Bourdieu maintained that people are socialized into specific classes (or, into specific regions of the larger social space) and tend to be exposed to similar conditions and conditionings. This approach made it possible to bring macro-level realities (for example, the class structure of France) into analyses of micro-level dynamics (for example, taken-for-granted feelings about what is appropriate for ‘our kind’ in specific educational, residential, or economic contexts) (Paulle, Van Heerikhuizen, Emirbayer, 2012). The culture of dominant groups, insisted Bourdieu, are acquired naturally through the processes of socialisation practised within that group. In this manner, he asserted, their culture or the culture of the dominant classes, becomes 'culture' itself. What is more, the exclusion of those …show more content…
Through interviews with Boston based blue-collar workers, the authors documented how the workers frequently expressed anger, pain and humiliation. These feelings, contended Sennett and Cobb, stemmed from the belief that they were powerless in improving their place in society. The workers spoke of pain and resentment at being treated in their work as mere 'cogs in the machine,' or just 'Rita the janitor.' The insight here, is that despite efforts by made by working class individuals to move on in life, classed experiences can have a detrimental impact on a person's social identity and their sense of place within hierarchies of respectability. One of the most significant observations noted by the authors, was that working class people often assume personal responsibility for their social position. The plumbers, electricians, shop foremen, janitors and so on, all viewed their social position as a result of personal inadequacies. Consequently, despite their material success, some of the workers continued to experience low self-esteem and stigma
The Brothers faced this challenge in their, largely, futile attempts to achieve middle class status through achieving a proper education. Macleod highlights that, historically, the “overall structure of class relations from one generation to the next” is extremely reluctant to change(4). The Brothers evince this in their inability to earn work with greater wages than their parents, forcing them to live in working class neighborhoods like they did. Although some of the Brothers did manage to obtain middle class work, they struggled to keep those jobs as they either got laid off or were pressured out believing that they just didn’t fit in the workplace environment- though this is largely in fact due to differences in cultural capital, knowledge, disposition, and skills passed on generationally, that arise from the different upbringings of the supervisors and the Brothers.
How does the social position affect the person and their surroundings? As M.R.C. Kasasian said “The poor, are kind to each other, but that is because they have nothing to lose, ' he said. 'The rich cannot afford to be”. Strictly based on external influences are people’s decisions, one of those influences being their placement within society. People in different social classes within a community, causing them to behave differently than their peers.
Eugene Lyons wrote about the realities of the idealistic notions of rags-to-riches. His life was riddled with hardship as he was growing up as an immigrant on the East Side of New York. In his essay, “Revolt against Ugliness,” Lyons spoke of how deep emotion feelings were invoked in people when they heard the stories of folks pulling themselves up by the bootstraps. He pointed out that the stories of success are not written by those who never get a leg up, but rather the “true or near true stories” are authored by the few and far between who make it out of poverty and hardship. The grim truth he spoke of was that even the youth had to work in order to help their family earn money for the bare necessities of food, shelter and clothing.
The same is true for African American individuals in the work force. The workforce claims to give everyone a fair and equal hand, but often times African Americans are given the short end of the stick. This lack of opportunity leads me to question the structural conditions that have created cultural patterns that reinforce disadvantage. The structural issues of inequality in the workforce lead many individuals to have a stigma towards African American individuals. This stigma taint’s society’s view towards this group and allows them to make judgements on other aspects of their lives.
Tally’s Corner is the sociological interpretation of the culture of Negro streetcorner men. Elliot Liebow sets out to expose the hypocrisies that lead black men in this circumstance. The study is carried out in Washington D.C. The key argument posed by Liebow is that black males are incapable of attaining jobs because they lack education. He also argues that this is a cycle that inevitably results in a trans-generational marginalization of the black race.
