Final Summary/Reaction

As the final results of my survey came in, I was able to draw a few conclusions from my data collected. First and foremost, my hypothesis that there is classism in our immediate society was proven correct. About 57% of the survey responders have felt discriminated against and/or judged for their social class. 53% of the people had felt guilty for being more well off than others, 31% have felt inferior due to their low social class, with only 17% of the survey participants feeling neither of these feelings. I noticed that most of the people who said they did not feel like they had an important role in their society were part of the middle to lower annual income range. I had a feeling this would happen, as this is typical to a classist society. I was actually very surprised to see that about 69% of the participants said that they socialize with members of different class members frequently. Being in a not very economically diverse part of the state, it makes me wonder how accurate this number really is and who is it that these people are socializing with that are in a different social class.

Overall, I find classism to be something that is plaguing our society and needs to be stopped. It is widening the divide between social classes, and it isn't fair to discriminate someone based on their class in society. It seems like its going to be really hard to stop though, because it isn't something like racism that everyone talks about. It is more discreet and less well known. It is almost inherent in our human nature and will be very hard to stop. No law will be able to fix it. The way people feel inferior and superior to other people based on social class is something that can only be changed by the people themselves.

11 Research Update

I have put my survey onto facebook about a week ago. I put it in the IHA Class of 2015 facebook group as well as on my own timeline. I have gotten a lot of responses so far and am noticing some patterns already, as well as some early flaws in my survey and research method. First of all, I know right off the bat that the my results are biased. The majority of my responses are from female participants. Second, most of my survey participants are in the upper middle classes, so I really can't get a good representation of the lower classes. I had anticipated this before I sent the survey out though. From what I have seen so far, it seems that there are definite aspects of classism in our society. The results indicate that over half of the survey participants have felt guilty for being "more well off" than those around them. There were people who felt inferior because they aren't as wealthy, but this number was significantly lower, due to the fact that most recipients were in the higher classes. According to my responses so far, although there is classism in my immediate society, it doesn't seem to have negatively affected the majority of my participants. I am surprised to see that almost all of the survey responders responded that they interact with those of a lower/higher social class than them very often. It just didn't seem very likely to me as most of my immediate surroundings are upper and middle class people. I am excited to see what the final responses will show and whether the results will follow the same kind of trends that they have started.

10 Research Plan

For my social class experiment and research, I am going to use a survey that i create using google docs. I would like to ask questions regarding what social class people are in and then ask them questions pertaining to classism. Then, I want to see how the answers correlate to each other.  I'd like to see if classism is active in our immediate society in northern jersey/new york and if it is, how it affects people. I am going to put my survey on facebook. Ideally, I would like to get a wide range of people: people of different ages, genders, and social class. I think that although I am intending to get a wide variety of participants, my results are going to be biased and be mainly from the upper middle class social class, just because of the area I live in. I think that there will definitely be aspects of classism in our society. I think that many people will say that it has both negative and positive affects in their lives. Negative because they are so used to living wealthy lifestyles that they don't know anything else, but positive because usually things in life tend to go their way because they are in a higher social class and their needs and wants are sometimes given preference over a lower class citizen in a classist society.

9 Research Method

For my research, I want to look into the topic of classism.  I want to do an online survey and possibly put it out on Facebook to get responses from all different types of people. I need to figure out what responses to certain questions regarding classism correspond to which social classes those people are in.

8 Conclusion Post

Over the course of this blog, I have looked at many aspects of Social Class. There are obviously many different factors that goes into one's social class, and social class has many effects on someones life and how they develop and find their spot in society. Although here in America, there is no official class system, it is apparent that we have somewhat created our own that everyone has a spot in. In other countries, it is more formal and official. I don't think that the social class system here in America is an inherently bad thing, but it definitely has its flaws. I think that the higher classes tend to think themselves as superior while the lower classes tend to be looked down upon and feel inferior. Also, the upper classes are thought of as more educated, when really there are plenty of lower class citizens that are educated as well. Unfortunately, there are less opportunities for success for the lower class. They have less access to resources to help them in life. This can make it extremely difficult to get out of the spiral of poverty. In reality, social class is an important tool that people use in all aspects of their lives. From choosing where they want to work, learn, and who they want to socialize with, social class is a big factor. People tend to follow what the rest of their class is doing and what the class "norms" are. This I think can cause stereotypes and generalizations to form, because the class tends to be grouped together and referred to as one. In a way though, social classes can be good for people. THey allow people to share a bond of financial status, wealth, image and other factors. Those factors are generally equal in the same social class so people can relate well with each other. There are pros and cons to social classes, but I think the system is definitely here to stay. No matter what, people of the same social and financial status will group together and form an informal kind of class system.

