What Class are you in?

Justine Bubar
08/25/06
Soc202- Current Event
On the Oprah Winfrey Show yesterday, the topic of discussion was class. She invited people from every class on to her show to discuss how they feel about the place they are in and what got them there. She asked questions like “Do you think you’ll ever move up?,” “Do you think your kids might?” The answers varied but most everyone was aware that they were either gifted or cheated.
On the show Oprah had two people that are in the “one percent” of the nation, old money. Two people with plenty of opportunity and tons of money. One of the two was Jamie Johnson, an heir to the Johnson & Johnson pharmaceutical “fortune.” Jamie was born into a rich family and knows nothing else. However, he has used his money in a productive way to make movies and show America what living the life is like. This doesn’t sit well with any of his rich family members, father, grandfather etc. Jamie disagrees with the gap between upper and lower class saying that “it doesn’t work for America,” yet he admits that he would not be comfortable with a smaller amount of money. Nicole Buffet also appeared on the show, Warren Buffets granddaughter, whom is the second richest man in the world. However, she did not grow up like Jamie because of her grandfather wanting her to live a normal life.
Anyway, the most important and interesting part of the show was Robert Reich, who was the Secretary of Labor for Clinton. He is also an expert on class and social policy. He said that there are three unsaid things in America that can determine your class, without your saying. Those three things would be teeth, weight, and your accent. If all these things are fine and dandy, but most importantly non-offensive (it depends who you are being critiqued by) then well, you must have some money. If your teeth are crooked or yellow, your weight heavier-than-average, and your dialect is strong (Boston, NY, Chicago) than most people would consider you lower class. Oprah also took some questioning to the streets. Some people said that being a mechanic, a garbage man, and smoking would also indicate your lower class.
Sources: The Oprah Winfrey Show. www.Oprah.com, “What class are you?” 08/24/06