resented as the causes of poverty rather than the effects of it. The poor may also affected by this misrepresentation by believing themselves that they are part of a minority group that should only be concerned with becoming part of this immense and prestigious middle class. The truth is “working class families are the single largest group of families in the country. These are the men and women, by far the largest part of the American work force”(Rubin: 30). If in fact the working class makes up the largest section of the population, it is necessary to explain why they are represented as a troublesome minority.The continuance of myths like these serves to benefit only those who already have access to wealth and resources. It should come as no surprise then that “unlike other cultural institutions, ownership and control of the mass media is highly concentrated. Twenty-three corporations own more than one-half of all the daily newspapers, magazines, movies studios, and radio and television outlets in the United States”(Ore: 71). When the wealthy are identified as having so much control over the media it is easy to recognize how the myths it promotes serve to keep the working class divided and thus unable to initiate social change.In addition to prolonging the myth of equal opportunity, the media is responsible for exploiting race differences in reference to the distribution of wealth. According to the coverage provided by the media, one would think that minority groups in urban areas made up the bulk of the impoverished population. In actuality, most of the poor in America are white and live in rural areas. The purpose of this sort of misleading depiction is to prevent the working class from uniting and having a chance at instigating social change. This is just another example of inaccurate social beliefs promoting the welfare of the wealthy ruling class in this country. As long as the working class is ...
