This paper explores how society perceives different groups based on race, class, and gender. The paper will compare and contrast Robert Grandfield’s research on how elite students from working class interpret their perspective of stigma of social class and Edward W. Morris’s analysis of inequality in education based on race, class, and gender.
The Sociological Perspectives by Race, Class, and Gender
In Robert Grandfield’s reading, Making It by Faking It, the working class students come to school with “a great deal of class pride” (Grantfield,1991) and for the purposes of helping the people in the lower class by working in the field of social justice. Another purpose is to climb up the social class which is also known as upward mobility. However, students that attend elite law school with a working class background may feel a lack of competence unlike the upper class students. To be in the higher group “Working-class aspirants to the social elite, however, must accumulate cultural capital” (Bourdieu and Passeron 1990; Cookson and Persell 1985). Their prestigious educations that admitted them into elite school are neglected as they feel alienated in school. Working class students begin to feel isolated or different once they entered law schools. They are pressured by the fact that other students have prestigious academic credentials. A credential gap is created and caused working class students to feel incompetent in this elite school. They begin to adjust
Social Class and Education”. It opens by discussing research conducted in the 1960’s in an effort to identify factors contributing to differences in the academic achievement of Whites and Blacks (Banks & Banks, 2013). Researchers hypothesized that the achievement gaps were mainly the result of disparities in school resources and characteristics, but found that there is a high correlation between achievement and socioeconomic status (SES) (Banks & Banks, 2013). Furthermore, attention is drawn to the class stratification which exists in our educational system and works to maintain inequality through exclusion strategies such as ability grouping and tracking (Banks & Banks, 2013). Evidence of the correlation between social class and
It appears to be that the discussion of race and class in America has become amplified, especially in the last couple of years. For many, it is a touchy subject that hits close to home. With the presence of social media and news that feeds off of racial tension in America, the issues are polarizing and difficult to productively discuss. America’s handling of race and class relations is generally not something to be proud of, and there exists a long history of issues with race. It is clear that there is a lack of understanding and empathy of what others experience toward those who are oppressed. So often it is too easy to dismiss another human’s experiences as reality if one has had no prior encounter with the same challenges. Race is easy to sweep under the rug, but we must address the problem, and it is not a one size fits all solution. It is a problem that has been years in the making and continues to have an enormous impact on our human capital from an economic standpoint. And most of the time, there is a correlation between race and class.
Jay MacLeod in his ethnographic study “Ain’t No Makin’ It” indicates how education can play a pivotal role in reproducing class inequality over generations. He does so through analysis and observation of two groups of young men. The first group self-titled the “Hallway Hangers” are mostly made up of white youth, while the second group labeled the “Brothers” are chiefly comprised of young black men. The Hallway Hangers defy American Achievement Ideology, which suggests that success can be achieved through hard work, and do not believe that their schools could provide opportunities for success. In contrast, the Brothers seemed to really care about the education they receive.
Privilege is giving someone unearned advantages that all cannot attain. When you are privilege most likely you are ignorant to the fact that you have received the best education, compared to others who do not share the same privileges. In this article the author mainly discusses the effects of social and economic privilege in our education system. Socio-economics deals with a person social class and income level. People who have the advantage of belonging to this social class are upper-middle and the upper class. They are the people who make six or more figures, compared to those who only make about $40,000 a year. The upper-middle and the upper class live opulently. To live opulent you have to have money, and money brings status and influence in
The racial stereotyping of minority groups is a prevalent problem within the United State’s criminal justice system. It is a regrettable issue which permeates American society. The young Black male, in particular, is often portrayed as a criminal based on incorrect assumptions regarding who perpetrates crime. There are several components contributing to the criminal stigma of Blacks. The way crime is conveyed by American culture is possibly as important as how crime actually functions. The widespread belief that Black males commit the majority of crime skews the view society’s perception of Blacks. Typifications of Black males include a violent, threatening, thug-like character. The connection between race and crime is so deeply seeded in
Stereotyping and discrimination are very deeply ingrained in American culture. Even though there have been movements taken to combat stereotyping and discrimination such as the Civil Rights Movement, the Women’s Rights movement, and the Black Lives Matter Movement, it still exists. This raises the question of, how do we end it? While there is no definite answer there is a way to avoid stereotyping and discrimination. The three essayists Bharati Mukherjee, Judith Ortiz Cofer, Brent Staples and show that by learning about stereotyping, people can also learn how to change themselves to avoid discrimination based on stereotypes. By comparing and contrasting these essayists experiences as well as outside research to show the theme of why people
Race, gender, and social class has several implications in the United States and how it shapes policy and perceptions of those who live in poverty. Current welfare systems are not perfect, and capitalistic policies do not work as intended to solve income inequalities. Given this, we will discuss social inequalities and capitalism, the welfare system, and propose two policies that solves welfare, and social and income inequalities.
