Today,
social class is generally thought of as being synonymous with socio-economic
class and is usually divided into three hierarchical categories, upper, middle,
and lower. As other barriers to social advancement such as race, ethnicity, gender,
and religion have fallen by the wayside in our country, wealth has become the
major determinant of social class. Wealth creates a certain lifestyle and
provides opportunities that stratify us into different categories. Homes, cars,
and clothing are society’s most visible way of demonstrating one’s social
class. Less visible, but no less important class divisions are manifested in a
person’s political views, prejudices, and interpersonal relationships with
members of other social classes. In today’s society we are all guilty of making
assumptions about people. When I stop at a stoplight and pull up next to a
Ferrari or a Honda Accord, I make an assumption about the driver’s social class
and often speculate about the driver’s lifestyle and values based on what
they’re driving. I believe most
people can identify where they stand on the spectrum of social class. At New
Trier High School, most people would describe themselves as upper middle class.
However, class is all relative. Our community's poorest are much wealthier than
those of the South Side of Chicago who in turn may be far better off than those
living in third world countries. People may feel they are middle class in one
neighborhood but upper middle class in another. One's standing in society can change
dramatically based on the surrounding socio-economic environment. While there are advantages and
disadvantages to our current class system, here in America opportunities still exist to break through the barriers of class and succeed.
