My last blog post did not really capture everything I wanted to say or everything I wanted to ponder on social classes in America for that matter. For instance, I wanted to think about how people from different social classes interact, or if being from different social classes has any bearing on their interaction.
To the article I am referencing, I will put a link to it in the bottom of this article. But another breakdown of classes shows that %19 of people are upper class, 52% of people are middle class, and 29% of people are lower class.
Now, what follows is just an extrapolation and not meant to be offensive in any way in the slightest. But taking into account how class is such a touchy topic in the United States, some people are bound to get offended, and that's okay. It's good to hear other perspectives in cases when you agree with them or don't because that could make you question or reaffirm your own stance. And, after all, this is all just a thought, so no worries whether this is true or not.
First of all, I question whether the classes, taken from the apparent three tiers of society, have any manifestation in real, day-to-day life. That is to say, whether you can tell someone is upper class based on the way they act with people of the upper, middle, and lower classes. One could assume that people from the upper class will regard other people from the upper class as equals. They must make business deals with a high level of respect for the other person. Deals may be made to be equally beneficial, using both of the persons contacts or skills to optimize outcomes. The deals would be made to ensure that both parties benefit a fair amount asset-wise. The people making the deal might invite the other to their house where they would be treated as an esteemed guest, served by the butler or cook, and made to feel worthy of all the attention.
Upper class and middle class people have a different level of interaction when it comes to business dealings. Upper class people may feel like middle class people are at their service. They have the funds and power to hold a paycheck over the middle class individuals head. Upperclassmen won't see the middle class person as totally subservient to them though. They understand that middle class people have a fair amount of power in relation to the other middle class people and especially people from the lower class. If upper class people are the boss, middle class people are the location manager, and lower class people are the worker. Upper class people give the middle class a fair amount of instruction, but also have the respect and the trust to count on middle class people to manage the lower class workers as they see fit. Upper class people will give general instructions to the middle class people in terms of guidelines for how things should be run, but they rely on the middle class person's judgment to carry out the orders as the middle class sees fit.
Upper class people have a completely different relationship with lower class people than they do with middle class people. Sadly to say, a great deal of respect is gone. The upper class don't feel bad about barking orders at the lower class, and the expectation is that the lower class carry out some routine or manual task, most of the time with their hands. The lower class is seen to be a machine. In fact, in some years, many of their jobs may be replaced by machines. But that doesn't stop the upper class from expecting them to do things perfectly, for fear that a slip up in delivering change at the cash register, for instance, could cost the business money. I feel like a great deal of the human element is gone when upper class people interact with lower class people. When asked whether they would like to be treated like that way, some upper class people would say, "Well, no, but I'm not them." They play up their privilege and think it is just.
Middle class people, on the other hand, have a great deal of sympathy for lower class people, maybe because they interact with them on a daily basis, or because they were in their position at one time to start.
This is all just a preliminary look at class with regard to some stereotypical emotions. Please let me know if you agree or if there are some details you would like to add or possibly something general missing.
Thank you so much for reading, please check in with us again soon, and leave a comment letting us know what you think.
Lautio
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/09/21/how-much-money-the-american-middle-class-earns.html
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