When registering for classes for the Spring semester I looked at the required courses that I had to take based on my major. I then came across one of them which was Social Issues. The title intrigued me, so I decided to fit it into my schedule. I felt that the course would be interesting and be an enjoyable class to take. I had an idea of what the course would be about, but when I walked into the first class I was surprised how much the course would actually be covering in terms of race, class, and gender.
1. Describe the difference between race and ethnicity. What roles do race and social class continue to play in the United States?
Prejudice and unfair encounters shift according to the social class. Examines apparently express that there is more frequency of segregation particularly with regards to the reports given on the higher social, monetary status of “African American” teenagers when contrasted with the lower social, financial situation of their partners (Sons, 2015).
According to social psychology, explicit attitudes are people’s conscious views or attitudes that they are aware of while implicit attitudes are hidden unconscious attitudes that people have. So the outcome of both tests conflicted with my explicit attitudes about race and gender. My explicit attitudes about race were that all race are equal and that I have no preference over any race. The same applies to gender too in that female and male are equal and that I don’t prefer one over the other.
How a person is viewed by society also depends on their class. From a young age, children are often subconsciously taught to recognize members of
How you do in school, your social ability, and your awareness of others are all guided by how you identify. Identification in one’s gender, race, religion, social class, and ethnicity are all driving forces behind your future self. Identity is a crucial part of who you are, and in recent studies and experimentation researchers have been trying to identify new, untested factors that influence behavior in people. Although, in the past there hasn’t been a strong focus on the positive and negative effects of race and ethnicity, the conversation is now shifting to align itself with the current times. With America becoming increasingly more ethnically and racially diverse, we must take the time to see how certain factors, specifically race and ethnicity, impact a person’s development and behavior.
For as long as I can remember, class has been something I have been physically conscious of, almost like it was a sentient being in the room with me. Into my adolescence, I often felt like an outsider looking into the upper class lifestyle, uninvited but somehow present—like Cinderella at the ball, if you will. As a white, private school girl, I passed as much as I could; appearance-wise, nothing was really out of the ordinary, and no one suspected that anything was amiss. I was living a strange double life, it seemed, just another presumably wealthy student in a predominantly wealthy school, interacting with (and competing with) the children of millionaires by day, going home to my average, one-story home on the “wrong side of town” by night. I was not always aware of this visible disconnect, however, and it took me a while to come to terms with what that meant for me and my future, both as a privilege and as a disadvantage. I only recently began exploring myself in this light, and discovered things I had never noticed before about my own and others’ experiences.
The Ways in which Power and Privilege Shape World View When reflecting on power and privilege there is a tendency to gravitate to the majority race/culture as those who are beneficiaries of power and privilege. It does not take much to realize and notice that most of the power and privilege belong to the majority race. Depending on a person’s perception this can be viewed as negative or simply as acceptance of how the world is. To be discussed in this paper is the social class status change of Anthony in addition the effects that Anthony is experiencing also expand to his interpersonal relationships and social activities Worldview and Social Class Influences and Case Study Anthony states that at the early age of 16, due to his parent’s divorce, their social class status changed for the worst (Thomas & Schwarzbaum, 2006).