Verified Document

Social Stratification Transcending Class In Essay

In society, there are examples of people who have been able to transcend their class. For example, basketball stars like Michael Jordan and Isiah Thomas were able to ascend from abject poverty to extreme wealth through their athletic achievements. However, despite their wealth one can reasonably raise the question of whether these individuals were ever able to transcend their class. Indeed, "transcendence" implies that one has completely dissociated himself from his prior class, and this is unlikely or perhaps even impossible. The very fact that people constantly laud how Michael Jordan has gone from "rags to riches" exemplifies how one can never shed their original class identity. In this regard, the question of whether one can transcend their class depends in large part on the specific definition of transcendence, class status, and the attributes of the constituent classes.

Invariably, if one wishes to transcend class, they must adopt the values of the dominant class. Unfortunately, this typically involves...

Although someone can become wealthier, they cannot shed the vestiges of their initial class status. Ultimately, while it is possible in the United States for one to transcend one's class, this does not make the U.S. significantly more progressive than India. In both cultures, the dominant culture cannot be overthrown, and the rare few who are able to ascend the class ladder do so only through submitting to the dominant class. However, they are the exceptions who prove the rule and even these individuals never shed the vestiges of their class and to this extent, class status can never be transcended.
References

Berreman, G.D. (1960, September). Caste in India and the United States. The American Journal of Sociology, 66(2), 120-127.

Kroeger, B. (2003). Passing: When People Can't Be Who They Are. Cambridge: Perseus Book Group.

Sources used in this document:
References

Berreman, G.D. (1960, September). Caste in India and the United States. The American Journal of Sociology, 66(2), 120-127.

Kroeger, B. (2003). Passing: When People Can't Be Who They Are. Cambridge: Perseus Book Group.
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Social Stratification and the Dominance of the
Words: 868 Length: 3 Document Type: Term Paper

Social Stratification and the Dominance of the Elite in "The Power Elite" by C. Wright Mills The changing patterns in of social life in the American society at the turn of 20th century had created a 'rehabilitation' of the social landscape of the society as we have it at present. It is evident that with the beginning of a new century, new social order has been established, especially after the world

Personal Social Class My Parent's Class Position
Words: 1894 Length: 4 Document Type: Essay

Personal Social Class My Parent's Class Position My parents grew up in poverty in Latin America. Their story is not an unfamiliar one in America. My parents were able to obtain a middle school education, which at that time in Latin America, was a good educational accomplishment. Like most children living in impoverished, lower class families, my parents both had to contribute to the household income. Opportunities for earning extra money were

The Social Order and Education System
Words: 3239 Length: 11 Document Type: Essay

Introduction The analysis below entails a discourse on sociology and theoretical foundation of education. The discussion address organizational and institutional issues that influence the role of the education system in reproducing social structures. Social issues such as ethnicity race and socio-economic are extensively addressed. The discourse concludes with a proposed policy recommendation of an education system that consolidates education and economic growth. Education System and Social Order The robustness of the meritocratic ideology

Why Don't Class Politics Predominate in Advanced Industrial Societies...
Words: 1539 Length: 5 Document Type: Essay

Politics Predominate in Advanced Industrial Societies? Advanced Capitalism, Social Differentiation, and Politics The focus of this work is to examine the question asking why it is that class politics fail to be predominant in advanced industrial societies. Towards this end, this work will review the work of Karl Marx entitled "Classes" (1867) and the work of Calhoun, et al. (2012) entitled "Contemporary Sociological Theory." Summary of the Theories The work of Bourdieu

How Religious Beliefs Affected Colonial Social Structure in America...
Words: 1917 Length: 6 Document Type: Research Paper

Colonial America was a diverse hodge-podge of religious communities. The Quakers had been given Pennsylvania by William Penn, whose father had held ties with the King of England (Fantel). The Puritans were in New England. Baptists established themselves in the South. Catholics had been in the Northern territories and in the Southwest well before the Protestant surge, and they also established the first Catholic state in Maryland—before it was later

Secular Humanism the Rise and
Words: 20795 Length: 75 Document Type: Research Proposal

This work provided an intensive discussion historical forces that were to lead to modern humanism but also succeeds in placing these aspects into the context of the larger social, historical and political milieu. . Online sources and databases proved to be a valid and often insightful recourse area for this topic. Of particular note is a concise and well-written article by Stephen Weldon entitled Secular Humanism in the United States.

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now