--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There are two social classes in…" description: "\"“There are two social classes in Pakistan,\" Professor Superb said to his unsuspecting audience, gripping the podium with both hands as he spoke. \"The f..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/273/mohsin-hamid-798_end-of-the-day_there-are-two-social-classes-in-pakistan_1489426.jpg" --- # There are two social classes in Pakistan," Professor… ![“There are two social classes in Pakistan," Professor Superb said to his unsuspecting audience, gripping the podium with both hands as he spoke. "The first group, large and sweaty, contains those referred to as the masses. The second group is much smaller, but its members exercise vastly greater…” quote by Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/273/mohsin-hamid-798_end-of-the-day_there-are-two-social-classes-in-pakistan_1489426.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/273/mohsin-hamid-798_end-of-the-day_there-are-two-social-classes-in-pakistan_1489426.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/273/mohsin-hamid-798_end-of-the-day_there-are-two-social-classes-in-pakistan_1489426.jpg) > ““There are two social classes in Pakistan," Professor Superb said to his unsuspecting audience, gripping the podium with both hands as he spoke. "The first group, large and sweaty, contains those referred to as the masses. The second group is much smaller, but its members exercise vastly greater control over their immediate environment and are collectively termed the elite. The distinction between members of these two groups is made on the basis of control of an important resource:air-conditioning. You see, the elite have managed to re-create for themselves the living standards of say, Sweden without leaving the dusty plains of the subcontinent. They're a mixed lot - Punjabi and Pathans, Sindhis and Baluchis, smugglers , mullahs, soldiers, industrialists - united by their residence in an artificially cooled world. They wake up in air-conditioned houses, drive air-conditioned cars to air-conditioned offices, grab lunch in air-conditioned restaurants (rights of admission reserved), and at the end of the day go home to an air-conditioned lounges to relax in front of their wide-screen TVs. And if they should think about the rest of the people, the great uncooled, and become uneasy as they lie under their blankets in the middle of the summer, there is always prayer, five times a day, which they hope will gain them admittance to an air-conditioned heaven, or at the very least, a long, cool drink during a fiery day in hell.”” [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The elite in Pakistan create a privileged, climate‑controlled bubble, highlighting inequality based on access to resources like air‑conditioning. **In simple terms:** We class lives in comfort while most suffer heat. Key Takeaway Address resource inequality and its social impact. Themes inequality class resource control Mood critical reflective Type satirical analytical When to use this quote - urban planning - policy making - community activism Key Concepts Social stratification environmental justice Questions to Reflect On - What resources create modern class divides? - How can societies ensure equitable access? A Different Perspective The satire may oversimplify complex social dynamics. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [End of the day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/end-of-the-day/) [Pakistan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pakistan/) ## Related quotes > [All new money is made through the shifting of social classes and the dispossession of old classes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-stead/all-new-money-is-made-through-the-shifting-of-social-classes-and-the/) [Christina Stead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-stead/) > [There are three social classes in America: upper middle class, middle class, and lower middle class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-martin/there-are-three-social-classes-in-america-upper-middle-class-middle/) [Judith Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-martin/) > [China is a one party state. 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The second group is much smaller, but its members exercise vastly greater control over their immediate environment and are collectively termed the elite. The distinction between members of these two groups is made on the basis of control of an important resource:air-conditioning. You see, the elite have managed to re-create for themselves the living standards of say, Sweden without leaving the dusty plains of the subcontinent. They're a mixed lot - Punjabi and Pathans, Sindhis and Baluchis, smugglers , mullahs, soldiers, industrialists - united by their residence in an artificially cooled world. They wake up in air-conditioned houses, drive air-conditioned cars to air-conditioned offices, grab lunch in air-conditioned restaurants (rights of admission reserved), and at the end of the day go home to an air-conditioned lounges to relax in front of their wide-screen TVs. 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