SOCIAL CLASS POST 7

http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/social_groups_crime.htm

In this article, it talks about the relationship between social class and crime in England. According to studies done in prisons, a majority of the inmates are from the lower social class. Also, most street crimes are committed by people belonging to the lower class.  The article also goes in depth about how certain crimes are more frequently committed by certain groups of people. For example, young people are more likely to commit street crimes because their lifestyle gives them more of an opportunity to commit crimes. Although being young does not have its own social class, one could argue that young people on their own typically could be considered a part of the lower social class because they usually have no way to support themselves fully without the aid of their parents/guardians.

I think that it kind of makes sense that most street crime is committed by the lower class. Usually, they live in areas where there is abundant crime, and it is almost just a way of life in some parts. In other cases, it is necessary for them to get by. In order to survive, they might need to steal food or money. They just don't have a choice. Also, the lower classes tend to be less educated, which means that they really aren't able to get high status jobs, so they usually earn minimum wage and can't break the cycle of poverty which keeps them in theese bad areas. As for the younger people committing more crimes, that makes sense as well. Young people have less stable lives and often get put or put themselves in risky situations where street crime could easily occur.

SOCIAL CLASS POST 6

ARTICLE: http://www.classism.org/about-class

In this article, they discuss something known as Classism. Classism is when someone is treated better or worse, because of the class that they are in. Or the class that someone THINKS they are in. It is similar to how racism or sexism works, except instead of race and sex, its based on class. Classism is shown institutionally through policies and practices, and culturally through norms and values. According to the article, classism shows itself when a higher class acts superior or arrogant toward lower classes, or when people think of higher classes as more educated or articulate than the lower classes. Because the higher classes have the most influence over society, they somewhat decide what the social "norms"are. Classism shapes the structures of certain institutions, so the higher classes have a lot of benefits. Classism hurts poor and working class people. Classism can lead to neglect to the poor and homelessness, hunger, and disease. Classism can also harm the upper classes. Being treated as superior, given more privileges and being more sheltered from the world can give people in the higher class a false sense of security and not provide them with interaction with the outside world. They might start to feel guilty, thinking that they don't deserve what they have and don't know how to share with others what they have. Classism can contribute to inequality between social classes, because one class can think that they are superior or inferior to another.

I think this article really puts a word to something that goes on almost all the time and nobody ever really knows what to call it. I see this in almost all aspects of life. In retail for example, someone who is perceived to be wealthier and in a higher class will usually get helped first. It isn't discrimination based on race, its based on class. Both are bad, but classism is making assumptions about someones class simply based off of their appearance. I don't think this is good to have in our society. It puts the higher class above everyone and puts an emphasis on having a pristine outer image, to show off your social class. It really isn't promoting equality among social classes.

Social Class Post 5

Article: Social Class Influence

In this article, it talked about how the social class one is in affects a consumer's behavior and the effects that has on marketing strategies used. Obviously the higher social classes have more money, and are able to spend more on products. Social class is known as an "external influence" on consumer behavior because it doesn't have to do with feelings or knowledge. People of the same social classes tend to buy the same kind of products and shop in similar stores. People in higher social classes tend to buy more products, as well as products with a high quality than their lower class counterparts. Also, according to the article, the higher social class tend to be the primary buyers of luxuries such as fine jewelry, while the lower classes tend to buy mainly the necessities. The article also explains how marketing is tailored for certain social classes. The upper class consumers tend to be "future-oriented" people who have already achieved their economic goals and are now looking to better their ways of life. Quality of the product is a very important marketing tool directed at the upper class consumers. For the lower class, they are usually focused on affordable prices, which is something marketers tend to stress when dealing with the lower classes.

I always knew that certain classes were more likely to buy certain types of products and brands, but I never really thought about the marketing approach that companies had to use when dealing with certain classes. Thinking about it now, it makes a lot of sense. Marketers need to understand the values, ambitions, and aspirations of the social class that they are marketing to. It is all a lot more complicated than I had previously thought. I think this is a good thing. There shouldn't just be one flat set way to market to the people. To divide it by social class seems like a good idea, because generally people in the same social classes have the same priorities, values, and interests, which might differ a lot from someone of a different social class. Social class really does affect all aspects of life, including the economy and the marketing of products.

Social Class Post 4

Article: The Consequences of Social Class on Family Life

In this article, it talks about the affects that social classes have on family life. By family life, it mainly focuses on marriages, birthrates and family dynamics. As you can see in the image below, first marriage divorce is much more common for couples with  low socioeconomic statuses, than they are for those couples with higher statuses, in the upper and middle classes. The article also suggests that social class plays a role in shaping family structures. Research shows that the birth rate in countries with the majority of the population in lower social classes is higher than that of those of their wealthier counterparts. In fact, demographers have made a direct connection between average number of children per household and the economic development of a nation. It can also go the other way around. Social class can be affected by the family dynamic of a home. According to the article, single parent households are typically in a lower social class because it goes against the social norms of family life and dynamics. 

