This special series on class in America by the New York Times is excellent.
Excerpt from one story:
Far more than people who remain in the social class they are born to, surrounded by others of the same background, Ms. Justice is sensitive to the cultural significance of the cars people drive, the food they serve at parties, where they go on vacation - all the little clues that indicate social status. By every conventional measure, Ms. Justice is now solidly middle class, but she is still trying to learn how to feel middle class. Almost every time she expresses an idea, or explains herself, she checks whether she is being understood, asking, "Does that make sense?"
"I think class is everything, I really do," she said recently. "When you're poor and from a low socioeconomic group, you don't have a lot of choices in life. To me, being from an upper class is all about confidence. It's knowing you have choices, knowing you set the standards, knowing you have connections."
Intrigued? Read the whole thing.
An excellent example of poor journalism ... the authors sited would likely strongly disagree with the conclusions.
The basic economic finding is clear - people move up the SES. Yes, a few do not but the trend is clear.
What exactly do you think is excellent?
Simon,
I take it you're objecting to the overview article since that's the one that includes a number of quotes from scholars, some of whom might disagree with the conclusions. But then, I've been interviewed for stories where I figured that I would disagree with the conclusion. I guess you can take or leave the overview article.
Honestly I didn't pay much attention to the overview, it's probably the weakest part and it's not what drew me to the series. The stories, particularly the one about the Kentucky lawyer and the one about marriage across class lines, were quite interesting.
In fact, Simon, what I thought was most excellent about the story of the Kentucky lawyer was that she DID move up the class ladder! She's a success story. Listen to her audio interview.
Do I think class matters? Yes, I think it does, in more ways than this series can capture--in more ways than a scholarly paper can capture. Do I feel that people can move up? You better believe it! Is that a conflict? Absolutely not.
I know you didn't say this, but I figured I'd head anyone else off at the pass--no, I don't think that these stories imply any particular policy recommendation. I certainly wouldn't advocate a policy based on a few anecdotes.