The U.S. Should Stop Turning a
Blind Eye to Social Class

“It is impossible to understand people's behavior... without the concept of social stratification, because class position has a pervasive influence on almost everything... the clothes we wear... the television shows we watch... the colors we paint our homes in and the names we give our pets... Our position in the social hierarchy affects our health, happiness, and even how long we will live. ”

—William Thompson, Joseph Hickey, Society in Focus, 2005

Calling what’s happening – and has been happening – in the United States a “caste system” may be stretching it.

Officially, a caste system like the one in India is based on the Hindu religion. It is a system for dividing people into social class units. In India today there are four main classes: Brahmanas (scholars and priests), Kshastriyas (soldier warriors), Vaishyas (merchants and artisans), and Shudras (workers).

But there is little doubt the United States has split itself into at least four distinctive social classes since the end of World War II. Each decade sees these classes strengthened – and migration out of them made even more arduous.

The U.S. doesn’t stress family and history as much as India and other cultures, as we’re more focused on wealth and influence. Here’s how DaRK PaRTY identifies the four unofficial castes in the U.S.

Royal Line (Elite): This is the class of leisure wealth and all-star status. It’s where our CEOs, professional athletes, Hollywood actors, mainstream musicians, congressmen and senators reside. These are the people the rest of us write about, read about, watch on TV, and emulate in fashion and culture.

MacWealthy (Privileged): This is the class of well-educated professionals. These are where the lawyers, doctors, scientists, technologists, and consultants come from. These are the high-level business people who live in the MacMansions in our teaming suburbs.

White Fence (Middle): The unique thing about the United States is our ability to delude ourselves. This is the class where the workers reside and all of them think they are in the middle class – no matter what they’re income level. This is where janitors, clerical workers, fire fighters, construction workers, craftsmen, retail salespeople, waitresses, line cooks, and garbage men fall.

Forgotten (Poor): The unemployed, drop-outs, illegal immigrants, and those who live below and around the poverty line reside here.

Other economists and sociologists divide U.S. social classes into at least two divisions and as many of 12. But no matter how you make the split, the dividing line between the privileged and the middle has gotten wide and deep.

Not convinced that the U.S. does, in fact, support a vibrant class system? The evidence is hard to ignore.

Here are the average household incomes for our classes: Royalty ($250,000 plus); MacWealthy ($77,500 to $250,000); White Fences ($30,000 to $77,500); and the Forgotten ($0 to $22,500).

Education obviously plays into the structure of the U.S. caste (with the exception of the Royal Line due to the influx of pro athletes, rock musicians, and actors). But the MacWealthy generally have at least a four-year degree from college while the White Fences are mostly high school graduates and above. The Forgotten generally don’t even have high school degrees.

The caste system in the U.S. is enabled by a public education system that is broken. On time graduation rates in U.S. cities is abysmal. In Indianapolis only 31 percent of the high school students graduate after four years, in Detroit it is 25 percent. The numbers are so bad in most urban school systems that the U.S. Secretary of Education recently announced a mandatory federal standard – for calculating drop-out rates.

More evidence: poverty is increasing in the U.S. even as our taste for luxury grows. According to TIME Magazine, in 2008, the U.S. government projects that 28 million people will require food stamps (the most since the mid-1960s). In Michigan this year, one out of every eight people will be using food stamps.

Yet the taste for gourmet food in the U.S. has skyrocketed. Gourmet food sales increased 17 percent in the last two years. So if you need a liter of olive oil for $182 or a small bottle of balsamic vinegar for $145 – you can buy it at places like Gourmet Garage.

“In a world where people pay $4 a day for a Starbucks coffee, an expensive butter doesn’t seem that extravagant,” Andy Aron, CEO of Gourmet Garage, told TIME Magazine.

We’re living in an era when it’s common to see beggars lining up at stop lights with signs asking for change and where luxury hotels have added positions with names like Pet Concierge, Soap Steward, Running Companion and Fireplace Butler (patrons can choose different scented woods from a menu).

But perhaps our greatest problem with class in the U.S. is our inability to admit it exists and our refusal to talk about it. So how are we going to be able to fix it if we refuse to acknowledge that there’s a major difference beyond just salary among CEOs making upwards of $100 million in compensation each year and line cooks at MacDonald’s toiling away for $7 an hour?

The Royalty and MacWealthy get better healthcare, better education, access to power brokers, treated better by police and government agencies, more financial incentives from banks and lenders, and, of course, better tickets to sporting events. They even get better tax breaks and get to sit on the sidelines during warfare.

The U.S. is a land of opportunity – for some. It’s a struggle for many others. It’s time to admit it.

Read our recommendations on fixing public education in the U.S.

Read about why we mow our own lawn

Labels: Education, Essay, Politics, Social Class

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