Today's social classes can be defined as follows:
Two Broad Classes are Working Class & Petty Owners who depends on wage/salary/profit for survival and Capitalist Class whose main income comes from owned properties like factories machines land house shares stocks etc.
Working Class can be divided into to two sub classes:
Poor who depends on unskilled easily available low paid but regularly demanded jobs and Middle Class who depends on skilled less available high paid but not much demanded jobs. In Indian context one who earns Rs 15,000 per family member per month to Rs 1000,000 per month per family member is Middle Class. Below Rs 15,000 is Poor. Most of Poor's money goes to eating and health while most of Middle Class money goes to housing education and health. 95% people belong tho these Working Class or Petty Owners.
Capitalist Class can be divided into six sub classes:
1st Group has Minimum Rs 100,000 per month per family member earning mostly as interest income or profit on investments with net asset worth from Rs 2 crore to Rs 5 crore. Their assets are spread within domestic nation. This class is often one generation self made rich who often destroys their own wealth by bad investment and bad consumption. They often earn money in illegal ways and so state often seize their money.
2nd Group has net asset worth from Rs 5 crore to Rs 20 crore. They belong to Global Millionaire Class (sometimes a bit short but yet close). Their assets are spread throughout the globe. Some of 1st Group if lands here can survive but self made ones in general find it very difficult to stay here. They also come through illegal activities. But as they are shrewd enough to distribute wealth throughout the globe, any one state cannot seize their property or punish them.
3rd Group has net asset worth from Rs 20 crore to Rs 300 crore. Their assets are distributed across the globe and they often have political connections on which their business depend. Comprador class of any country has to remain content at this stage. This Group is often stuck here. Few is added here and almost nobody falls from this group. This group of rich is considered to be permanently rich. Some of them become member of the 4th Group after showing loyalty and acquiring knowledge for generations. They are not ruling class but definitely they are the top notch of the ruled ones.
4th Group has net worth Rs 300 crore to Rs 1,000 crore. They in general belong to ruling nation of a country. If any member from ruled nation join the club he can be taken down by state i.e. ruling nations. This Group is actually beginner Ruling Class.
5th Group of net worth Rs 1,000 crore to Rs 10,000 crore is exclusively reserved for ruling nations only. Their business depend a lot of state and political connections. They are either billionaires or aspiring billionaires. A country's foreign exchange reserve and exclusive imports and technologies are often maintained through this group's accounts.
6th Group is of net worth above Rs 10,000 crores and are clearly billionaires who have even the right to suggest and often shape a country's policies.
Now think, can a Working Class or Petty Owner become a member of the 6th Group of Rich?
Answer is a Middle Class has no way as his family is too small and has few trustable allies. He has too much to be desperate and he has too little to be adventurous. So a Middle Class can only see 5th and 6th Group and do orgasm.
A poor if has a big family with a lot of trustable friends then he can enter 1st Group or 2nd Group but often slips in the process.
Social Upward mobility is almost impossible today.
Author: Saikat Bhattacharya
