Who do you belong to 

    By definition social class is defined as "a division of a society based on society and economic status". More naturally social class could be viewed as "people from different backgrounds" or "walks of life". There are multiple class systems but sometimes people don't want to admit that they belong to one. In western civilization, these class systems would be categorized as upper class, middle class, working-class, and lower class. These classes also can be subdivided into smaller classes. 

It was said in the first visual that "America is a nation of tribes". 

These tribes can be defined by what people do in their lives. For example, the “working class” or “working poor” is filled with the decently paid but physically strained workers such as carpenters, plumbers, mechanics, and electricians. Whether it is looks, popularity, money, jobs, opportunity, or even just who a person is. These things could link a person’s social identity to a tribe (or social class).  The social identity that a person creates, or is given, starts in adolescents with the way parents, from different walks of life, approach parenting. More specifically how they educate and discipline their children. For example, upper-class children with upper-class values have more aggressive funding in their local schools. Giving children a greater chance of becoming upper-class citizens. As for lower-class children with lower-class values and minimal funding in schools, they wouldn't normally become upper-class citizens without special circumstances or in some way acquiring upper-class values. 

As we move through life we separate ourselves from people who don't fit in our group or social class. In most cases, this separation comes with the accumulation of money or the generational passing of money. Each social class differs from each other with their own sets of challenges. Some challenges worst than others depending on the class. More importantly, each social class could have differentiating variables that divide the class into sub-divisions. For example in the video “People like us episode #7” it was explained that wealth separates people. 

Specifically the separation between old money and new money. Old money is money that has been passed down from generation to generation making it more of a “dynastic wealth”. New money would be considered “first-generation wealth” and has a higher chance of being spent instead of saved. But some would also say that “old money is about behavior vs. actual wealth”. Unlike the people with new money, those with old money don’t normally buy flashy things. Nor do they socialize or associate themselves with people in lower classes. 

To highlight their associations let's take a look at how The Hamptons, NY consists of four places of residence. The West, South, and East Hamptons are considered the upper echelon. Full of aristocratic excellence and long lineages of old money families. But the Hampton Bays aren’t recognized by the others because of how much money and the type of money they have. This leads us to the notion that “money leads to social advancement”. But for most that isn’t exactly the fact of the matter. Even though the video “People like us episode #3”

shows that with money, a person could easily imitate the upper-class, “People like us episode #7” shows that “money doesn’t necessarily pay your way to the upper reaches of society”. So even if you make enough money to reach a higher place in social stratification, acceptance would still be out of arms reach. Especially compared to those with predetermined or prescribed social status.

To most lower-class people, this predetermined level of social status would be viewed as “being privileged”. All children in America are born with equal legal rights. But when it comes to social class they aren’t equal at all. In western civilization, this equality is based on the many different types of privilege. There is a privilege given to people, that could be based on their geographical, national, religious, and racial backgrounds. But the one thing that these privileges all have in common (in most cases) is that they are assigned at birth. For example, a child born into an upper-class family and taught upper-class values (in normal circumstances) is given prestige as well as wealth. This meritocracy puts the child five to ten steps ahead of other children. Ultimately giving them immediate access to better schools, healthcare, and job opportunities making their vertical mobility a fluent process absent of life’s struggles.  But even though the advantage is there it’s always a chance that a lower class individual may brake the ranks of the upper class giving that they work hard and never give up on their dream. Chances are Slim, but there none the less.