What do you think separates the working class and the upper/wealthy class besides the amount of money?

Question

By working class, I mean those living paycheck to paycheck.

Upper class, those having substantial wealth. What would you suggest to those in working class to get to the upper class. What do they need to do? My view just because you have a lot of money doesn't necessary define what class you belong too. Do you agree?

Answer 1

It's not really the lower class' fault.  Everyone cannot be in the upper class.  Believe it or not, classes are made that way.  Think about it.  If you really wanted a big house and there was only one and two other people wanted the house too, you would fight hard for the house.  So you try to do something so those other two people can't get the house.  It's the barrier created by the upper class that separates the classes.  They make the laws to help themselves and suppress the lower class.  The upper class tries to appease the middle class by not causing too much hardship.  But sometimes the middle class gets in trouble with the lower class too.  I suppose greed causes more greed, but I wouldn't know.  About 60% of the wealth is own by 5% of the people (upper class).

Answer 2

Money is a huge defining factor.  Other defining factors are how comfortable their lives are (as in how secure, not complaints over small things), their living conditions, how much money they have leftover after paying for necessities, their education, and maybe (not too sure) the luxuries the rich have.

Education is necessary to help get people to move up economically.  The government needs to look at the educational system and see what its doing right and wrong.  Actually it should have a nonpartisan indepedent group look at it and analyze its strengths, etc.  Then make recommendations and hopefully they'll be followed.

Partnerships between businesses, schools (pre-college), community colleges, and universities would help a lot too.  So would innovative program to help students learn more and stay in school (I suggest for people to look at Governor Mark Warner's plans and how he got Virginia's education system to be better)

On a community level, there needs to be partnership-cooperation between churches, citizens, schools, community leaders, activists, police, and businesses.  Such strong bonds and working together can help people stay in school, focus on education, stay away from crime, reduce crime, increase trust between citizens and police, and create more economic opportunities.  Businesses and schools could help create job opportunities, training, education- and both teachers and businesspeople could work together to create plans to help revitalize cities, etc.  Churches can be active in helping to provide for the poor and clergy can help each other.  Community centers could be used to help keep kids away from crime, etc. and provide positive and meaningful activities/places for kids to go to.    Police having more communication with communities, and maybe even utilizing community policing could help reduce crime (have an increased police presence too), build up strong bonds and trust between policeofficiers and people who live in the area (have meetings between police and people frequently and have certain cops who work on building relationships with people there), and have more cooperation in the first place.  I can go on but I believe you get my point.

There also needs to be reform of the drug system.  There needs to be more treatment and prevention used instead of only arrest.  I believe that there needs to be mroe funding for prevention and treatment.  That would help reduce drug use.  Am I calling for legalization? no.  But incarceration by itself won't work.  Maybe if its combined with treatment, etc, it would work better.  We could start out by using pilot projects and looking at cities with successful drug rehab, help etc. ^^

Lastly, some govt intervention is needed.  Let's provide more tax cuts and EITC to the poor.  That would greatly help reduce the burden on them.  Earned Income Tax Credit gives tax credits (i think they're rebates) well they're kinda like rebates but are acutally refundable tax credits.  But yes they've helped people get out of poverty and improve their lives.  The govt must also look at its poverty programs and see what its doing right and wrong (GAO would be able to do good analysis of that).  Finally, taxes need to be raised on the rich, they make a bunch of money (too much to some) and some of their money could be used to reduce deficit (and get more money left over for other things) and/or for effective programs.

Lastly, the govt and advocacy groups should bring about different groups together to help think of ideas to help the poor.  Economists, University faculty, community leaders, activists, economic advisors, Republicans, Democrats, etc etc all differnet groups of people with different views (including business) (and labor) to help make solutions for poverty.  Sure, there'd be a lot of bickering. But its worth it, and I'm sure they'd be able to find a way.

As for what the poor can do- well they can do what they can to get a better education (and ensure their kids get better education), lobby their legislators (i don't mean using money I mean advocacy), and just do what they can-I think the answer requires more than their just efforts, it requires a cooperative, different views included, consesus-building approach (that looks at problems and solutions and listens to as many sides as they can).

Answer 3

SES (socio-economic-status) is determined by many things...money, educational level, where one lives, and career.  What do you need to do?....education, which will lead to a good career, which will bring more money, which will lead to you being able to afford to live in a nice neighborhood, which will surround you with different people.  There is a big difference from inherited wealth and new wealth, how people act/live.  Old money tends to be subtle, not show wealth.  There have been studies done...most drive older cars, and not expensive ones, do not live in large homes, etc.  Culture, etiquette, knowledge of the world, knowledge of how to make money, invest, these all are components of making and keeping money, involvement with charities, etc....things you see in higher SES.  Money does define SES, but it doesn't mean people with money HAVE class!

Answer 4

The risk taking factor, which the rich openly use to their benefit. Float a company, open an IPO and it's the working class with high dreams, which put their money in without even trying to check out what the company is doing business in. The Rich do not invest their money in their dream projects, the working class does it for them.

And also, as suggested above, by enn,  they stick together by helping each other.

Answer 5

Appreciation - If things are handed to you on a silver plater do you appreciate them...NO.

If you have all kinds of money and your car breaks down, you drive a different car and don't think twice about when to get it in the shop.  Whereas lower and middle class people are wondering how do I get to work, who can I take my car to that will fix it in the smallest amount of time and the cheapest.  

If your parents pay for your college will you attend more parties then if you had to pay for it yourself.  

If a couple has a baby they are the ones responsible for raising and caring for that child they don't get a break besides work.  People with money get full time nannies or put them in boarding school they visit their children they don't raise them.  

Appreciation for kindness, the struggle of others to improve their lives, hardwork, consequences for their behavior.  When the rich break the law they aren't treated the same as the working class.  Lord for bid if the law actually treats them the same as us.  They try to use their money to get them off.  

I understand that economics, opportunities, and education play a big part in all of that.  But if you don't appreciate what you have or the opportunities that are provided to you because of money then I think you they are stupid.  

I know if I were provided the opportunities that the upper class or overly wealthy had, I would be greatful and I would appreciate it.  Anyone can loose wealth on a drop of a dime. It takes others a long time to earn what those people already have and they appreciate that journey all the way to the top.

Yes, I know there are exceptions to all of this..this is just my thoughts okay.

Answer 6

If you're talking pedigree than yes just because you have money doesn't make you additionally waspy.  Education though is mostly what sets poor people apart from middle class to upper class earnings.  There aren't a lot of MD's and PhD's who work retail or choose to do odd jobs for a living instead.

Answer 7

Opportunity.

People with money hang out together and offer their friends and their kids jobs before they put the ad in the classifieds.

People with money rarely offer opportunities to the poor person on the street. They offer the opportunites to people they know, first.

Someone who wants to get into the upper class needs to put themselves in the upper class picture more often so they will be there to answer when opportunity knocks.

Rich people marry rich people because they hang out at the same clubs, hit the same vacation spots, etc. Rich people rarely if ever marry someone who hangs out at the dive bar in slum section of town. Birds of a feather still flock together, even in these modern times.