My own experiences with social class are in many ways both similar and different to the social class experiences of the rest of the U.S. Just like the majority of Americans who describe themselves as middle class Americans, I also associate myself as someone who is in the middle class. I don't feel as if I am scraping by or worrying about my next meal, but I also don't feel as if I can freely buy extravagant items without any worry.
According to the article "Shadowy Lines That Still Divide", the U.S. has supposedly become a society that is moving toward classlessness. I think this is true in the sense that it is increasingly difficult to tell what class someone is from, but I think that below the surface social classes are still a powerful force in the U.S. One reason that it may be more difficult to tell classes apart is because people are willing to go into debt in order to be accepted. They may have a nice car or a nice phone, but in reality they are not actually able to afford these items. On the flip side, the place where I see social class affecting Americans more than ever is in education. The article "Shadowy Lines That Still Divide" also raises this point by saying, "At a time when education matters more than ever, success in school remains tightly linked to social class." Throughout my experiences, I have realized the importance of parent involvement and having the proper resources in order to get into college. With the number of students furthering their education at its highest, it is harder than ever to get into college. In my own life I have seen that the students who do not have college resources, active parent involvement, or access to good education seem to be left behind in the race to college. I know that without my parents guidance with finding scholarships, or getting financial aid, I would not be able to afford the expense of college. This is where I see the largest gap in social class.
The documentary "People Like Us" also opened my eyes to many different aspects of social class. I did not realize how different the way of life is on the opposite ends of the social class spectrum. It was very interesting and surprising to hear that the "Silver Spoon" Americans even have certain phrases they use or topics of conversation that associate them with their class. They also emphasized the idea that you can't become one of them or learn how to be like them; you are simply born that way. This made me question if it really is possible to move up the social economic ladder, or if everyone is constricted to their previous way of life. The documentary "People Like Us" and the article "Shadowy Lines That Still Divide" both said that it is very difficult for someone to move up or down the economic ladder. They also pointed out that the only place where you see movement is in the middle class. As someone who is a part of the middle class, I feel that I would be able to move up the economic ladder, but it would be through education and hard work. I am very thankful that I have had the opportunities that I do, and I hope that these opportunities would one day be available to everyone no matter the social class in which they are born.
I really enjoyed reading this. I agree with you in that it is difficult to determine a person's social class by their appearance, but that social class is still important to U.S. society. It seems that people are not so judgmental, because they can't apparently decipher someone else's social class, but its the internalized feelings, I feel, that really affect people now. For instance, someone from the lower working class might feel as though they will never be able to change, and they will be deemed worthless by society. Someone from the upper class may carry themselves with a certain "grace" as they are commonly less concerned about their social standing.
ReplyDeleteSo, yes, the lack of obviousness has blurred the lines of social division, but the feelings are still running strong at the heart of Americans.
I also agree with you that America seems to becoming a classlessness nation. A lot of the people associate themselves as Middle class americans. Most people don't really consider themselves to be on the verge of poverty or to be extremely wealthy, that is only for the very small one percent of americans. I also agree with you when you say that we are more acceptable of being in debt. I feel that most people in America just don't care that they are in debt and just continue to buy bigger and better things, even when they don't have the funds to purchase the products. I loved reading your post. A lot of what you said I also agree with, and you helped support your statements by using the knowledge gained from the readings as well as the movie we watched.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that it in some places, it can be extremely hard to differentiate social classes. However, it is still viewed as important to American society. Often times, people will judge others based on their social class. I also agree that it seems that the only way to move up in social class for middle class Americans is through working exceptionally hard to get yourself into a good place.
ReplyDelete