The
video ‘People like us’ discusses the social class in our society. The point
this video tries to make was that products we use and choices we make represent
our “Social location.” It has been believed that money allows us to have a
freedom to create our own lifestyle. On the other hand, others claim that no
matter how much money you have, it doesn’t change your social status. The upper
class requires not only money, but manners, attitude, and so on. People can
tell where you are belonging to depending on how you speak, what you wear,
where you live, how you treat people, and even which brand bread do you eat
every morning. White’s upper class dominates American lifestyle culturally and
politically. In addition, race is a huge part of defining class. Upper middle
class in African American community insists they have a trouble to be treated
as they deserve. The fact they can’t move up their social status or they can’t
get invited by White’s certain club, even though they are belonging to the
certain club class’ criteria statistically and financially teaches wrong value
to their children. As in, African American kids think they should act like a
white kid to move up or to be invited. This class is very deep in our society
even unconsciously. I believe nobody is free from class stratification. No one,
whether you are rich or you are poor.
Professor also said in class that everyone in the society is ranked. People rank one another by knowledge, social manners, jobs, etc. In my opinion, racial stratification is not the main part of ranking system, but money and power rule the rest of the world because the people who own power and money define the values and the meanings of being in different classes. They could re-generate the cultures, the trends, the fashions of upper class, middle class and lower class.
ReplyDeleteI believe race is not the only criteria of social class stratification, but I think it is a huge part of it. In fact, money and "have" is not the only part either. In the video, they states very clearly the social class is not only matter of material possession. Actually, that is the part, which I got inspired a lot. Furthermore, race varies by places and times. As we studied today in class, how people think of race changes all the time, because it is socially constructed. Perception changes every day. My point is the criteria, which divides people into classes, is neither race nor money. It is both race and money. Of course, there are more.
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