of Americans belong to the upper class?
– 0.5%
Q. Extent of wealth?
– – Top 1% owns more than one third of ALL net worth in the U.S. 50% U.S. stocks, 60% bonds; corporations, property, inheritances; income mostly from investments not employment
Q. Source of power?
– Limited within context of occupation Some more than others, White collar job
THE AMERICAN DREAM
The Role of Social Class in the ―Pursuit of Happiness‖
AMERICAN DREAM
• Land of Opportunity • Rags to Riches—Anyone can become rich, famous, powerful. • Jobs and education available to all who want them. • Meritocracy (rewards)=skill + effort. • Through hard work, courage and determination one can achieve prosperity. Americans can live better than their parents did.
―We hold these truths to be selfevident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the PURSUIT of Happiness‖
What are the key features of social class?
• WEALTH
– Valued possessions : cash, land, buildings, property – Income : money from employment, shares etc. – Tends to be intergenerational
• POWER
– Ability to carry out one’s will, even if opposed by others – Who has power???
• PRESTIGE
– Respect given to people with valued positions or resources
Q. Source of power?
– – Ownership of resources - money makes money Economic power and political power intertwined
Q. Source oΒιβλιοθήκη Baidu prestige?
– family name & resources (old: Rockefeller, Carnegie, Walton, Getty; new: Gates)
Q. Source of power?
– Heads of companies, government
Q. Source of prestige?
– Position of influence
Middle Class
The Cosby Show America’s first black middle class TV family