Introduction

The society has always been characterized by social classes which have resulted in the pursuit of individuals to move higher the social hierarchy. The reading by Jennifer Steinhauer discusses abilities of individuals to acquire fancy property through reduced prices and credit facilities making it difficult to differentiate between various social classes based on material possession. The Secret Fears of the Super-Rich is a reading that demonstrates that even though many people desire to be in the highest social class, being wealthy does not mean fulfillment and satisfaction in life. Janny Scott and David Leonhardt are authors of the reading that explains further the concept of social class from the perspective of mobility and distinctions in the social classes that are based on services and not the property individuals own. These three readings have been analyzed with comparisons of their approach to the concept of social class as a way of supplementing personal thoughts on this issue.

The world normally judges an individual on the basis of what he or she owns. It is common for rich people to be treated with more respect and appreciation in the society. In When Joneses Wear Jeans, Jennifer Steinhauer, the author presents situations where current trends are limiting ability to differentiate social statuses. This has been made possible with the rising incomes and easy availability of credit which accords many a chance of driving a classy car and wearing fancy clothes. The author of this reading shows how rich people use their money to isolate themselves from the masses through purchase of personal services and having exclusive experiences. According to this author, goods have always been a way of measuring the wealth of an individual but modernity has brought with it many kinds of identities giving people a chance of choosing who they want to be and the kind of lifestyle they want. In addition, the aspect of people getting credit from financial institutions and the fall of prices has made even those who are not wealthy to acquire the luxuries of life, (Steinhauer, 2005). The business world is characterized by heated competition and goods and services are now being advertised by marketers to meet the new trends and changes in tastes. The modern society is also characterized by status symbols such as such as lavish homes in neighborhoods that are insulated from the masses.

It is human nature to love money because of the many things made possible through riches. It is not uncommon for a person to feel that he would be happier if he had more money. The question that rises out of this view is whether being rich is equivalent to happiness. Graeme Wood in The Secret Fears of the Super-Rich tries to answer the question of whether great wealth brings fulfillment in human life. The author presents studies done to answer questions related to wealth and fulfillment such as the study by Boston College which shows that the wealthy have a sense of isolation and worry about love, work and their children. Such studies show that great wealth does not bring fulfillment. The author argues that the wealthy worry about money more than the poor in terms of fears of loosing it and worries on investment and the related implications. The author further describes the importance of work in human fulfillment saying that the rich who have enough and do not have to work fail to enjoy the fulfillment and satisfaction that work gives a person, (Wood, 2011).

The Shadowy Lines that Still Divide is the third reading by Janny Scott and David Leonhardt that I chose to analyze. These authors present concepts of class in society and the extent to which they are understood. Class used to be understood in terms of religious affiliation, cars and the cruise ships people owned or travelled in. The reading further reveals that the modern world is characterized by social diversity and it is becoming difficult to differentiate people in terms of what they own. The authors also discuss the concept of mobility which lies in the heart of the American dream. According to the authors mobility seems to have stagnated and the American ideal of moving to higher social status is being represented by the traits children acquire from their parents, academic growth and diversity in lifestyles and not just being wealthy, (Scott & Leonhardt, 2005).

As the authors of the reviewed readings have presented the concepts surrounding social classes, it is apparent that there is an agreement on the race of human beings towards a perceived state of fulfillment and satisfaction. Jennifer’s reading argues that the differentiation between the wealthy and the ordinary person is becoming hard to determine. This is untrue to some extent because a person cannot be able to pretend to be wealthy for a long time. Scott and David in The Shadowy Lines that Still Divide also say that it is difficult to differentiate between the wealthy and the ordinary based on material things but there are gaps that are widening among these two categories. This is true because there are gaps between the associates of a wealthy and an ordinary person. Even the places where rich people spend their leisure time cannot be the same with those of ordinary people. According to Scott and David, the upper middle class Americans have a longer life expectancy as compared to the middle class Americans. This is true based on the fact that the wealthy have access to better health facilities and services as compared to lower class Americans.

