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Overclass is a
Why the Right Is Wrong for America
1996
1995 1995 neologisms Social groups Power (social and political) concepts Political pejoratives {{society-stub
Overclass is a pejorative
A pejorative word, phrase, slur, or derogatory term is a word or grammatical form expressing a negative or disrespectful connotation, a low opinion, or a lack of respect toward someone or something. It is also used to express criticism, hosti ...
term for the most powerful group in a social hierarchy
A hierarchy (from Ancient Greek, Greek: , from , 'president of sacred rites') is an arrangement of items (objects, names, values, categories, etc.) that are represented as being "above", "below", or "at the same level as" one another. Hierarchy ...
. Users of the term generally imply excessive and unjust privilege and exploitation of the rest of society.
The word is fairly recent, with the ''Oxford English Dictionary
The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the principal historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP), a University of Oxford publishing house. The dictionary, which published its first editio ...
'' including it only in December 2004, but it has been in use since at least 1995. Some writers compare it to the more familiar ''underclass
The underclass is the segment of the population that occupies the lowest possible position in a social class, class hierarchy, below the core body of the working class. This group is usually considered cut off from the rest of the society.
The g ...
'':
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.
Perhaps the most commonly agreed-upon "overclass" consists of leaders in international business
International business refers to the trade of goods and service goods, services, technology, capital and/or knowledge across national borders and at a global or transnational scale. It includes all commercial activities that promote the transfer o ...
, finance
Finance refers to monetary resources and to the study and Academic discipline, discipline of money, currency, assets and Liability (financial accounting), liabilities. As a subject of study, is a field of Business administration, Business Admin ...
and the arms trade.
See also
* Lists of billionaires *Oligarchy
Oligarchy (; ) is a form of government in which power rests with a small number of people. Members of this group, called oligarchs, generally hold usually hard, but sometimes soft power through nobility, fame, wealth, or education; or t ...
* Power elite
In political and sociological theory, the elite (, from , to select or to sort out) are a small group of powerful or wealthy people who hold a disproportionate amount of wealth, privilege, political power, or skill in a group. Defined by the ...
* Ruling class
In sociology, the ruling class of a society is the social class who set and decide the political and economic agenda of society.
In Marxist philosophy, the ruling class are the class who own the means of production in a given society and apply ...
* Transnational capitalist class (also see Superclass)
* Upper class
Upper class in modern societies is the social class composed of people who hold the highest social status. Usually, these are the wealthiest members of class society, and wield the greatest political power. According to this view, the upper cla ...
* Underclass
The underclass is the segment of the population that occupies the lowest possible position in a social class, class hierarchy, below the core body of the working class. This group is usually considered cut off from the rest of the society.
The g ...
References
Further reading
* ''Newsweek'' cover story on "How the new elite scrambled up the merit ladder—and wants to stay there any way it can."External links
Why the Right Is Wrong for America
1996
1995 1995 neologisms Social groups Power (social and political) concepts Political pejoratives {{society-stub