An Unclassy Comment

While looking into the debates over class separation in America, I came a across an interesting quote from former Presidential candidate, Rick Santorum. In responding to Governor Mitt Romney's use of the term "Middle Class." Santorum explains how he avoids using this term because "There are no classes in America. We're a country that don't allow for titles."

Really? One read of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald strongly convinces me otherwise. Fitzgerald  shows 3 distinct, separate classes in just a small area of Long Island: The East Eggers with "white palaces" that "glittered", the West Eggers with "less fashionable" housing (5) and those who come from the "valley of of ashes" where "ashes take the form of houses" (23). I think the closest America would ever come to having "no classes" is if it turned to communism. Even then, I doubt a truly classless society would exist. 

I also think America is country that not only"allow[s] for titles," but a country that allows for titles to have great influence. Just today in class I saw this while reading about the history of Winnetka's "Big Ditch" railroad system. This supposedly safer system was not implemented until after the wife of the "director of the Community House" died in a train-related accident, despite the many previous fatalities. Winnetka also  received government funding for this project from the Public Works Administration (PWA) even though it was during the Great Depression. How did the village manage to do that? Perhaps this had something to do with the title former Winnetka resident, Harold Ickes, held: "Secretary of the Interior" and "Administrator" of the PWA.

Is Santorum really blind to this clear class separation of America, or was he just getting a little to optimistic in saying that America has no classes? How is it possible for America to achieve a classless society? Is it?