Economic (Social) Class Disparity

The Family Ties Podcast - True Crime Podcast Series

This week, Kelley Richey and Julia Avery discuss the disparagement between upper and lower classes, corporate and societal greed, flawed government and financial systems, and human nature.
If you were asked which American Economic Class (social class) you fell under, would you provide the right answer? Surprisingly, based upon a study conducted by Gallup, Americans often misassign themselves to their actual social class. This is largely due to the fact that “social class” has not been well defined. The factors in how Americans determine their social class may vary. Perception of status can be influenced by additional factors such as income, online real estate education, location, and family history.
Decades of economic policies that favor Wall Street and corporate CEOs have created an economy that is dangerously out of balance. Corporate executives continue to line their pockets with our labor and ensure the rules are written to favor them.
Kelley and Julia discuss two movies where the issues discussed in this episode are told effectively and challenge us to look closer at the economic and class structures in place around the globe: The Platform and Parasite.
“The Platform,” a Spanish film directed by Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia, is set in a large, tower-style "Vertical Self-Management Center" where the residents, who are periodically switched at random between its many floors, are fed by a platform, initially filled with food, that gradually descends through the levels. It is a system bound to cause conflict, as the residents at the top levels can eat as much as they can, leaving increasingly little for those below.
“Parasite,” a South Korean film directed by Bong Joon-ho, follows the members of a poor family who scheme to become employed by a wealthy family by infiltrating their household and posing as unrelated, highly qualified individuals.
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