Overclass

Pejorative social term

An image from the Occupy Wall Street protests in New York City, which were partially protests against the perceived overclass Wall Street elite

Overclass is a pejorative[1][2] term for the most powerful group in a social hierarchy. Users of the term generally imply excessive and unjust privilege and exploitation of the rest of society.[3][4][5]

The word is fairly recent, with the Oxford English Dictionary including it only in December 2004,[6] but it has been in use since at least 1995. Some writers compare it to the more familiar underclass:

> We now have a quite new phenomenon in the history of the republic: two radically isolated sectors of the population, the underclass and the overclass. Both are in an adversarial posture toward the great majority of Americans, the overclass by virtue of ambition and unbounded self-esteem, the underclass by virtue of social incompetence and anomie. Between the two there is a fearful symmetry on many scores, but their service to each other is far from equal.[7]

The influence of the actions by the overclass have been rigorously studied, particularly with regards to notions of intersections between the overclass and specific races. Most notable of these racial overclasses is the NEWBO, or NEW Black Overclass in America.[8]

Perhaps the most commonly agreed-upon "overclass" consists of leaders in international business, finance and the arms trade.[9]

## See also

[edit]

* Lists of billionaires
* Oligarchy
* Power elite
* Ruling class
* Transnational capitalist class (also see Superclass)
* Upper class
* Underclass

## References

[edit]

1. ^ The next American nation: the new nationalism and the fourth American revolution – Michael Lind – Google Books
2. ^ Fighting Poverty, Inequality and Injustice: A Manifesto Inspired by Peter ... - Google Books
3. ^ Chronicles – Rockford Institute – Google Books
4. ^ This Land Is Their Land: Reports from a Divided Nation – Barbara Ehrenreich – Google Books
5. ^ Delight of the Overclass! Demise of the Middleclass! - Jay T. Baldwin - Google Books
6. ^ Quarterly updates to OED Online
7. ^ Farewell to the Overclass 1996 Richard John Neuhaus
8. ^ Hawkins, Lee (February 26, 2009). "CNBC Special Report: The New Black Overclass". NBC News. NBCNews.com. Archived from the original on March 16, 2014. Retrieved September 7, 2016.
9. ^ Rothkopf, David J. (2008). Superclass: the global power elite and the world they are making. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN 978-0-374-27210-4.

## Further reading

[edit]

* Adler, Jerry (July 31, 1995). "The Rise of the Overclass; The Overclass 100". Newsweek. 126 (5): 32–46. – Newsweek cover story on "How the new elite scrambled up the merit ladder—and wants to stay there any way it can."

## External links

[edit]

* Why the Right Is Wrong for America, 1996
* To have and to have not, 1995

* v
* t
* e

* Social class

* Status
* Stratum
* Economic classes

| Theories|

* Elite theory
* Gilbert model
* Marxian
* Mudsill theory
* New class
* Spoon class theory
* Weberian (three-component)

|

Related topics|

* Caste
* Chattering classes
* Class conflict
* Class discrimination
* Class society
* Class traitor
* Classicide
* Classless society
* Euthenics
* High society
* Nouveau riche / Parvenu
* Poverty
* Ranked society
* Snobbery
* Social cleansing
* Social exclusion
* Social mobility
* Social orphan
* Social position
* Social stigma
* Subaltern
* Status Anxiety

By demographic

| By status|

* Administrative detainee
* Alien
* illegal immigrant
* refugee
* Citizen
* dual or multiple
* native-born
* naturalized
* second-class
* Clique
* adolescent
* Convicted
* Migrant worker
* Political prisoner
* Socioeconomic
* Stateless

|

By "collar"|

* Blue
* Green
* Grey
* New
* Pink
* White

By type|

| Ruling|

* Aristocracy
* Aristoi
* Hanseaten
* Magnate
* Oligarchy
* Russian
* Patrician
* Ancient Rome
* Post-Roman
* Political
* Family
* List
* Hereditary
* Royal family

|

Intellectual|

* Clergy
* Priest
* Knowledge worker
* Professor
* Scholar

Warrior|

* Chhetri
* Cossacks
* Cuāuh
* Harii
* Hashashin
* Knight
* Kshatriya
* Nair
* Ocēlōtl
* Pendekar
* Samurai
* Spartiate
* Vanniyar/Vanniar (Chieftain)

