Class in America: Gregory Mantsios

Class in America: Gregory Mantsios In the article, "Class in America", Gregory Mantsios (Myths and Realities 2000) shows us how what class a person is in affects his or hers life more than they think. This article is written sufficiently well however, it does have some weak spots. I will prove my thesis by examining his use of examples and showing factual data and statistics, but also show how this article could have been better. Mantsios believes that people in the United States do not like to talk about classes, whether it is upper class, middle class, or lower class. He outlines four beliefs that are widely held about class in the United States, and then thoroughly refutes them with statistical evidence. He argues that the class that you are in effects your life whether you admit it to yourself or not (pp.331). He also argues that the class you are in effects how you succeed in school, relating to test scores and the level of schooling you achieve. It also affects your future it determines what job you will have which is directly affected by your schooling and the way you are brought up (pp.342). He has statistical evidence, data and examples to argue his point. Mantsios basically shows the reader why he believes that people do not like to talk about class in America, and give evidence that the class you are affects everything you do. Mantsios has rhetorically strong points in his article about classes in America. He is rhetorically strong because he uses specific examples, statistics and data. He does a good job at supporting his point. For example, He uses data from Richard De Lone, a researcher who, "examined the test scores of over half a million students who took the College Board exams (SAT's). His findings were consistent with earlier studies that showed a relationship between class and scores on the standardized tests; his conclusion: the higher the social status, the higher the probability that he or she will get higher grades." (pp. 342)