Social class mobility and change

Social Class

CHANGE in SOCIAL CLASS

Social class refers to the categorization of one's standing in the society according to level of income. People with higher income enjoy better social status and thus their social class improves. Wining a lottery had always been a dream. I knew that was the fastest and shortest route to enough wealth that could allow me to buy a better social class. I had been tired of living in a cramped apartment, of street fights, of wearing those old shabby clothes from downtown sales and simply tired of a poor existence. My prayers were answered one beautiful day in May two years ago when I suddenly woke up to the life-changing news that I had won $5 million in a national lottery. It was like the most terrifying and the most exciting moment of my life. Terrifying because I knew life will not be the same again and exciting because it also meant I could now have all that I ever wanted.

With the changes that money brought into my life, my whole lifestyle changed. I always knew that money would change my lifestyle but little did I know that it would also change the way I thought and would also positively affect my vision of the future. As I moved from the cramped apartment to a luxury bungalow near the beach, I suddenly found myself surrounded by the rich and famous. Most of the people in my area were well-known personalities and almost each and everyone was immensely rich. Their lifestyle started influencing my lifestyle as well. I started wearing trendy clothes from upscale shops like Bloomingdale and Neimen Marcus. I changed my small car for Mercedes Benz and got myself a cool SUV as well. I began noticing how the people in the area communicated with each other. They were always polite, never loud and almost always slightly aloof. Interestingly my relationship outlook changed too. I no longer wanted a man who had a decent job, I wanted someone rich, handsome and someone who could give me the lifestyle I had suddenly stumbled upon.

The most important thing that changed was the way people now greeted me. I was almost always a center of attention at malls and in upscale markets. Shopkeepers and salespersons were dying to cater to my needs and a few people even asked me if I was model or if I was in the film industry. It was simply amazing. I was not just suburban rich, I was superstar rich and there is a good amount of difference between the two.

Interestingly when you become rich, confidence just comes to you automatically. You become more confident, more secure and start looking more beautiful as well due to all those beauty treatment that you can now have. That changes your view of yourself and also influences the way people interact with you. They want to listen to you; they like being in your company and you are invited to almost all the best parties around. It was a superb life and one that I was enjoying beyond belief. I no longer cared about the various coupons you could find in newspapers because I could afford almost everything. I almost had half of my money invested in stocks. And with all this money, I now started thinking more about investing in my education. I had barely gone beyond high school and even my high school education was nothing to write home about.

A got myself enrolled in one of the best colleges and began thinking about a career in advertising. I realized just how many opportunities you could have with money at your disposal. My life had not only changed in terms of clothing and food, it had also changed the way I viewed my future and myself. It changed the way I connected with others and changed the group of people I could now relate to.