Upper|

* Business magnate
* Elite
* Gabellotto
* Gentry
* Lord
* Nobility
* Landed
* Petty
* Old money
* Overclass
* Robber baron
* Seigneur
* Superclass

Creative|

* Bohemians

Middle|

* Bourgeoisie
* Petite
* Burgher
* Lower middle class
* Upper middle class

Working|

* Commoner
* Lazzaroni
* Lumpenproletariat
* Pea-pickers
* Peasant
* Precariat
* Proletariat
* Working poor

Under|

* Ant tribe
* Outcast
* Outlaw / Prisoner
* Serf
* Plebeian
* Rat tribe
* Slave / Freedman
* Untouchable

By country or region

| United States|

* Affluence
* American Dream
* History
* Mobility

Classes|

* Upper
* Black
* Donor
* Gentry
* Middle
* Black
* Mexican-American
* Upper Middle
* Underprivileged
* Lower
* Under

Income|

* Household
* Inequality
* Personal
* Poverty

Standard of living|

* Education
* Homelessness
* Home-ownership

Other regions or countries|

* Africa
* Belize
* Cambodia
* China
* Colombia
* France
* Haiti
* India
* Iran
* Italy
* Luxembourg
* Nepal
* New Zealand
* Nigeria
* Romania
* Sri Lanka
* Tibet
* United Kingdom
* United States

Historic|

* 18th-century Spain
* Ancient Greece
* Ancient Rome
* Aztec
* Ottoman Empire
* Pre-industrial East Asia
* Pre-industrial Europe
* Soviet Union

* Category

* v
* t
* e

High wealth

Concepts|

* Capital accumulation
* Overaccumulation
* Economic inequality
* Wealth distribution
* Income distribution
* Consumption distribution
* History of economic inequality
* International inequality
* Elite
* Oligarchy
* Overclass
* Plutocracy
* Plutonomy
* Broligarchy
* Primitive accumulation of capital
* Upper class
* Nouveau riche (new money)
* Vieux riche (old money)
* Luxury goods
* Veblen goods
* Conspicuous consumption
* Conspicuous leisure
* Luxury beliefs

People|

* Billionaire
* Captain of industry
* High-net-worth individual
* Magnate
* Business
* Millionaire
* Oligarch
* Business
* Russian
* Ukrainian
* Robber baron

Wealth|

* Concentration
* Distribution
* Effect
* Geography
* Inheritance
* Dynastic
* Estate planning
* Management
* National
* Paper
* Religion
* Tax

Lists|

| People|

* Forbes list of billionaires
* List of centibillionaires
* Female billionaires
* Richest royals
* Wealthiest Americans
* Wealthiest families

|

Organizations|

* Largest companies by revenue
* Largest corporate profits and losses
* Largest corporations by market capitalization
* Largest financial services companies by revenue
* Largest manufacturing companies by revenue
* Largest software companies by revenue
* Largest technology companies by revenue
* Religious organizations
* Charities
* Philanthropists
* Universities
* Endowment size
* Number of billionaire alumni

Other|

* Cities by number of billionaires
* Countries by number of billionaires
* Countries by total wealth
* Countries by wealth inequality
* Wealth inequality in the United States
* Income inequality in the United States
* Most expensive items
* by category
* Wealthiest animals

Related|

* Diseases of affluence
* Affluenza
* Acquired situational narcissism
* Argumentum ad crumenam
* Prosperity theology

Philanthropy|

* Gospel of Wealth
* The Giving Pledge
* Philanthrocapitalism
* Venture philanthropy

Sayings|

* The rich get richer and the poor get poorer
* Socialism for the rich and capitalism for the poor
* Too big to fail

Media|

* Das Kapital
* Plutus
* Greek god of wealth
* Superclass
* List
* The Theory of the Leisure Class
* Wealth
* The Wealth of Nations

* Category
* by country

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