a denies even this as a determinant of class, as Mantsios notes when he points to the attitude that "we are all middle-class" in this country:
Our national consciousness, as shaped in large part by the media and our political leadership, provides us with a picture of ourselves as a nation of prosperity and opportunity with an ever expanding middle class life style. As a result, our class differences are muted and our collective character is homogenized.
However, Mantsios also notes that the "distribution of income and wealth in the U.S. is grossly unequal and becomes increasingly more so with time."
Mantsios further points to the source of social differences in American society--economic advancement based on education and jobs. America is proud of its educational system and sees it as offering opportunity to all, though Mantsios finds this is an illusion:
For while we have made great strides in opening the doors of academe, the system of education in the United States leaves much to be desired and is anything but egalitarian.
The quality of education is as important as its availability, and the quality is determined by funding and the tax base that supports it: "Schools in poorer districts are just not as likely to provide a high-quality education."
Racism in American life has contributed to the social inequality of minorities, notably blacks, and has done so by curtailing educational and economic opportunities for this population. The resulting social stratification is based as much on economic differences as on race, though race has been used to maintain these differences. American racism in terms of black Americans started with the institution of slavery and continued in a new and virulent form once slavery was abolished. Great strides have been made in changing this situation over the last four decades,
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