Does the United States have a caste system?

Question

if so, what is it?

Answer 1

No. The rich and powerful can become penniless, the poor can become tycoons, people of every class marry people of every other class, even people of differing religious affiliations mix and mingle. The ONLY way we can't seem to blend is politically....

Answer 2

Caste System In America

Answer 3

Every society and culture has a caste system, although it may not be a formal caste system. When one thinks of caste, India almost always comes to mind. The Indian constitution has made caste-based discrimination illegal, but it remains a significant part of Indian society. In the U.S., there are people who consider themselves among the social and political elite - a ruling caste, as it were. There are others who consider themselves part of the intelligentsia and closely associated with the ruling elite. There is also the scientific elite. Among these groups are many who genuinely believe that the rest of us should recognize that while a few are born to rule or advise the rulers, the rest of us should be content to work, pay taxes, be ruled, and let those who are more enlightened make the decisions.
A significant difference between the informal caste system in the U.S., and more formal caste or estate systems is mobility. It is far more possible in the U.S. to move upward or outward in the U.S. political and social arenas. Some are born into wealth and power and some have come from nowhere with nothing.

Answer 4

Of course, there is the have, and have nots, that's in every society that's ever existed. But, in the United States, you can work your way to the top, even if you started at the bottom. In most other national or political caste systems, your stuck where your at. Period!

Goofball, well said

Answer 5

Yes we do. The difference between the US and other countries though is that the caste system in the US is self-imposed. In countries like India you were traditionally locked into the caste you were born to. In the US you can through hard work and achievement break out of your caste. That is what makes the US so different from most of the rest of the world. Unfortunately there is a large segment of the population that chooses to live off of government entitlements and finds it easier and more comfortable to do nothing rather than to improve their own situation. They are professional victims and tend to blame others for their situation rather than to do something about it themselves. Supposed "leaders" like Jesse Jackson and Louis Farrakhan have a vested interest in keeping people in the lower socio-economic ladder so that they can maintain their power base by campaigning and promising to fight for their "rights" to further entitlements.

Answer 6

No. Though there may be the have and have-nots, that is nothing like something like the Caste system that India had, or continues to in a way. There are no "untouchables" there is no forced caste you must remain in.

Answer 7

It is not formalized enough to call it a caste system and there is some (although not enough) opportunity for mobility, but America does have a heavily stratified class system.

Answer 8

No. The United States is based on economic classes, no one group focuses on a single thing or dominates the other.

Answer 9

Absolutely not. We have different socio-economic levels; rich, middle class, and poor. For a very long time the majority in this country was the middle class. Unfortunately, with a great deal of debt, many middle class people are taking a down turn and our poor are numbers are widening.

The worst thing about our three classes; money will get you better health care and if you don't have it, you are out of luck.

Answer 10

upper class
middle class
lower class
*based on incomes =]