By definition, "social class" usually refers to economical position in society e.g. upper class, lower class, etc. I believe it encompasses all forms of social categorization, such as the social tier system in high school. This is an example of people being pigeonholed based on materiality, adeptness in sports, and other superficial things that do not constitute a person's worth. Predetermined social standing eliminates the concept of individuality and therefore is a bane to society, but it's so culturally integrated that it's impossible to avoid.

Social classes naturally establish themselves in a community. You could say it's wired into our brains to assimilate ourselves based on our perceived worth in a society, instead of establishing an image for ourselves. This is why social cliques exist. These cliques often take a holier-than-thou attitude and ridicule and reject people that might wish to associate with them.

Unfortunately, the same fundamentals that create this classification also provide the backbone for our community. Meaning allowing everybody equal and fair opportunity would cause a major disruption in employment, and offset the fragile financial equilibrium. While it would be ideal to focus more on improving the social aspects of our nation, it would be difficult to do so based on the widespread ignorance that's already became a staple here.

The problems with this system are numerous. The elitist attitude of higher social classes and the submissive shame of the lower classes definitely don't contribute to the idealized nation we want to live in. The "you earn what you get" argument just doesn't apply in our social climate when it comes to financial success. There is a trend of minorities and women being on the short end of the stick when it comes to jobs, which affects overall quality of life.

Ignorance plays a large part in determining the way our class system is set up, because of the discrimination that disallows equal opportunities among people who earn them. Somebody may be chosen for a job based on their race, sex, or creed even though it isn't blatant like the segregation era. Prejudice and pre-conceptions fuel that corruptness of the social class system. Wiithout it, our nation would be a much better place to live in.