Gentry (United States)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The gentry of the United States is largely the society of the upper class for America, with wide variations of income and wealth not unlike other parts of the world. Members of the American gentry are generally not members of the hereditary, but certainly can be and are. Some scholars, most notably David Brooks (journalist), have theorized that the gentry has established itself as a "new upper class."
In the mid-20th century, "Gentry" the magazine, was the leading elite society lifestyle publication in America.
[edit] Work ethic of the American gentry
The U.S. gentry is unique among elites in its propensity to work harder than the general population. In the past, gentries sought to minimize time spent working due to a belief that work was detrimental to the quality of life. Most members of the American gentry have no choice but to work due to social pressures if not economic exigency; for a highly-educated person to be unemployed, even if wealthy, is seen as a sign of failure.
There are several theories as to why the American gentry, unlike others, places an emphasis on work. The first is that it results from the growth of technological infrastructure which, created by that gentry, requires a large educated class to implement, maintain, and improve. The second is that, with the increased diversity of work available to Americans, it is generally easier for a member of the gentry to find rewarding work appropriate to his or her own talents or goals. While it is considered more prestigious, and overall better, to live a leisure life than to toil in an unrewarding job, it is considered even more prestigious to have rewarding work, and to spend a considerable fraction of one's life at this work. Some people within the gentry overestimate their work hours, and elite college students have a tendency to spend many hours on academic or other intellectual pursuits. Even "slacker" students (who consider it prestigious not to spend large amounts of time on study) usually invest a large fraction of their time into start-up businesses or independent intellectual pursuits.
[edit] Politics of the American gentry
The American gentry is largely centrist, with a tendency toward social liberalism and fiscal conservatism. In the 2004 election, the gentry tended to vote largely Democratic, though this may be, in part, due to the social classes of the candidates.
John Kerry symbolizes an archetype of middle class success; he came from an upper-middle class background, was a public attorney, and became wealthy. While a few criticized him as a social climber (class ascendant) for marrying into upper-class wealth, and for his membership in the elitist, anti-democratic, and undeniably upper-class secret society Skull and Bones, most members of the gentry viewed him as a hard-working, intelligent, and competent individual.
By contrast, George W. Bush was not a member of the gentry; he displays an anti-intellectual, lower-middle class persona based in part on his early years in Midland, Texas - how much of that is for political purposes is impossible to definitively ascertain. Combining class traits of two of the gentry's stereotypical "class enemies", he became highly unpopular among that group.
Most of the American gentry can afford world travel, and Europe and Latin America are popular destinations. For this reason, social democratic politics are becoming a predominant characteristic of the gentry.
