I feel as if in every situation I encounter, I somehow am able to tie in social class. During my lifetime, it seemed as if who you knew, how much money you had, how big of a house you had, what kind of car you drove, the type of career you chose, and who you are as a human being mattered. I will be honest, it took me years to get out of this habit of comparing people, having certain “stigmas” society has labeled certain groups of social class, and overall just to see people for who they truly were rather than the materialistic things that may have lingered behind them. Social class has had a big impact on my life, and has allowed me to shape and mold the thoughts and experiences I have today to be viewed a certain way, and these thoughts and experiences show how and why social class matters.
When I was in middle school, my friends referred to me as “rich”. “You have a big house Drew, so you must be rich!” My friends would say. Back then, I had no idea what “rich” meant. Did I feel cool? Of course. What 13-year-old wouldn’t feel popular when their friends call you rich and say you have money? During this time, I felt as if I was part of the upper class. I thought I was part of the upper class at 13 years of age because I had a big house, a nice fenced in backyard with a pool, my parents drove decently nice cars, and I really never saw my parents struggle with money.
Both of my parents currently work. My mother is a veterinary technician, and my father owns his own car wash and auto body with his four other brothers. When I was very young, my mother was a stay-at-home-mom. She was able to bring me to kindergarten, have me help her cook dinner, and I was able to stay home and play games with her. My father was (and still is) the head of the house hold, and was the “bread winner” per say.
As I got older, my mother began to work at the veterinary clinic. At first it was part-time, but eventually I noticed her working more and more and she became a full-time employee. At about the age of 15 is when I began to see a change in my perception of my social class. As stated before, I believed I was in the category of the upper-class due to my surroundings and what my friends have said to me in the past; but to my surprise, when I entered high-school, I had absolutely no idea that my own perceptions were about to do a complete 180 degrees.
I went to Winnacunnet High School located in Hampton, New Hampshire. Winnacunnet High School is considered a “co-op” school, so there were students enrolled from four different towns: Seabrook (where I am from), Hampton, Hampton Falls, and North Hampton. Before I entered high-school, I heard rumors over the summer from multiple people about the stigma around people who were from each town. Seabrook was considered the “trailer trash” and the poorest, or lowest class of the bunch. The kids who were from Seabrook were rumored to be “incest, trashy, and stupid.” The kids from Hampton were considered more middle class, they were considered more sophisticated. Their parents all had successful jobs, big houses, and drove either an Acura or Lexus. Kids from Hampton Falls were also described to be similar to kids from Hampton. Kids from North Hampton were considered the upper class of the bunch. Their parents all drove either a Mercedes Benz or a BMW. Their parents were either doctors, dentists, scientists of some sort, or some other career that is of the high salary and required a lengthy college degree or two.
You can imagine the anxiety I now faced the summer before entering high-school. “I don’t want people to think I’m incest or trashy or stupid” I would say to myself. I was so worried about what people would think of me. Of course, I had my friends from Seabrook, but high-school is about making new connections as well, and this was all so frightening considering the stigmas I now have to endure when I step foot in Winnacunnet. I had a sense of dismay, anxiety, and a feeling of overall disequilibrium. I felt as if I needed to increase my own standards to match those that were deemed to be more successful and of a higher social class. Liu describes this feeling of disequilibrium as a feeling when you have new claims or anticipations brought into an individual’s life and they react in a certain way to accommodate these claims (Liu, 2011). For example, when I was in middle school, all of the pretty, popular girls wore a clothing brand called “Hollister” or “Abercrombie.” These clothing brands were considered cool and there was this idea that girls who wanted to be deemed as pretty, wealthy (because these clothes were expensive) and popular, they needed to wear these brands. I, on the other hand, wore “Aeropostale.” Now Aeropostale was deemed as the “poorer” cute clothing brand for girls, and I felt the demand to wear the more expensive clothing brands, so I would hound my parents to buy me these articles of clothing instead of Aeropostale. As the academic year progressed, I noticed that the social class I once thought I was in was completely incorrect. I was in fact from the lower middle class and may even be considered from the working class to others. I began to realize that my parents in fact did struggle with finances. My mother was working more and more, and my father was working just as much, if not more. I compared myself to other students from different towns as I got to know them. Their parents had “vacation days” and were able to use these days to take their children to fun, exotic places such as Bora Bora or St. Lucia Island. I was never able to do these things with my family. Of course, we would go on a trip perhaps once every 6 years or so, but these kids went once or twice a year. I also noticed too how at the age of 15, my parents already had me working part-time. I worked at my father’s business helping to organize the building and collect funds and separate them. I remember clear as day that the first paycheck I received from his business, a whopping $80, he took 30$ of it, and claimed that since I am old enough to handle a job, I am old enough to start helping to pay my phone bill. This was a big slap in my face about my own social class as well. All these kids from other towns didn’t have to lift a finger for any bills, or a part-time job. They were able to go out with friends after school or have sleepovers on the weekend while I was stuck working 8-5 at my father’s shop. Was I angry? Of course. Was I jealous of other high schoolers my age? Most definitely. I didn’t fully understand at that age in my life why I had to work, and my other friends didn’t.
