Problems of Social Inequity

Social Inequality in the United States: Where Do Stereotypes Begin? Social inequality reflects the belief that deviance is not merely deviant personal behavior, but also, behavior that is committed against other individuals of society. Social inequality involves the belief that some individuals are socially defined as disadvantaged due to their life circumstances. Social inequality can be applied to a number of life circumstances, such as poverty, race, gender, health, and many other phenomena. Status and stereotypes are central to the discussion of social inequality. There are two types of status, achieved and ascribed (Appiah, 36). Status that is earned, such as a college graduate, is labeled achieved status. Status in which an individual is born with is called ascribed status. Gender and race are two examples of ascribed status. Stereotypes are standardized mental pictures that are held in common by members of a group (Appiah, 142). They often represent oversimplified opinions, prejudiced attitudes, and derogatory judgments about people in a society.

Inequality, it seems, is an equal-opportunity disease, something that has a direct impact on everyone. But doesn't that mean equality is no longer a matter of morality or altruism for the better off, but naked self-interest? There's a brief hiatus before Pickett says, "I'm not sure that's quite the message we're trying to get across." Then there's another brief pause, before Wilkinson adds, "But it is still true."

In American society, there is a belief that class differences do not matter and that social mobility is such that the sort of social stratification that was and is prevalent in Europe has been eliminated in the egalitarian United States. However, it is clear that class differences do exist at some level, with power unevenly distributed through the levels of society and with the institutions of government and society structured so as to respond differently to different segments of society. In America today, the distance between the very rich and the very poor is greater than ever (Appiah, 145). One issue, though, is whether class differences in American society are stronger than the racial and ethnic differences which seem to have an even more profound effect on social stratification and on a continuation of the poverty and social redlining that keeps entire groups out of the mainstream to this day. Is racism the primary component of class differences today, or is it strictly economic? The two are not really separable, since the primary effect of racism seems to be a form of economic discrimination perpetuating poverty for a racial or ethnic group, but there is a clear difference between economic discrimination as such and racial discrimination that produces an economic difference which then becomes an occasion for further discrimination (Callon, 55).

Pickett is more alert to the political implications of their findings, while Wilkinson is happier to follow an argument to its conclusion, however uncomfortable that may be. You can understand Pickett's concern. If self-interest and greed create inequality, then you don't necessarily want to give the impression that the solution lies ...