Class in America--2003

No, I don’t believe that the essay makes a case that the wealthy are exploiting the poor. This essay focused more on recognizing class distinctions, and that we hold a set of beliefs that obscure the reality of class differences. However, the rich are impervious to the notion of what a poor class has to face everyday. Gregory Mantsios had discussed a study that was completed by Susan Ostrander. She had asked some upper class people if they considered themselves part of the upper class. The two people mentioned that they hate the term upper class, and would rather be considered fortunate. Although neither end of the economic spectrum necessarily like the word “class.” Gregory Mantsios talked about the idea that anyone can make it America, but not everyone achieves that dream, and the upper class especially are unaware of what the poor class has to go through. Because of the unawareness of the upper class, it is hard for each class to exploit one another.

Gregory Mantsios doesn’t exploit one group over another in his data. Rather, he shows the difference between the two social classes. He gives examples of profiles of people that are in different class positions to show the spectrum of how each class lives. In some way this data is used to appeal to our emotion helping us understand how a lower class lives.