The Problems of Class Distinction

“EQUALITY MAY PERHAPS BE A RIGHT, BUT NO POWER ON EARTH CAN EVER TURN IT INTO A FACT.”

So said Honoré de Balzac, 19th-century French novelist. Do you agree with him? Many instinctively feel that class distinctions are wrong. Yet, even in this 21st century, human society is still divided into numerous social classes.

CALVIN COOLIDGE, president of the United States from 1923 to 1929, was concerned with the problem of social class distinctions and spoke of “the ultimate extinction of all privileged classes.” Nevertheless, some 40 years after Coolidge’s presidency, the Kerner Commission, appointed to study race relations, expressed fears that the United States would inevitably become two societies: “one black, one white—separate and unequal.” Some claim that this prediction has already come true and that “the economic and racial divide is growing” in that country.

Why is it so difficult to turn the idea of human equality into a reality? A major factor is human nature. Former U.S. congressman William Randolph Hearst once said: “All men are created equal in one respect, at least, and that is their desire to be unequal.” What did he mean? Perhaps 19th-century French dramatist Henry Becque said it more clearly: “What makes equality such a difficult business is that we only want it with our superiors.” In other words, people want to be equal with those above them on the social scale; but not many would be willing to limit their privileges and advantages by granting equality to those they consider to be below them.

In past times, people were born as commoners, as part of an aristocracy, or even as members of royalty. That is still true in a few places. However, in most lands today, it is money—or a lack of it—that determines whether someone is of the lower, middle, or upper class. Yet, there are other class indicators, such as race, education, and literacy. And in some places, gender is a major ground for discrimination, with women being viewed as an inferior class.

Glimmers of Hope?

Human rights legislation has helped to break down some class barriers. Antisegregation laws were passed in the United States. Apartheid was outlawed in South Africa. Slavery, although still existing, is illegal in much of the world. Legal decisions have forced recognition of the land rights of certain indigenous people, and antidiscrimination laws have provided relief for some disadvantaged classes.

Does this indicate the end of social class distinctions? Not really. While some social class distinctions may now be weakened, new divisions have begun to appear. The book Class Warfare in the Information Age says: “Generic classes of capitalists and workers seem inappropriate today, but only because these great classes have fragmented into smaller grouplets of angry people.”

Will social classes forever divide people? Well, as the following article will show, the situation is not hopeless.

Is a Classless Society Really Possible?

JOHN ADAMS, who became the second president of the United States, was one of the signers of the historic Declaration of Independence, which included these noble words: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” Still, John Adams evidently had his doubts that people are really equal, for he wrote: “Inequality of Mind and Body are so established by God Almighty in his Constitution of Human Nature that no art or policy can ever plane them down to a level.” In contrast, British historian H. G. Wells was able to imagine an egalitarian society based on three things: a common but pure and undefiled world religion, universal education, and no armed forces.

So far, history has not produced the egalitarian society envisioned by Wells. Humans are far from equal, and class distinctions are still a predominant feature of society. Have such classes brought any benefits to society as a whole? No. Social class systems divide people, resulting in envy, hatred, heartache, and much bloodshed. The one-time white-supremacy mentality in Africa, Australia, and North America brought misery to nonwhites—including the total genocide of the Aborigines in Van Diemen’s Land (now Tasmania). In Europe, classifying the Jews as inferior was a prelude to the Holocaust. The great wealth of the aristocracy and the dissatisfaction among the lower and middle classes were factors that led to the French Revolution of the 18th century and to the Bolshevik Revolution in 20th-century Russia.

A wise man of the past wrote: “Man has dominated man to his injury.” (Ecclesiastes 8:9) His words are true whether those dominating are individuals or classes. When one group of people elevates itself over another, misery and suffering inevitably result.