(H) 395-406 Higley, The U.S. Upper Class

The upper class has had a certain reputation among people in the U.S. It has made a meaning for the class itself and has been used as a status for hundreds of years. In doing so, the people that are members of the upper class have created certain standards to be accepted among the others. Certain clubs and associations have been primarily connected to the upper class in hopes of creating exclusivity. This connects culturally to how people create different groups to keep their status and entice others of their power over others. With the elite clubs, many of the upper-class people separate among themselves as well. Meaning, those who are born into money and their family has been of great amounts of money for generations typically do not associate with those who have recently come into money. People of the same class choose to separate themselves because they’ve been accustomed to being around those of “pure” backgrounds. This goes back to the centuries of segregation among classes and how it was not deemed appropriate to be seen with those of lesser value than yourself. This created a social separation that has evidently been seen and felt among people in lower classes. Because of its exclusivity, upper class members also only find themselves attending school designed especially for them. The younger members of the upper class have been molded and structured into a display to further represent the upper class and its certain distinguishable aspects. As the upper class conserves its unique form of living, many people find the social structure of classes to be redundant to certain extents. To be included as a member of certain clubs there must be a process in which acceptance has to be made. However, to suffice those newly wealthy people, lesser value clubs have been made as a mock to them and their wealth. The social structure of the upper class finds itself being divided even more than the rest. With this being said, the upper class has depended on its sovereignty and elite values but has been following blindly due to the respect of traditions.