Classism In People Like Us

Last class we watched an informative documentary named “People like Us, Social Class in America”. America is known to be a country defined by class. Throughout the movie it showed different opinions on what class was based on by different people and the answers varied from looks, house size, career choice, race, manners, upbringing, and education. As we move through life, most times we remove ourselves from different people not in our class to then live amongst those who share similar backgrounds and who we are most comfortable with. As stated, “if there is class, there is an inequality one cannot explain and it perpetuates itself”. Revealing class can expose hope, fears, prejudice and a myriad of different emotions that we may not all be comfortable speaking about. I feel as if part two and part three were most applicable to myself because they are something that I have experienced both directly and indirectly.

In reality class always matters and it shapes our interests in life. We all come from different background and ethnicity. I believe that class is shaped mainly by income and occupation. However, many people think if a person is wealthy, therefore, he belongs in the upper class. But there are other factors that define class and it is more than just how much money you have. It can be the network of people that surrounds, traditions, and academic status that can also define class. Many of it has to do in which family you have been born and network that creates it. All of my family members have been born and raised in Russia; they completed universities, got jobs, and had enough income to support a family. “Each of us is born into a family with a particular class identity and class history—sometimes it is a mixed or hybrid identity—but almost always it is part of a network of other relationships—to other families in a community, to work and jobs, and to institutions” (Zandy 112).

The readings examined how classism has negatively affected economics in the United States, how oppression manifests in taking financial advantage of groups of people who cannot advance financially, and systemic issues contributing to low wage and inability to move out of one’s social class. I was struck by the idea that most people in the United States are disadvantaged financially based on the way the country has set up its economic policies. From the beginning, black people have been oppressed by the inability to attain wealth, which continued through the end of WWII. I unnecessarily read a chapter speaking about financial companies targeting poor people, particularly people of color, with money schemes so they are losing their hard-earned money to fees and interest rates. This scheme continues to keep people in debt and living paycheck to paycheck. I related to the reading about college loans creating a paradox that students with degrees enter the workforce unable to find a job in their their field of study. Then the added paradox of not being able to find work making

The concept of social class has been around for ages and is still a part of today’s society. Social class is not only based on the individual’s wealth but also on their social standing such as; monarchs, priests, nobles, merchants, and peasant class. The peasant class was practically ignored, which means that the higher classes would only pay attention to each other. This can be the case in society today, there are some people who feel that their career makes them higher than a janitor. Even though humans have been around for centuries, social class is still a big issue.

In the first article titled “Class in America” by Gregory Mantsios the discussion on class affecting the United States negatively is brought up. Gregory talks about the fact that people do not choose to be poor but they are put into situations where they cannot move up in class. Due to the fact that class creates an immense gap in communities, there are many issues linked to being categorized as the lower class. In the article Gregory states that “class affects more than lifestyle and material well being. It has a significant impact on our physical and mental well-being as well.” CITE) The author connects the idea that if you are in the lower class than you will also deal with other issues include your mental and physical health declining. Alongside this idea, the author also states “All Americans do not have an equal opportunity to succeed, and class mobility in the United States is lower than that of the rest of the industrialized world. (CITE) This goes along with the idea that once your born into a class, breaking out of it is virtually impossible. The author is also making the point that in the United States class is more problematic than other developed nations and because of this not everyone is given the chance to break free from a poor lifestyle.

One component of this idea is a social mobility. Social mobility is the movement of individuals or families within layers of social stratification. For example, if some family of first generation of immigrants (who are usually considered as low-income families) will work hard and get some college education, they probably can improve their social-economic status and move upward direction to the lower-middle class or even to the middle class level. However, to move from the low-income class status upward to the upper class status will be very difficult or even impossible for this family. As was written above, only 1-3% of American population is in the upper or upper-upper classes and this is like “private club” for the rest of population. The membership of this “club” is difficult to earn; many members of this upper class group received their statuses from their parents or grandparents and this looks like a “cast” of privileged people. This privilege gives many advantages and influence in political, educational, religious and other institutions. These advantages make upper class as a dominate group and underprivileged lower classes as subordinate group; and this stratification is describing classism. Carol Brantley and her colleagues (2003) state that “Classism is the systematic oppression of subordinated groups (people without endowed or acquired economic power, social influence, and privilege) who work for wages for dominant group (those who have access to control of the necessary resources by which other people make their living).” Classism says that upper class members are more educated and smarter than low-income and working classes’ members because they and their children can afford very expensive or exclusive education worldwide. Whereas, oppressed groups are lacking this opportunity to get prestige

Social class describes the different "layers" that exist in society. These "layers," or classes in society, are a division that civilization has been running on ever since the beginning of mankind. In most modern societies, our system of social class division is one of opportunity. We experience a good deal of social mobility, where people through generations or in their own lifetime can move up or down the social scale. By examining the many different perceptions of social class along with S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders, it is illustrated that social class has an impact on people while they are growing up, and will usually deny them from rising above adversity.

