Please use evidence/examples from the lecture videos and the readings for this week to inform and support your answers. What is the difference between income and wealth? How does social status correlate to political influence in the United States? What is occupational prestige? How does it correlate to educational achievement? What is a meritocracy? Is the United States a meritocracy? Define the concepts of “social class” and “classism.” Why, according to Mantsios, don’t Americans like to talk about class? What are the five social classes that exist in the United States? Briefly define/describe each. What are the four common myths about class, as outlined by Mantsios? Is poverty a result of individual effort (or lack thereof)? Why or why not? The beliefs and values parents pass on to the next generation varies by class (class socialization). What are some examples of this? How does this influence where someone falls in the class hierarchy? How does social class correlate to educational attainment? How does this perpetuate class inequality across generations? How does social class correlate to health outcomes in the United States? Why do social class differences matter? What do they tell us? What is social mobility? What is absolute and relative mobility? How does social mobility differ by race and gender? The United States is often described as “the land of opportunity” in terms of the social mobility that supposedly exists within American society. Does this description match the reality of social mobility trends in the U.S. and opportunities for social mobility? Why or why not? Video links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeiHz5tzlws&feature=emb_logo https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=c8PEv5SV4sU&feature=emb_logo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0a21mndoORE&feature=emb_logo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjuV-XdYHhA&feature=emb_logo more info from slides: Wealth What one owns (investments, savings, homes, land, business) minus what one owes (credit card or school debt, mortgages). Income The periodic inflow of resources from wages, investments, government benefits, or other sources. *The material, quantifiable indicators of class are economic capital (wealth and income). Meritocracy“The myth of meritocracy” The belief that hard work and talent are inevitably rewarded by economic success and upward social mobility.