...Social hierarchy has existed since the beginning of time. Yet, the inner workings of the plethora of classes that social hierarchy produces have often been ignored. In America, many people deny that there is a class system at all; This could not be more false. The social hierarchy functioning in the society of America is not only present, the gaps of the stratification system are growing to create greater inequality. Through a closer look at the types of social hierarchy and how they are portrayed through America's culture, it is obvious that social classes do in fact exist. To grasp the concept of social class in the United States, one must first understand what social hierarchy is. Social hierarchy is the acknowledgement that a society is divided unequally. This division creates classes, which can be derived from combination of many factors. There are three dominating stratification systems in our world. The first is the caste system. The caste system is a very unbending structure of inequality. In a caste system, moving from class to class is virtually impossible. Through hard work and perseverance one is still not able to rise in class. Not only are the classes inflexible, they are quite rigid in that there is a thick line between each one. Take India, for example, where a strict caste system is in play. There are five exact levels on their pyramid. At the top lies teachers and religious people. One step down are the warriors. Below the warriors they have the merchants...
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...The Elite is number two of four books in The Selection series. The main character, America Singer, lives in the country Illea. Illea is the country formerly known as The United States. The country is divided into eight castes, Number Eight being the poorest and One being the richest. America was chosen in the first book to be a part of The Selection, where she must compete with thirty four other girls to marry Maxon Sheave, the prince on Illea. The whole compition is broadcast to the country. The competition carries over to the second book, where only six of the thirty five girls remain. The remaining six are known as The Elite. Throughout the entire book, America is torn between her former boy, Aspen, who is now a guard at the palace, and...
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...devotees to their polytheistic system of beliefs. This ancient religion has spread across the Indian Sub-Continent from generation to generation. Hinduism had a huge impact toward the development of the caste system in India. The caste system was a determination, system of various social rankings or class. The caste system consists of five different levels, Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, Shudras, and the Untouchables. Brahmins are priests; they have much importance for they are closest to god. Kshatriyas are warriors or kings; they are second in ranking for they protect the innocent...
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...members, and unjust police men, didn’t exist in the same period, each group of men is responsible for many of the lives lost due to the fear of intimacy created by the different racial caste systems—a system that has survived the test of time and continues to affect many black men in the United States but is now more imperceptible to the American public.( (Alexander 2012). History has repeated itself, but also brought something new to consider in each moment. She makes a point and expresses that different racial caste systems appear to fade, but then new systems take their place with the needs and limitations of their generation. As the names of the racial caste systems change, so do the names of the victims and their murders....
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...Not Forgotten Black people have had to suffer in America since far before its foundation. We see this in Black Boy by Richard Wright. The purpose for the creation of America was to grant freedom to all people, regardless of their ethnicity, gender, wealth, and past misdemeanors. However, only white males who own land had any real power, and even then, most of the power was diverted to representatives to use in the voter’s best interest. These racist tendencies have gotten better since then, but America is still troubled by the racism that still persists today. Racism is still present in the legal system, which can trace its routes from the racist tendencies of people who have no longer walked this earth for numerous years. Slavery wasn’t an...
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...racial inequality in America and the rising prison incarceration rates that have resulted due to many factors, such as the vagueness of the 13th amendment. The film includes a variety of speakers to discuss the issue. One of the claims made by a speaker was the claim that the 1915 film “Birth of a Nation” was almost directly responsible for the rebirth of the KKK in the 20th century. The speaker elaborated on this claim by saying the film depicted certain actions that the KKK committed later on, such as burning crosses. It was described as “life imitating art”. In addition, terroristic actions committed by the KKK were said to be more accepted by society because of the film. Another claim made in the documentary was the claim that legal segregation between whites and African Americans was a more formal method of terrorism. This claim was backed up by the fact that segregation laws were passed specifically to push blacks to a lower class than whites. Although by definition terrorism is technically...
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...Opinion Essay: Professor Michelle Alexander's speech The New Jim Crow (2010) In its broadest sense, The New Jim Crow (2010) provides a compelling analysis of how and why mass incarceration is happening in America. It offers an appropriate and original framework for understanding mass incarceration, its roots, link to Jim Crow, the modern caste system, and what must be done to eliminate it (Alexander, 2010). Alexander’s The New Jim Crow (2010) can be said to be a grand wake-up call in the midst of a long slumber of indifference to the poor and vulnerable. It also befits being described as a timely and stunning guide to the labyrinth of discrimination, racism, and propaganda policies cloaked under other names that comprise justice in America....
