Middle Class Stereotypes

Every time that I muster up the courage to exercise it is like every part of my body bounces, like dropping a tennis ball from a fifteen story window and waiting for it to settle. My mind screams “Work harder! Obtain your goals!” while my body lags behind whining about wanting to sit on the comfortable couch at home. Unfortunately I have never been able to match those two up. The first time that I had questioned my size was in the first grade when your teacher makes you line up by height and not by name. I was easily the tallest kid in my class, towering over the little boys and girls with both my height and my stature. I remember looking back behind me and seeing all of the other kids judgmental eyes glaring at me and in my mind

Even among whites, social hierarchy is evident. Each class looks down on the one below it-

There are many different types of jobs in the world; some of which people feel are better than others. Factors like the amount of money and amount of education affect the stereotypical perception about certain jobs. There are two different types of work, blue-collar and white-collar. Blue-collar jobs are seen as the “working class”. The “Working class” refers to low-wage workers that are void of a college education, who struggle to get by economically. It is also perceived that the “Working class” is lazy, unproductive failures who have limited upward mobility, or relics of earlier era of industrialization. It’s important that people realize the amount of skill level it takes to do different types of jobs, and although pay may not reflect the effort or the soft and technical skills needed, or physicality that is respective for those jobs; these jobs should be viewed respectfully. Jobs like cashiers and waitressing have a bad reputation, but they take a certain skill level that people have to develop just like any other white-collar job. People skills, public speaking, ability to sell items on the menu, multi-tasking, and so much more are necessary to be a success in this type of career choice or job. Matthew Crawford talks about this in his book, along with Mike Rose, on how there is a lack of appreciation and respect for the skill set it takes to do blue collar jobs, and how the stereotypically stigma couldn’t be further than the

Americans also hold idea that theirs is a “classless” society. Derived from revolutionary ideas in Europe and shaped by American dislike for special privilege based on birth or rank, this classless notion had denied culturally derived differences based on caste or inheritance but extolled differences in status based on ability and achievement. This concept of classless men obscures the fact that blurred and non-rigid stratification lines based on achievement and wealth, position and power, do exist in America. Sociologists generally divide American society into three strata or class: Upper class, middle class and lower class. Frequently they make gradations within these three

We are always told that we, people in America, are completely free, from speech to freedom of choices. A common known fact by all sociologists is that that way of thinking is completely false. The reason for this is the way we act, from the way we do our hair to the way we treat others, is hugely influenced by our society. To be more specific, the urge to fit in is fueled by the leadership, and crowds we consider “cool” in our society.

The article “Class in America” by Gregory Mantsios exploited the sad truth that is the American class system. Throughout the piece we are introduced to different myths about the economic spectrum that are later debunked by hard facts and evidence. On a day to day basis here at Monmouth University I am surrounded by fellow students who I would believe to be in the same social class as me. Growing up I never viewed myself as exceedingly wealthy or poor by any means but I knew my parents had to work hard for whatever income they could get. My family is what this article identifies as “middle class”, but after reading it should I begin to think of myself as less than that? According to the article, classes should not even be discussed because there

Based upon the lecture it is now my opinion that race is an ideology and should not be considered a physical fact. As presented in the lecture, just because someone appears to be black, does not mean they should be classified as solely “black.” The example given about Barack Obama having a white birth mother and black birth father, and yet he is classified as black. I am curious to know if Obama himself classifies himself as black, or if this is something the public classifies him as. I think most people consider race as a physical fact but should not. An example being when someone appears to be Asian, but in reality they could be a mixture of different ethnicities. Many stereotypes are based upon physical facts, rather than the actual knowledge

Before this class, I’d never had a real discussion about classism, and as I read about the subject it became clear as to why. As Mantsios states, “People in the United States don’t like to talk about class…Workers are more likely to identify with their employer, industry, or occupational group than with other workers, or with the working class” (150). Class has become a taboo subject in this country, and people have become unwilling to admit that they are working or lower middle class. I had no idea that this phenomenon was so wide spread, I just thought that my parents were weird about money. Now, my family doesn’t struggle to pay the bills or put food on the table, but we aren’t cruising through life either, despite that I’ve never heard my parents talk about our class standing. If I were to make an educated estimate

Growing research has explored the impact of ethnic stereotypes on mental wellbeing amongst Asian Americans, one of the most rapidly expanding ethnic groups in the United States (United States Census Bureau, 2010). The stereotype of Asians in America as an academically and economically successful ethnic group who have “made it” in America are often labeled as a “model minority” (Lee et al., 2009). More specifically, the model minority myth refers to the idea that Asian Americans in the U.S. are perceived to have high educational, occupational, and economic statuses and are able to acculturate better due to these successes in comparison to other migrant groups (Gupta, Szymanski, & Leong, 2011). The idea of a “model minority” instilled the assumption that any migrant group can pursue the American dream through determination and hard work (Lee, 2009). This assumption focuses on the upward mobility of Asians in America yet fails to address the socio-cultural disparities of varying Asian sub-groups. The flourishing Asian population in the United States presents a growing concern for mental health

In examining the definitions that were provided to us in class, power was defined as “control, money, influence, government, authority, dominance, military, the right vote, a person being able to choose someone else’s status” and said to be “made from the weakness of others.” A good example of power would be if you asked everyone to close their eyes and think of an individual who has true power in the world, or to think of a person with power that they would like to become. White men will probably think of a different type of person than black women. When I envision the general stereotype of ‘power,’ I most likely have a different image in my head than another UNC-Charlotte student of a different race, or of my father who is in the military,

Plato, a great Greek philosopher once said, “Any city, however small, is in fact divided into two, one of the city of the poor, the other of the rich; these are at war with one another.” To clarify Plato’s quote, the division can be summed up as there are two types of people in the world; the lower class and the upper class. Furthermore, the statement of war in his quote may not be referred to as a physical altercation, however, a reference of class stereotyping. It is a known in the past decades, which individuals of each class are taught to stereotype people of a different religion, gender, and especially class. Reason being is that each individual belong to a different class and culture group that most individuals are not familiar with.

Have you ever been in a debate between something? Well in the article “ Is this generation really more informed?” We read about how people think that this generation is more informed than the generations in the past because everyone has technology and phones. But not all people are correct. Everyone is not always informed about the right things. Some people are more worried about the things that interest them than about things that are important to the world.

How do you think you fit in this country? Are you a low class member, or a high class member, or are you a middle class member. I believe I'm in the the subcategory of the middle class particularly the lower end.

After reading these statistics, it really made me think about how unfair this country really is. Everyone always talk about how fair we are and how everyone has an equal chance but after seeing the stats, it doesn’t look that way. I feel like there are underlying assumptions being made when he says, “the chances of being a poor citizen, or even a middle-class citizen, making it to the top in America are smaller than in many countries of Europe.” For me that is kind of hard to believe because that just doesn’t make sense, but it is true that really scares me. As a young adult about to “head off into the world,” these statements make me feel not as ready to be out there in the world. I thought was I was pretty ready, having a part

​ Without a doubt, those who are “rich” and those that are “poor,” in terms of material possession, share a similarity: the desire to be rich or richer.  No one really wants to be “poor.”  Those who are rich are rich through inheritance or have mastered the know-how to become rich. Such as Prince Williams, who obtained his wealth from his mother and father, Princess Diana and Prince Charles of Whales.