As time went on throughout high-school, sophomore year came around and I received my license. I had been saving up money from my part-time job and I got myself 2003 Honda Accord. I loved my car, but as others began getting their license, I would hear about how their parents surprised them with a 2015 or newer Jeep Wrangler or Lexus. The love for my car crumbled. I felt as if I wasn’t good enough. I was angry at my parents for not being able to afford their daughter a brand new, fully loaded vehicle. I was also angry at myself that I was not brought up in the lifestyle where receiving a brand-new car for getting my license was an option, or even a necessity. It seemed as if everyone else had a nicer car than me, and they didn’t even have to pay for it! I felt so angry at the world, and I felt uncomfortable in my own social class. I felt ashamed to be a part of the social class I have grown up in all my life. William Ming Liu is the creator of the Social Class Worldview Mode (SCWM). The SCWM was constructed to help the population separate each social class and to help define classism, and each form of class. It was also established to help the population have a better comprehension of social class and classism and to help clarify each specific term (Liu, 2011). According to Liu, who is the creator of the Social Class World View Model, the feelings I experienced of shame, depression, and embarrassment in my own social class is known as internalized classism (Liu, 2011). I began to get angry at the students around me who had these advantages, while I was left with the disadvantages, or so it seemed. I began to tell myself in my head that they were rich snobs, and that I was against the people who were deemed to be in a higher class than me. Liu also discusses this feeling of labeling the upper class in a negative way, and it is known as upward classism (Liu, 2011). The trend of 16 year olds receiving brand new vehicles was not common, possibly even inexistent in my community. The economic culture of my community was not able to support these types of purchases. The economic culture of my community was mostly lower or working-class families who were able to just make ends meet, their children went to public schools, it included a couple trailer parks, and it was a common occurrence to hear about drug busts or heroin users in Seabrook. Liu describes economic culture as different groups of individuals in one whole area who all experience similar class views (Liu, 2011). Throughout my life, I have also spent time in different economic cultures. For example, my jobs growing up as an adolescent, the middle school, high-school, and college I attend all have different economic cultures I was able to experience. Even my own home is considered an economic culture for me, because I am with my family and we are all experiencing similar class views.
I continued to experience these bouts of anger and unfairness (or so it felt) throughout the rest of my high-school career. As senior year came around and the pressure to begin applying for colleges kicked in, I noticed that these students in the assumed higher classes were getting accepted to prestigious universities, such as Northeastern, Brown University, and Boston University. I felt as if these students had social and cultural capital advantages over me when it came to the odds of getting accepted to these prestigious schools. Their parents had the “ins” per say and knew someone inside the University who had an important position, and it could have possibly helped the student(s) get into their chosen university. Their parents also had more financial stability than I did, therefore they were able to afford for their child to attend Brown University or Northeastern University. The students had more of a cultural capital as well. They were able to experience more events, and their parents were able to provide them with more experiences to help build their intelligence on culture. They were able to travel to exotic places and become more well traversed and fluent in different cultures. Liu describes social capital as imperative professional interactions and their overall shared link between relationships. Liu describes cultural capital as the social advantages or assets an individual may have (such as their speech, education, the way they dress, etc.) (Liu, 2011).
