60 Un der s ta n di n g A r a b s others are poor and overpopulated, with a high percentage of peasants and manual laborers. There is usually ver y little tension among social classes. Arabs accept the social class into which they were born, and there is relatively little effort on the part of individuals to rise from one class to another. In any case it would be difficult for a person to change social class, since it is determined almost entirely by family origin. One can improve one's sta- tus through professional position and power, educational attainment, or acquired wealth, but the person's origins will be remembered. A family of the lower class could not really expect social acceptance in the upper class for t wo or three generations. Similarly, an upper-class family that squandered its wealth or influence would not be relegated to lower-class status for some time. Foreign residents of Arab countries automatically accrue most of the status and privileges of the upper class. This is due to their professional standing, their level of education, and their income.