I had always wanted to be just like Indiana Jones, an archeologist, who traveled all over the world and almost always got the girl. When I was a kid that was my life and my dream. I prioritized my life to my dream at the time, I even used to take my sisters Barbies, which she disliked, and would “mummify” them which usually consisted of wrapping them in toilet paper, and burying them in an old shoebox deep in my backyard. A few days later I would “excavate” the mummified remains, and dig up the shoe box. It’s a childish example but it’s understood that even at a young age I worked towards my goal. That was my work ethic, my drive and determination as a kid to be like Indiana Jones, to be an archeologist. Much like my aspirations as a kid had a drive, so does everyone else in the world, it is a possibility that it occurs that the work ethic is affected by a class one is a part of. This is certainly seen in the many poor and middle class citizens that work hard and aim for a higher lifestyle. However, the end result is the same not only do the middle and lower classes work hard, but so does the upper class demonstrated by many of the CEO’s interviewed by Kasperkevic. So to say that work ethic is different among classes is in some ways wrong because work ethic is a will to work found in everyone, no matter what they do or who they are.
The work ethic can be defined as many things and by many definitions, but they all roughly mean the same thing; a mutual belief in the
Class systems matter only to what a person makes it out to be. When someone is in college trying to make a living with a fast food job, they are probably not making enough to pay off all their payments. This example would put that specific person in the lower class. If one works in an office for a superior company and has a good payment rate, they are more than likely in the middle class. The owner of the big business who makes a ton of money a year- pays that underclass working individual to work for them- is considered upper class. They have higher quality than all the others.
After reading Michael Zweig's “The Working Class Majority: America's Best Kept Secret”, I read and was able to determine his own perspective of class. Zweig says that the United States is not a middle class society and that the majority of Americans today are part of the working class. He defines class as power, power in the workplace, cultural, economic, and political and in the larger society and not so much the income. I think he defines class as power due to the fact that we as people have the power to experience class in many ways. We are all born and raised differently and all come from cultural backgrounds. He briefly explains how there is a high class and low class depending how you were raised. I can agree with him on that statement to an extent personally due to the fact that sometimes the worst parents in the universe can raise you, but you alone can show yourself a thing or two about morals and life lessons simply by living them. That does not mean that your parents don’t play a
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 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.
Social class is a very important factor proving everyone does not have an equal chance to become successful. The American Dream idea
In “The Protestant Work Ethic: Just Another ‘Urban Legend?’” Jonathan Klemens, the author, states what work ethic is and how it applies in American society. Klemens explained that the work ethic of the workers in a company or some type of organization has helped the nation as a whole. Klemens explained that people work hard to achieve “the company or organization’s missions” (122). Not only that, Klemens also explained that people would work hard to gain the particular professions they desire instead of just working with no goals.
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
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.
Class Matters challenged many of my original beliefs on class including the belief that if you worked hard, had a good ethic, and stayed determined you could easily become part of the upper-class. Throughout the course of the first chapter I would slowly drift away from this belief. One argument the authors of Class Matter made is that globalization and the outsourcing of jobs has made it harder for lower class Americans to make the jump from low class to even the middle class. The reason for this is the fact that many of the factory jobs that are being outsourced to foreign countries where once the stepping-stones for lower class workers trying to enter the middle class. With those jobs are gone the only ones left usually require higher levels of education, which can be hard to achieve for low-class workers, or jobs that provided no opportunity for increasing you class. Some people say that these people choose to not get a high level of education, but that is not necessarily true. Many of the low-class workers, when applying for college, must compete with higher class applicants who come from more prestigious high schools.
The work ethic I speak of is the Protestant work ethic, I am a religious man myself and believe my hard work has lead to my salvation in God’s eyes. The protestant work ethic “is a concept in theology, sociology, economics and history which emphasizes that hard work and
Concept 1: I come to realize that classism is degree of difference based on social perceived class, which is all teetering on one paycheck. I also come to understand, from the movie American Winter, that middle class people are finding themselves, laid off, foreclosed, and unable to pay their utility bills causing so many people in our own community to be one paycheck from poverty, eviction and homelessness. The middle class is working hard one day and the next day going to homeless shelters, food banks and even selling their own plasma just to put food on the table (Gantz 2013). Homeless shelters are quickly
A possible explanation for difference in attitudes between the classes is that working class parents may have an element of expecting their children to take over the family business or follow in their footsteps as it was good enough for them.
This is a case study on A New Work Ethic written by James Sheehy a human resources manager. According to the Business Dictionary (2011) ethic is define as the basic concepts and fundamental principles of right human conduct. It includes study of universal values such as the essential equality of all men and women, human or natural rights, obedience to the law of land, concern for health and safety and, increasingly, also for the natural environment.
I have really high expectations for myself and what I am capable of this fall at Mount Olive College. I have very high goals for myself and have revised what I believe to be a well guided plan to achieve them. I feel eager and excited to unleash my mind, thoughts and the power of my determination. I know that it’s going to be a lot of hard work and its going to take a lot of time. Also, with that comes the bittersweet of sacrifice, of parts of my life that I am going to have to change in order to succeed. But my grandfather has always told me “anything worth having is worth working hard for.” I am my biggest critic and supporter all in one. I know that the only person that can stop me from doing what I came to do is me. No one else has the
At first introduction I am seen as perpetually cheerful and high energy. Coworkers, friends and acquaintances recognize quickly that I am fiercely competitive, passionate about my work, and easily classified as Type A personality. It is clear from my Instagram account I am obsessed with the outdoors; from skiing and hiking to mountain biking and camping, I search for adventure as often as possible. My Facebook is littered with photos of my four-year-old’s choice in outfits and silly quotes showing her viewpoint on the world. (“I’m a strong, interpendent woman!” is a recent favorite.) What many people don’t know, however, is the laundry list of traumas and tragedies I have endured. I often get the shocked deer-in-the-headlights look when someone finds out both my parents died within two years of each other. When it comes out that I married young to escape my emotionally abusive mother, just to realize my husband was also abusive, the comment is usually on how courageous it must have been to file for divorce and leave with my young toddler in tow. It is not uncommon to hear the exclamation, “But how are you so happy still?” after hearing of my multiple miscarriages.