Discordia ordinum venenum est urbis.
(Anonymous)

The discord of the social classes is the poison of the city.

pron = dis-KOR-dee-ah OHR-dee-noom veh-NAY-noom ehst OOR-bis.

Comment: Discord between the social classes is poisonous, and not just
in the city. In the world, too, it is a poison. To me, this is a
statement of fact. The more enticing question that we fail to ask is
why there is discord between the classes. When the question is
raised, it is frequently dismissed with simplistic answers.

I'll offer a school example that mirrors social discord. Why is there
frequently discord between teachers and students? The simplistic
answers that are offered back usually include the immaturity of
students (multiple versions of "kids these days"), the confusion of
parents (various versions of "parents these days"), and the
interference of government in schools or church in schools--the
faceless "them" that is "above us".

In other words, when we even raise the issue, the simplistic response
is that "they" are the problem. "We" are just living our lives.

How do teachers use their power? Any teacher who answers that one
question honestly (or, better, asks his/her students to answer the
question honestly about them) learns an important lesson about discord
in their classroom, if there is any.

How do social classes use their power? How do the social classes with
the most power use it? Ask those they use it on.