He describes the anxiety associated with maintaining or bettering one’s position in society, and identifies the phenomenon of some members of the upper class descending in class ranks – apparently for kicks.įussell was writing in the early 80s when the huge class divisions we have today were just beginning to develop. (They don’t vote.)įussell is quick to point out that class in America is not decided exclusively upon finances it is also a matter of taste, what one does with one’s recreational time, what one reads, what colleges (if any) one has attended and how well one speaks. “Out of sight” because they have no voice, influence or voter impact. I suspect these people ask “Would you like fries with that, sir?” as a career.ĭestitute – Working and non-working poor.īottom Out of Sight – Street people, the most destitute in society. Low Prole – Non-skilled of a lower level than mid prole. Probably not familiar with the term “proletarian.” High Proletarian (or “prole”) – Skilled workers but manual labor. Middle Class – The great American majority, sort of. I suspect this is the class to which I, an engineer, am supposed to aspire. Professionals who couldn’t be described as middle class. Upper Middle – Wealthy surgeons and lawyers, etc. Upper Class – Millionaires, inherited wealth. We never hear about them because they don’t want us to. The people so wealthy they can afford exclusive levels of privacy. Top Out of Sight – Billionaires and multi-millionaires. A reviewer provides a summmary of Fussell’s class categorizations. I’ve generally found Fussell’s analysis to be as good as any. The book discussed not only the socioeconomic positions but also the cultural and lifestyle aspects of different classes. Back in 1983, Paul Fussell published a classic work that outlined his theory of class stratification in the US.

Class book paul fussell