Powerful myths about class - and a reality check video

I thought it would be helpful to reiterate the myths about class that we talked about last week.  These myths or beliefs effect our understanding of class and of our own place in the world.  We use them to evaluate ourselves and each other. 

*Myth #1
The US is a classless society

*Myth #2
We are a meritocarcy, that is,we evaluate people based on their merit and accomplishments

*Myth#3
Anyone who works hard can achieve the American dream.

*Myth#4
What's good for business is good for the rest of us.  [We often see this in reports about the improving stock market.  The message there is that if the market is improving, that benefits everyone.  But who owns stocks?]

*Myth#5
Inequality is natural and necessary

Here's a fun video on the distribution of class.  I had planned to do this in class with ten chairs but we ran out of time.

Income, Wealth and Inequality

It is important that we have some basic knowledge about income and wealth over time.

#1 The Color of Wealth

Which racial group has negative wealth?  and to what degree?

#2 Racial Wealth Gap

White Americans have 22 times more wealth than blacks -- a gap that nearly doubled during the Great Recession.The median household net worth for whites was $110,729 in 2010, versus $4,995 for blacks, according to recently released Census Bureau figures (2012)

#3 Income Gain changes 1979 to 2009

The point with this graph is two fold.  The income gap between middle and low-income households is huge AND this gap in US society has become greater in the past 20 years. 

Popular images of working class people

First Week, January 23, 2013
 

I'm not sure what visuals best represent our topic but here are some contrasting ones. The working class people above are striking to improve their lives.  They have dignity and courage.  Below is another popular image of working class people.  But these particular working people, though they were rich, were not portrayed as having dignity or courage.  The joke in the show was that working people, even those who became rich, were childlike in their view of the world.  They proved unable to adapt to their new situation and this was because they were working people who are not smart at all.



and what does this 'white trash' birthday cake tell us about popular ideas of working class culture and values?