There are many ways that can be used to asses the social status of an individual apart from the car he or she is driving. Social indicators could be education level, confidence, personal relations, communication and even the level of authority exhibited by a person. Jennifer does not evaluate other aspects that differentiate social classes but views differences in terms of ability to possess fancy goods, a feature that is currently diminishing. On the other hand, Scott and David explore the widening gap between the wealthy and the ordinary Americans in terms of the services they are able to afford such as superior lifestyles and isolated neighborhoods. The Shadowy Lines that Still Divide is a reading that presents the reality of social life. Though the appearance of people in terms of dress and cars may not differentiate social classes, there are services that the wealthy enjoy that ordinary people do not. Such services have been illustrated by Jennifer as the status symbols and they include expensive private dinners, lavish homes and high-quality health care.

Many people will certainly prefer to be wealthy regardless of whether it would make them happy or not. It is common to view the advantages of being wealthy as outweighing the disadvantages. Graeme Wood brings a concept that makes readers ask themselves whether it is worthy it to become wealthy. The author tries to portray the rich as being miserable.  The ideas of this author would be termed as personal opinions because it can also be argued that even the poor have their own frustrations. There are problems associated with every social class. This author argues that happiness is not guaranteed by being rich but this cannot be a basis for not aiming to move higher in the social hierarchy because failure to meet basic needs is more stressful that most things. According to Graeme Wood’s reading, the wealthy worry more about money than the poor. It can be argued in return that in the same scale the wealthy worry about investment, the poor also worry about getting money to pay rent and buy food. Lack of fulfillment should be attributed to the personal attitude of an individual and perception towards life and not the financial ability of that person.

The ideas of wealth and social class presented by Scott and David are more convincing because these authors evaluate both the diminishing differences in social class in terms of property and the gaps in the services enjoyed by various social classes. It is true that academic success is linked closely with social class because it is through education that people get good jobs that act as a ladder into a higher social status. As the reading by Scott and David illustrates, some individuals inherit wealth from their relatives and friends, but wealthy acquired by one’s own hard work is more gratifying. Graeme Wood also explains the importance of career achievement. According to this author, careers are increasingly acting as a standard yardstick by which most people measure success. From these readings it is true to argue that wealth acquired through hard work is satisfying and appreciated compared to inherited wealth that is often wasted.  The ideals of work are also common in religious discussions which emphasize that work is important in human life and growth. Examples of millionaires in the modern world who work very hard as CEOs in their own companies show how fulfilling work can be.

Wealthy people spend a lot of money on services that would have been much cheaper in other places. Jennifer shows that marketers have identified the needs of the various classes of people and are providing specialized services and goods depending on the preferences and needs of these consumers. This is a move by service providers that is commonly observed in societies to create ideal services that target specific groups of people depending on their ability to afford them. On televisions, advertisements that target the upper middle class are commonly presented with graphic exaggerations. Some members of the lower social class also desire the advertised products and services making them seek credit facilities to enable them enjoy the luxuries of specialized goods and services. The most important virtue of human living should be honesty. It is meaningless for people to pretend to be wealthy when they have financial burdens in terms of loans and debts.

The issue of taxation has created controversies in many societies. Some people believe that the wealthy should be taxed at a higher rate than ordinary individuals. Many states tax people according to their earnings regardless of their social class. The concept of taxation has been in existence for a long time because it is also discussed in religious books as a responsibility of the people to the state. From the readings and through concepts related to social status, it is evident that mobility to a higher social class also comes with more demands. This would be used to justify taxation by states that is based on people paying taxes which parallels their earnings. This is because rich people also work and spend more to maintain their status in the same way individuals in the lower classes of society work and spend to meet the demands that are characteristic of their social status.

Conclusion

Three readings by Jennifer, Wood, Scott and David that discuss issues related to social classes have been analyzed in this essay. An evaluation of the concepts presented by these authors such as status symbols, human fulfillment, gaps between social classes, American ideals and mobility have also been discussed in this paper in relation to personal thoughts and comparisons with other readings on human social interaction.

REFERENCES

Steinhauer, J. (2005), When the Joneses Wear Jeans, New York Times, May 29, 2005 (Online,

Class Matters Series)

Scott, J. & Leonhardt, D. (2005), Shadowy Lines that Still Divide, New York Times, May 15,

2005 Article 1 of the Class Matters series (Online)

Wood, G. (2011), The Secret Fears of the Super Rich, The Atlantic, April 2011 (Online)

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