Throughout Zinn we have learned about several systematic flaws within America. Examples of these systematic divisions include race, ethnicity, culture, and class. In both this weeks chapter of Zinn and the movie Sorry to Bother You we see the role that class division in American plays in the grand scheme of our national shortcoming. Class is something I think most Americans oversee. For me, I always thought that classes made sense. After all we do live in a capitalist country. I believed that meant we would naturally see large wealth gaps throughout different socio-economic backgrounds. What I realize now is that I severely underestimated how disproportionate and powerful the role of classes within America played on the quality of life for millions of Americans. Zinn goes as far to say that the division within classes might potentially be the most important and concerning of all systematic division within America.
What role do we as Americans play in this division? What can I do as one citizen to make a difference? Do I rely solely on my vote to try and put leaders in power that have an agenda to tackle this national concern? I’m not sure. I feel like so often Zinn leaves me feeling educated and enlightened, but also kind of sad. The roots that this country was founded on have created a society that is not equal. And that is something I never thought could be true.
I also find myself wondering how I can make a difference in our society, what I can do to ensure that our country is working towards becoming a more equal and inclusive society for everyone. Obviously voting for people who claim similar assertions is a start, but I feel like I need to do more. I will definitely read and watch media to become more educated on what is happening in the world right now, and pray those in positions of power will make the changes necessary to help our country in this way.
I think that we have to recognize what it means to be an individual in a society as divisive as our own. We can disappear in the framework of economic inequality, or we can recognize what financial privilege we do have. Direct monetary aid is on the rise through activist groups, and while small acts of wealth redistribution can seem futile, they really do add up to make the individual a lot less powerless in a community.
If Americans continue to feed into the capitalist machine, the class divide will continue to grow. In the spring during covid, millions of Americans lost their jobs while billionaires got $637 billion richer. Businesses like Amazon are widening the gap by buying out their small competitors and making large profits for its top executives. One of the reasons billionaires are able to keep making money is because of lobbyists in Congress. I believe if we found a way for Congress to accurately represent the people and not the rich donors, we may see a change in class and wealth divisions in the future.
The questions at the end of your blog really opened my eyes to the fact that our country really needs to change and come together as a whole. I did not realize how much the classes create division within our society.