Social Status

Today, many people are classified into separate social statuses by several means: the things they own, the jobs they hold, and the places they live are all factors by which people are divided into social classes.

When you see a person driving a flashy import sports car, you think to yourself " man, that guy must be rich. Someday, I'm going to be able to afford a car like that." The appearance of a person who is successful inspires people to work towards rising above their class and being able to afford all the things that would put them in an upper class. A person owning a flat-screen plasma TV and an antique Persian tapestry are often the owners of a fine place in a higher class while the person owning a TV that's held together with duct tape and a raggedy quilted wall hanging are seen as the bottom bricks in a wall.

Another determining factor in social classification is means of financial income. This essay's author has a philosophy: "If you go to work and your name is on the building, you're rich. If you go to work and your name is on your desk, you're middle class. If you go to work and you're name is on your shirt, you're poor." A person wearing an expensive suit sitting in a leather chair is more likely to be seen at a yacht race than the person wearing overalls and emptying trash cans. The average person is found working at a fast food counter or at a supermarket check out while an upper-classman is seen as a lawyer or a doctor .

What would you say about a person living in a trailor park? Poor, dirty, lazy slobs. That is only said because we are in a completely different class. What are they saying about us? Over-privileged, stuck-up, do nothings. The stereotype of a high class person living in a big 3-story house with a big pool is found more and more each day.