An article written by Jennifer Hochschild titled “Social Class in Public Schools” discusses the possible correlation of social class to a student’s educational career, and how it can impact the student(s), and it can also provide explanations for certain situations. For example, Hochschild mentions how children who live in certain districts with more poor students (such as Seabrook, New Hampshire, can experience an average of lower test scores and more students who will drop out. Districts with upper-middle to upper-class students were shown to excel in test scores and also were the most likely to continue on to post-secondary education (college) after they graduated high-school. White and Asian students were more than always able to excel in school, while other students who had limited English or disabilities did not excel as much. There were also some financial dilemmas mentioned in this research article as well. Students who are in an overall state of poorer health and well-being due to a lack of financial stability tend to perform less in school compared to students who are financially stable (Hochschild, 2003). This therefore effects a child’s willingness and motivation to learn and participate in the academic setting. This research hit close to home with me because I may have been categorized as having a lower class that a great majority of my fellow students, but I know some students who were struggling more than I was during high-school. Their parents were in more of a financial rut, therefore they were not always easy to handle in class and the teachers would not apply the same attention and patience to these students because they were difficult compared to the students who were not difficult and were able to learn functionally without any difficulties. I saw this research pop up a lot in my high-school career, and I do agree with this research. It isn’t always the students fault that they are struggling in school. It could be the answer of their parent’s financial stability, which tends to set them at a lower class, therefore more disadvantages, and can cause further issues with the students.
High-school came and gone, and I was on my way to furthering my academic career. I have always wanted to be a nurse, and I decided it was in my best interest to attend community college first because it was cheaper and I did not excel in high-school, so I wanted to build my GPA up before applying for a 4-year university. I really enjoyed community college, and it felt as if I was with students and friends who were relatively in the same social class as I was. We were all working to pay our bills, we did not have fancy cars, we were all in debt due to student loans, and we all had similar living situations. I felt equal in my own social class and I felt equal to everyone around me. I felt as if we were all trying to achieve the same goal; further our education and take the necessary steps we need to take in order to succeed. I was at a sense of homeostasis in my social class. I was content with the cards I have been dealt, and I was content with the social class I was categorized in. I understood that I was in this social class right now because I am a working college student and I have debt. I do not have the funds or the need to buy merchandise, a house, a new car, etc. Liu describes this feeling of homeostasis as having a sense of optimism in one’s own social class, and they are able to uphold these feelings in regard to their social class.
Moving on, I transferred from community college to Salem State University in the BSN Nursing Program. College is very enjoyable for me. I have met new friends, continued to grow and mature, and I love the nursing program. I developed a sense of positionality. The term positionality was able to help me put a name to the feelings I have felt. This term was able to help me understand where I am on the playing field of social class compared to other individuals, and why my ideas and thoughts about social class are the way they are. Positionality is a term used to describe how individuals view and interpret the world and the environment around them based on their own detection of where they are positioned, and how they can correlate this to others (Sensoy, 2017). Positionality and privilege are related to each other in distinct ways. Based on your social class, you may have class privileges embedded into you, without you even asking for them. Because of your sense of positionality as to where you stand with others, you are able to determine what class privileges you experience (Sensoy, 2017). The students in my high-school who were able to travel to exotic, culture-rich countries, who were bought a brand-new car on their 16th birthday, and who did not have to stress too much when it came to applying to college because their families had social advantages experience class privilege. An example would be that some students in my high-school who were perceived to be a part of the upper-class, would sometimes get in trouble with the law. It was either being caught drinking at underage parties, driving while intoxicated, or caught smoking marijuana, and they were very easily able to hire a very successful lawyer to work on these charges being dropped. I personally have a few forms of class privilege as well. For example, I have health insurance through my father. He gets it through his business. I am able to go into any emergency room, receive medical car, and my insurance will handle the bill. That is a form of class privilege, because many individuals do not have this luxury.
I also experienced intersectionality during the same time I was experiencing positionality. Intersectionality can be defined as an understanding that individuals can inhabit several different positions in society and this helps an individual to work together certain pieces of their social positions for better investigation into themselves and a better awareness (Sensoy, 2017). I was aware I did experience different social positions throughout my young adulthood, and that these differences did not overlap or cancel each other out but instead allowed for further deep thinking into myself as a whole.