People who come from different ethnic backgrounds, for example, children of immigrants, can be viewed as not ‘truly French’, regardless of their nationality and whether they were born in France. Religion has also become a racial indicator as certain religions are associated with specific ethnicities. Religion and cultural identity are closely linked and religious faith is often another way to convey or express one’s cultural background. In this way, religion contributes to the separation of the population and lack of integration in France, as it is emblematic of cultural differences. These differences between various ethnic groups causes a lack of identification, creating a cultural rift.
In her personal narrative, Bonnie Jo Campbell describes to her readers the time she sold manure the summer after school let out. At first, Campbell was embarrassed to deliver manure; however, over time, she began to realize selling manure was beneficial for both her and the customer, and quite fulfilling as well. Campbell (1996) states, “Within about a week, however, I began to see the absurdity of our situation as liberating” (p. 30). She begun to understand that selling manure was an honest vocation as opposed to her first thoughts. Not only is manure delivering effectual, but also are the other countless overlooked jobs often seen as low class citizen jobs.
These chapters highlight how a loss of power and a disappearing sense of identity happened to the blue-collar workers that defined America. Jefferson Cowie has a background to match the historical analysis of
Racism is alive and well in our modern day society. The fact that racism is a prominent form of social justifications cannot be neglected. On the contrary to this, Angeline Price’s article titled, “Working Class Whites,” she argues that racism is gone but this idea of “classism” would be the “last available method of prejudice in our society.” However, Michael Omi and Nell Bernstein think otherwise.
There is lower, middle, and upper class, but there are also subcategories that fill the gaps in between, like the impoverished and the top one percenters. “Class in America”, written by Gregory Mantsios, addresses the myths and realities about socioeconomic class in America and how they affect American lives. His article highlights the unequal divide that has persisted over the course of history and will continue to manifest in the future. To introduce the existence of this issue, Mantsios states that this country’s citizens “don’t like to talk about class...or class privileges, or class oppression, or the class nature of society” (Mantsios 378). This is the case in America today because people are neglecting to acknowledge the existence of these elusive
In his story, “A&P”, John Updike shows that sometimes people unhappy with their opportunities judge people based upon their social class causing bad decisions and later disappointment. Updike utilizes symbolism, irony, and characterization to display the impact of a person’s social class on society. The different social classes of people create a barrier between them leading to the desperation of trying to fit on a different level. Social status is the way a person lives their life and the lifestyle they
One of the best-selling authors, Barbara Ehrenreich, in her narrative essay, “Serving in Florida,” describes her personal experience working in a local restaurant called Jerry’s. Ehrenreich’s purpose is to attach importance to the low-wage America workplace. Using rhetorical strategies such as negative diction, simile, images, and pathos, Ehrenreich attempts to raise public awareness of the low-wage workers’ life in her readers. Firstly, Barbara Ehrenreich exploits connotation of words and simile to emphasize the difficult life of the lower class.
Over many centuries, society tends to frame the obscene differences to antagonize and alienate each other whether it's about a political or religious view, social reasons, or financial situations. In “Blue Collar Brilliance,” Mike Rose provides an invigorating essay to persuade his audience to understand that having a blue collar job compared to a white-collar job does not determine a person’s intelligence. Rose uses anecdotes, rhetorical question, and logos to show that blue-collar workers learn just as much without a formal education. Rose starts off with a special anecdote about his mother’s job as a waitress and then provides another anecdote of his uncle’s automotive job. By doing this, it appeals to the audience with a heartfelt
In the formal essay “Making it in America,” Adam Davidson brings up what other people tend to ignore. He discusses the injustice the low income factory workers are receiving, even though productivity has grown. Humanity
The Vertical layered hierarchy dimension of John Porter’s Vertical Mosaic introduced social theory through class, power and status. Class is difficult to define and usually objectively determined by socioeconomic status, income and at times relational configurations. Normalization and uniformity of possessions created a middle class stereotype within Canada, which John Porter broke through outlining the hierarchy that class actually is. In fact, when the book was written, approximately only 3% of Canadians