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...versus social issues[edit] Personal issues are those that individuals deal with themselves and within a small range of their peers and relationships.[1] On the other hand, social issues threaten values cherished by widespread society.[1] For example, the unemployment rate of 7.8 percent[2] in the U.S. as of October 2012 is a social issue. The line between a personal issue and a public issue may be subjective, however, when a large enough sector of society is affected by an issue, it becomes a social issue. Although one person fired is not a social issue, the repercussions of 13 million people being fired is likely to generate social issues. Caste system[edit] Caste system in India resulted in most oppressed Untouchables on earth for the past 3000 years . UK recently banned caste system[1] and US is also planning to ban [2] caste system. Economy[edit] Main article: Economic problem Unemployment rates vary by region, gender, educational attainment and ethnic group. In most countries, including the developed countries many people are poor and depend on welfare. In Germany in 2007 one in six children depended on welfare. That is up from only one in seventy-five in 1965.[3] economy...
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...The Globalization Effect The waking of the “Giant” during World War II, gave way to the palpable strength of an American society that was felt throughout the new, post-war world. The democratic mission of America was brought forth and the words carved into the Statue of liberty “Give me your tired, your poor, your Huddled masses yearning to breathe free..” or the “American dream” showed once again to be the mission of the American/Western society. Post-war America, a more industrialized nation by then, started the globalization movement of a renewed capitalist society. After the war, America had a foothold in each corner of the world; this was the first time in history that the whole world could be impacted by the ideas of one nation and its allies. With the increase in globalization; new, postmodern issues presented themselves to western civilizations; issues which were not encountered since the Romanization period of Europe. The new, postmodern world was a macro view of an older, more micro world which was dependent on “states” being independent of the world around them. The more liberal views and tolerance towards religious freedom and the American integration of the world and same sex marriages was proven to be the catalyst for a new more expansive world in the 20th and 21st century. Integration of cultures is not unfamiliar. American and Western societies were based on an older practical model that had been used since Sumerians, one...
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...versus social issues[edit] Personal issues are those that individuals deal with themselves and within a small range of their peers and relationships.[1] On the other hand, social issues threaten values cherished by widespread society.[1] For example, the unemployment rate of 7.8 percent[2] in the U.S. as of October 2012 is a social issue. The line between a personal issue and a public issue may be subjective, however, when a large enough sector of society is affected by an issue, it becomes a social issue. Although one person fired is not a social issue, the repercussions of 13 million people being fired is likely to generate social issues. Caste system[edit] Caste system in India resulted in most oppressed Untouchables on earth for the past 3000 years . UK recently banned caste system[1] and US is also planning to ban [2] caste system. Economy[edit] Main article: Economic problem Unemployment rates vary by region, gender, educational attainment and ethnic group. In most countries, including the developed countries many people are poor and depend on welfare. In Germany in 2007 one in six children depended on welfare. That is up from only one in seventy-five in 1965.[3] economy...
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...The Search for Self and Space by Indian Dalit Joseph Macwan and African American Richard Wright Vaseemahmed G Qureshi Assistant Professor, Vishwakarma Government Engineering College, Chandkheda A B S T R A C T The subjugation of Dalits in India and Blacks in America is the result of slavery imposed on them in the name of castism in India and racism in America. Writers from these marginalized groups express their revolt against slavery through words. This presentation focuses on one black and one Dalit novel as a manifestation of the quest for self and space. Joseph Macwan comes forward as a prophet of Dalits’ welfare in Gujarat with his Angaliyat (1987) which is a representation of the emerging genre of the Dalit novel. It criticizes systems of internal colonization that exist within the Hindu caste system. Today, Dalits are both asserting their identity and challenging a society that had earlier excluded them, by writing about their lives themselves. Through the protagonist Teeha, the novel succeeds in demystifying ‘dalitness’ and redefining the real freedom of his fellow people. Richard Wright is one of the most acclaimed African American authors of the twentieth century. His Outsider (1953) depicts racial discrimination and the quest for identity. He creates a compelling story with his protagonist Cross Damon, a man of superior intellect who craves for peace and searches for his identity. In this quest, Cross Damon attempts to escape his past and start anew in a...
