otection? Of course these are necessities, but who benefits more? The rich have more material possessions that can be stolen or destroyed. And last but not least is our countries system of social security. Every race in the country pays the same percent of social security at about six percent. The only people 5exempt from this standard six percent is the "green minority". Once a person reaches the income level of $60,000 or more they top out, that's as high as one can go. The higher the income above $60,000, the lower the percentage they pay. If someone makes 50 billion dollars a year they pay the same amount as someone making $60,000 a year, or roughly about $3,600. So theoretically, if you were to take a husband and wife that each make $30,000 a year, the combined amount that they pay in is equal to the amount that Bill Gates pays in. There's something about this whole system that just doesn't seem proportionately correct. It seems like the percentage sacrificed should be the same across the board. All the examples I have given may seem like this paper is about the wealthy and the poor, and not about racial differences in the United States. If it does there is a reason for that. The upper class or super rich, whichever you want to call them, receive more benefits than the poor. The upper class is mainly white and the poor and working class are a mixture of all races. This gives the appearance that assistance is based on race, when it's not. It is based on class. People see these events and make generalizations and this in turn leads to racial tension. If steps are taken to make "classless America" a reality, then these racial tensions would ease. Reaction Paper Number 1Unit 1 : Interlocking Axes of Oppression Works CitedLangston, Donna. "Class and Inequality." Race , Class, and Gender . 20 January 2000.Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Company 1998.West, Cornell. "Race and Racism." Race, Class, And Gender ...