As time went on, college was great. I am still currently in college, and I am enjoying the experience. I feel relatively content with my life right now, but a few incidents at the university have brought up some concerns. Recently, there has been a few incidents of racism and hate crimes that have been happening on campus. I have noticed more and more students who are experiencing oppression and it typically is followed by forms of prejudice and power. Some of these racial hate crimes were directed towards African Americans, or the black population. Salem State University is known for their diverse culture on campus, but it seems that the oppression and prejudice that blacks are experiencing at the university is becoming more common and apparent. Oppression can be summarized as a form of discrimination against one group towards another. It includes institutional power and control (Sensoy, 2017). One group has control and institutional power over another group, and this vicious cycle continues. These individuals are experiencing oppression because the group that directed these insults towards blacks were from a group that enforces President Trump as their president, and has power. It is not proven, but the group that caused the racial hate crime is presumed to be of white decent. The presumed white group enforce these comments and views onto a certain group, which in this case, is black students. Prejudice can be defined as previous judgements or opinions on certain populations of people without any intelligence of the matter to back up this information and little to no experience with the presumed judgements (Sensoy, 2017). This presumed group is also using prejudice because they are setting a certain sigma against the population of black students with a very restricted extent of factual evidence and familiarity. This creates an extent of power for the groups who are creating the racial hate crimes. It causes anxiety, fear, and anguish in others around them, which then gives them power. It also gives them power because it begins to control Salem State University as an institution which then repeats the cycle and gives this superior group more power.
Since these tragic events have occurred at Salem State University, I am beginning to become more self-aware about the racism and inequality that is silently happening around our campus. I see many examples of racial microaggressions on our campus, and this saddens me. Racial microaggressions are either intentional or unintentional insults that are directed towards minortized populations (such as Hispanics and African Americans) and they are typically not noticed or slipped “under the rug” per say (Sensoy, 2017). An article written by a few colleagues at Columbia University titled “Racial Microaggressions in Everyday Life” discusses the common racial microaggressions people see in everyday life, and also the microaggressions that people experience based on their race, sex, etc. After reviewing this article, I notice that a lot of my friends at Salem State University has experienced this in one way or another during their life time. The article discusses “Making the invisible visible” (Sue, 2007) and allowing individuals to see these little insults not as comical someone being insensitive to the joke or statement, but as actual racial microaggressions and that they can severely hurt people. The article discusses how these racial microaggressions give the minorities who are experiencing them little to no power, and the power is then given to the groups who are creating these microaggressions. This then ties into how social class matters because these individuals are already stigmatized, and it will be much more difficult for them to move up in the ladder of social class when things such as racial microaggressions are happening in our world today. It is perceived that these microaggressions have minimal harm on people, when in fact they have the opposite effect. The people creating these microaggressions are typically defensive when faced with confrontation of the act, and state that the other person is overreacting or taking things “too” seriously and that they were just joking (Sue, 2007). These acts of microaggressions do not even have to be racially based for it to effect social class. For example, in college, some students may make a microaggression towards someone else who is unable to afford to do an activity (such as going to a night-club, a movie, a concert, go on vacation for college spring break, etc.), which then takes a hit on their social class. They have now made this individual feel beneath them on the social class ladder. They are able to afford certain things while someone else cant due to other circumstances that may be going on in the individual’s life. Bottom line is, these microaggressions aren’t so microscopic after all. It is important to understand what microaggressions are, regardless if they are racially based, gender based, or social class based. I see them happening so often on my college campus and it is disheartening.
In conclusion, social class has played a big role throughout my life. I was able to experience different types of capital, experience different feelings of social class, see how others are dealing with their social class, and try to understand more of the “bigger picture” rather than focusing just on myself in these situations. Social class effects are families, our jobs, our schools, our friends, and our overall well-being. It can either benefit us while others are left suffering, or leave suffering and others are benefiting. Reviewing how social class matters and has affected my life helps me to reflect on what I believe is truly important in my life, but has also helped me to gain my own “voice” in the matter and speak up for what I believe is right and wrong in society.