Social class is based on power. We often think of class in terms of different incomes or life styles, and it is true that those differences exist. But the basis of class differences is in the different amounts of power people have, at work and in the larger society. Income and power are obviously related. Now think of your class situation in terms of power.
Power can be visible, as when a supervisor has authority over a workforce.
Invisible power is transmitted in the culture, in the education system, and in the occasional visible application of power to discipline people who think or act in ways that challenge the rules. To understand how class operates in society, we need to look at the ways visible power relations, usually at work, are reinforced by invisible power in the larger society. Do the same for television programming. Looking at class in terms of power lets us see the relationships that operate in society and helps us understand how we fit into those relationships. Chapter one gives a detailed account of the three classes that make up U.S. society.