Society has always been able to cause people to conform to some degree, whether due to attitudes of the moment and the desire to be accepted or personal beliefs of the time period. "Mass production, according to this outlook, was investing individuals with tools of identity, marks of their personhood" (Ewen 187). If society is able to cause this conformation, then what of these tools of identity? Are they objects used to cause these likenesses of people or are they merely status symbols that are yearned for by all? After all, most people do want to keep up wi

"The priority of facades was becoming a characteristic feature of American middle class life" (Ewen 190). These facades seem necessary to lower and middle class people because they are trying to appear wealthy and powerful. They think that if you have the accouterments of power, like the $50,000 car and the vacation home, that they will be seen as powerful, as movers and shakers, as do-ers. "It takes a lot to see that is there both without flinching or turning away and without bitterness. The world exists; the writer testifies" (Atwood 33). We all testify, if you will. We all speak and are aware of what goes on around us. Some of us dig beyond the surface. We have to go below the superficialities to recognize the power struggle for it is not easily seen. Publicly struggling for power is as distasteful as openly claiming to be poor. The main problem with our consumer middle class society is that we are rejecting other people for not having the power that we ourselves do not possess. With that, power becomes a class issue. The American class system is set up so that in order to catapult to the next level one must do something phenomenal. Otherwise, you cannot make it. Above you, people have a fear of you, the lower class, infiltrating them and making them middle class. You, in turn, have a fear of the indigent class invading your safe neighborhoods and turning them into new ghettos. Our so-called class system is perpetuated by ignorance, phobia and a great deal of selfishness. But unless born to it, one cannot make that leap into the upper echelon without being both egotistic and petrified of failure. Otherwise what would drive them? If you identify power with money then only really wealthy people have power. These same people run the government so it is to their benefit to establish and encourage a division between classes. "In its symbolic identification with power, the 'middle class' performed, and continues to perform, a political function; it effects divisions among people who otherwise might identify

Some common words found in the essay are:
Beanie Babies, , middle class, class system, people power, middle class people, run government, people run government, society able cause, people run, artist speak, tools identity, able cause, class people, society able,
Approximate Word count = 1379
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)