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...spawned from the bases of Hinduism. Hinduism is a religious belief that was formed and cultivated in South Asia more precisely, India. Hinduism is widely known as the world’s oldest religion. Although America is becoming more and more diverse, most Americans do not know a great deal about Hinduism. The caste system is one of the most connecting links of Hinduism; it combines religion with societal classifications. Understanding this system of hierarchy and what it represents to the people that believes it, is very critical to understand before digging into the religious beliefs of Hinduism. There are four fundamental castes or social classifications of Hinduism. Each individual caste has its own guidelines and mandates for being part of that particular caste. The elite social class is know the Brahman, or priest caste. This class is the equivalent to the King and Queen classification of the monarch system. The next tier in the caste system is the Kshatriyas classification, which includes warriors and rulers. The third tier of the caste system is the Vaisyas class, or farmers and merchants. Finally, the last caste which is considered the lowest class of the caste is the Shudras, or a laborer. There is a group of people that are considered rejects and outcast that are not part of any caste classification. These rejects are known as the untouchables or the Achuta. Though outlawed in India in the 1940s, the untouchables are still a very real...
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...between social class and education. Races and cultures that put a higher value on education tend to produce more members of society that move from a lower social class to a higher social class or retain their social class from one generation to another. Also, I believe that the movement between social classes becomes more available within a society that does not apply a caste system on its members. Ultimately, it is an individual’s personal responsibly to determine their outcome. This goes beyond race, social class, and culture. I believe America has equal opportunity, but not equal outcomes. As Martin Luther King famously said in his “I Have a Dream” speech, “be judged not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” We are unique individuals and have an opportunity to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. These rights are natural rights that are given to us by God. Today the President of the United States is of mixed White and Kenyan heritage. Any remnants of a caste system, perhaps from the days of Jim Crow and the laws of “separate, but equal” are but all behind us in America. If you look at the achievement gaps in the Jersey City, NJ public schools, there is a significant gap in the graduation rates of different ethnic groups; fewer Black and Hispanic/Latino students graduate than Asian and White students. Blacks are graduating at about 55%, Hispanic/Latino’s at 65%, Whites at 80%, and Asian’s at 90%. (Lyles 18) Also, if you look at SAT Scores...
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...Religions and Politics (Prof. Mondonga M. Mokoli, Ph.D.) According to the scientific theory of evolution, life on Earth evolved naturally over time. Evolutionary theory was proposed by Charles Darwin in the 19th century and it was affirmed by the 20th century biologists and geneticists. Thus, this theory has achieved scientific consensus as the origin of human humankind. In contrast, supporters of intelligent design believe that all life on the Earth was created deliberately. Intelligent design theory proposes that the overwhelming complexity of the universe suggests a rational, omnipotent designer, be it God, an alien, or some other source. Thus, intelligent design theory was developed as an alternative not only to Darwin’s evolutionism but also to religious creationism which argues that God is the only creator of life, universe and their contents. The Purpose of this Chapter • Our purpose in this chapter is not to show the truth or falsehood of any of these perspectives nor the doctrines of any particular faith. Rather, it is: - To describe the nature of religion and the general character of certain major religions of the past and the present; - To give some attention to the role that religion has played in the development of human societies, that is; o not only to integrate and stabilize them but also, o at times, to create conflicts; - To consider the present-day influence of social change on religion and, - conversely, the influence of religion...
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...Social stratification exists in America because the wealth and power belongs to a small portion of the population. Wealthy people possess an enormous amount of power over the political system and are held in high esteem by our society. There is a general feeling that those who are wealthy and powerful are superior to the average person. Social stratification involves not only socio-economic inequality, but the belief system held by people in America. A stratified society exists when there is an unequal distribution of wealth, power and prestige. In American society, political power and wealth are not distributed equally (Johnson, 1996). Paul Krugman is an economist and author of the book, 'The Spiral of Inequality' (1996). Krugman believes corporate greed, the decline of organized labor and changes in the way goods are produced are the causes of the growing social and economic inequality in the United States (Anderson, 2003). There is an unspoken general agreement in America that certain occupations deserve higher wages and more respect. Professions, such as physicians, lawyers, athletes and actors, are held in high esteem, whereas custodians, waitresses and trash collectors are considered professions that are not worthy of respect or praise and require minimal skill or intelligence. America most definitely needs skilled physicians and lawyers, but it also needs custodians, trash collectors and others who perform much needed tasks in order for society to thrive and function...
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