Race, status, and class are one of the main reasons for inequality. There is a high degree of social inequality in the United States. Of most modern industrial countries, the United States has some of the richest and some of the poorest people to be found. This fact is very disturbing, however, explains why much of the inequality exists in the United States. In the following paper I will explain to you about the inequality in our country and why it occurs. Further more I will describe different socialist author's views on the subject of inequality and how some of them have ideas on eliminating them.
In the essay "Imagine a country" the author describes inequality in our country based on the perspective of a functionalist, conflict theorist, and social interationist. Functionalist argues that stratification is necessary and beneficial to a society to ensure the highest qualified person will fill the best societal positions. Inequality in the distribution of desirables exists as device for ensuring that the most qualified people fill the most important positions. Certain jobs are more important than others are, and those jobs require special skill and talent. The cycle of unequal opportunity is intensifying, and the United States beneficiaries often slander those who"re the most systematically undervalued, underpaid, underrated, as an undeserving, underclass lacking the proper work ethic. ( Holly Sklar, 1) .
According to the conflict theorist on social stratification, those in the upper level of a stratification structure hold a monopoly over societies desires and they use their monopoly to dominate others. For example, the US schools system that are rigged in favor of the already privileged, with the lower class children tracked by race and income into deficient and demoralizing classrooms. Because Public school budgets are determined by property taxes, allowing the higher income district to spend more money than the lower income districts.