I found this article to be very interesting. It made a few really good points. For instance, it talked about how marriages among couples of lower classes are more likely to end than they would in a higher class. I think I would attribute this to the topic of financial stress. It most cases, people who don't really have to stress over financial problems tend to be happier and more at ease. Having to constantly worry about money can really take a toll on someone. It can make them tense and put strain on their relationships. I think this is what happens when it comes to divorce in the lower classes. Couples in lower classes often have to worry about money, which can lead to added tension and stress in a relationship, in turn possibly causing the marriage to end completely. On the other hand, couples in middle and upper classes, don't necessarily have to worry so much about money, therefore their is less of a strain on their relationship, therefore causing it to potentially last longer. Another point I found interesting, was how the class system and wealth affects the birth rates of countries. In countries where most of the country is in the lower class, you often find that the birth rate is higher. I think this is because they are less educated as a result of being in a lower class. They do not have the same lessons on methods of contraception and pregnancy prevention. In wealthier countries, where much of the country resides in the upper and middle classes, that kind of education is much more common so the birth rate tends to be lower. I also think that in higher social classes, the main objective in life is to acquire more money, and less of an influence is put on having children and a family. I'm not saying this is what every mindset of someone who is in a high middle class is, but it seems like that is a focus for many people in those classes. Finally, I found it really interesting how single parent households tend to be in lower social classes, because that kind of family dynamic violates the social norm. At first, I always thought it was because their was only incoming coming in from one person. I think that does have a big part of it, put am now realizing the fact that it is somewhat frowned upon always plays a huge role in it. Single parent households are unfortunately sometimes looked down upon, and not something that most people want to have. They aren't accepted totally in society, which somewhat explains why those household dynamics are more commonly found in lower classes. 

Social Class Post 3-Video

In this BBC video, it talks about the fact that in Britain, people are placed into one of 7 social classes. The factors of social divisions have become more complex. Some factors now include who you are friends with, whether of not you are connected with social media, and what your social life is like. There was a few new classes added to the typical elite, middle, and lower classes. A class known as "emergent service workers" is now a class that many young people fall in. These people have little money, but have busy social lives and are well connected with social media sites.


I found this video very interesting. First of all, it shows that like many things in society, social class evolves with the times. I think it speaks to the fact that in today's modern world we place a greater importance on our social lives and friends than people used to in the past. It definitely says something about the fact that we consider the fact that having a lot of friends can increase our importance in the world. In the past, the main focus was how much money you had, what car you drove, where you live, ect. Now, our attention has shifted to other aspects of life. I think it gives young adults more of a chance to establish themselves in society, without being written off completely, just because they don't have a ton of money. I think its looked at as more valuable to be  more connected with the latest technology and modern world advancements, than to be very wealthy and not know the first thing about the newest technology.

Social Class Post 2

NY TIMES ARTICLE
In this New York Times article, the topic of social classes in America is discussed. According to the article, the lines that commonly divided various social classes in the past are blurring. That isn't to say that they are totally gone however, there are still many divides, just in this day in age, the barriers are less obvious.  It is harder to tell someone's social class now just by looking at their race, age, religion, clothes, or political stance. In the past, all of these factors could help determine what social class someone belonged to. Now, these factors mean practically nothing. Although social class is now harder to determine, it still plays a huge part in the lives of Americans today. For example, class differences in health, education, and quality of life seem to be widening. Also, social class mobility seems to be slowing down and not as common as it used to be. According to the article, Americans are arguably more likely than they were 30 years ago to end up in the class into which they were born. Although this being said, the "elite" class is growing. More and more people are becoming self made billionaires, and less of the elite class consists of people who inherited wealth. The bottom line is, is that social class in American is still very real, influential aspect of who we are as a country and our culture, but the divisions and mobility of those classes have drastically changed.

When I read this article, I was surprised at a few things. I didn't really realize just how much social class plays a part in our daily lives. Just the area we live in and the school we go to can determine our social class rankings. In this day in age, it seems that we try not to separate people into classes, but in reality that is exactly what most people do. From the kinds of people we associate with, to the kinds of people employers hire, a lot of it is based on social class. However, if it is so hard to tell nowadays, how DO people make those judgements? If we can't determine social class by religion or appearance or opinions, what do we base it off of? And how accurate can those judgements really be? Why is call mobility slowing down? In these days, I would think that it would be a lot more mobile. I think it might have something to do with the current economy. Once people come across some bad economic luck, its hard to get out of now, because more and more people are in that same situation, struggling to pull themselves out of it. Because of this, those people are just stuck there and cant move up. There are probably a lot more factors that influence all the different aspects of social class.



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1 Introduction Post

I chose the topic of Social Class for my research. I chose this topic because I think it will be really interesting to see how social classes form in a community, and how certain social classes influence the way people act and think.