Social Class

All societies have some form of social stratification (the way society is structured either by many factors: age, gender, income, ethnicity, etc) which gives preference to certain groups of people over others. As a sociology major it was interesting to hear and understand UK's social class and how it differs from the U.S. Many tend to believe that class is usually made up of financial capital (more money= higher class) but as  we learned in lecture other factors also influence an individuals social class. Along with financial capital-  cultural capital (status) also plays a big part on a persons social position. Having money is only partial. How a person dresses, what they eat, how they talk, what they do in their free time, who they socialize with, what schools they go to, etc all this also plays a factor in dividing groups. For example just because David Beckham makes millions of dollars does not  mean he is upper class- at the end of the night he is still just a football player. What I found really ironic and which proves class is a social construction (not 'real') was that what is considered to be high class- snobby things (actions) in England- like hunting, rural, horses, religious, right wings, etc is similar to what Americans associate with being a 'redneck'. 

England used to be a feudal society which was divided between the Lords and the serfs- no middle class. Feudal England ended around the 1340's when the Black Death killed half of its population. Out of that time emerged a new class called Gentry- where actually many of the US founding fathers belonged to. The Gentry were considered 'upper class' gentlemen who owned property. In England today 'power' is made up of not only wealth but also landownership- since it is only owned by a few. England still has a clear cut distinction between upper vs. working class since it never had a middle class revolution unlike America where everyone considers themselves middle class.