If I were to ask you what class in the United States you were, would you want to, or be able to answer that? This is a very relevant topic put forth by Gregory Montsios in his work, Class in America. Montsios argues that the United States should either recognize class, or recognize that class is not relevant to the betterment of our great nation. He continues this argument by putting forth several myths and explanations for the way that class is seen in America. After this, he talks about different realities that are put before us, and how it affects our nation. I believe that in America today, class is not important, but can be skewed to make it to where some people have to follow different rules for different reasons, so I think class shouldn’t be recognized due to this.

Economic class has been one of the reasons behind inequality and discrimination in our society. Inequality is one of the main issues in America, in which people are not provided with equal opportunities. Income inequality is increasing rapidly between people, as the economic progress for lower and middle class is not improving. As a result of income inequality, social inequality is increasing within a society. The difference in payment levels does not only affect the family status, but it also reduces their chances of affording health insurance and providing better education for their children.

Class can restrict someone from taking a path they want to pursue either because they are being discouraged from trying it or because they don’t have the means to get themselves there. The article in the Washington Post titled “Why are working class kids less likely to get elite jobs? They study too hard at college,” outlines why kids from higher classes are more likely to get elite jobs. They say “Basically, if we think of economic inequality as a sporting competition, elite parents give their kids a leg up, not only by being able to afford the equipment necessary to play but also by teaching them the rules of the game and giving them insider tips on how to win.” I believe that this is a good illustration of ways that members of the working class are at a disadvantage.

Classism: a tender discussion because we all are guilty, simultaneously oppressed and the oppressor and no one enjoys the feeling it brings. The documentary “People Like Us: Social Class in America”, helped me explain my own subconscious thought process to open my eyes to the true inner workings of social class. Throughout the documentary, the topics that truly touched me were the ability to acknowledge class, understand my own class, and how the classes intermingle.

Classism is just as much as a big deal as sexism and racism. It’s just not used as often as sexism and racism. Classism is a big thing in To Kill a Mockingbird, and everyone knows it too, except Miss Caroline. One day Miss Caroline tries to give Walter Cunningham a quarter ,but she doesn’t know that Cunningham’s don’t accept what they can’t repay. The kids tells Scout to explain and she does. “Miss Caroline, he’s a Cunningham.” Miss Caroline takes it the wrong way so she punishes Scout. This is an example of classism because the Cunninghams are poor and can’t pay off debt so they choose not to accept

Race still predominantly plays a role in everyday classism. Discriminatory housing practices traps minorities in the lower class for generations. Moreover, America’s healthcare system unfair to people who have low income. Also, Public transportation does not properly serve the needs of those who use it; as well as, it makes it formidable to secure, and maintain a stable job. Additionally, education for the poor unequal in graduation rates; along with, a social polarization against lower class students. Classism in America is an old, yet consistent problem that, creates an unfair economic divide of

Classism is defined as a Relative social rank in terms of income, wealth, education, occupational status, and/or power. But is really is a negative or biased attitude due to the distinctions made between social classes. I believe that classism destroys the world due to the categories that society has invented in our minds. Classism is expressed in numerous amounts of ways; a few examples would be through social class, sexual preference, racism, and the media. The economy easily breaks down people into a certain class to define whether should be known as someone to remember or someone who can easily be forgotten. People who are wealthy are able to take advantage of the class they are put in, which is of course the superior class. They are able

Classism is the systematic oppression of subordinated class groups to advantage and strengthen the dominant class groups. It’s the systematic assignment of characteristics of worth and ability based on social class. ….Classism is held in place by a system of beliefs and cultural attitudes that ranks people according to economic status, family lineage, job status, level of education, and other divisions. Middle-class and owning- or ruling-class people (dominant group members) are seen as smarter and more articulate than working-class and poor people (subordinated groups)…(What is Classism, p. 1).