Class system: a category or group of persons having a definite status in society Many people believe that social class consists of three groups. Rich, middle, or poor. But what makes someone determines the class you’re in? Well, a bunch of factors. Let me list them: income, age, looks, clothing, belonging, behavior, manners, career, location, education, family size/ structure, culture, rules, customs, achievements, etc.
To prep for class this week, we watched a few short clips for homework regarding certain families and their social standing. There was one in particular that really stood out to me and it was a lady named Tammy. She had two sons, one in high school and the other around early teen ages. They lived in a tiny trailer on a grassy field. Tammy was employed at Burger King and had no working car, so she walked 10 miles there and back to get to work. She also didn’t have much clothes, so she would wear her work shorts everyday. This family was definitely lower class. However, it was odd because her eldest son didn’t act like he was lower class. He would dress nice to school and was very popular. He wouldn’t let his little brother hang out with him and his friends unless the little brother dressed nice. He also would not let his friends over his house. He had planned to go to college and be successful. It was almost as if he was embarrassed about his family and living situation. He lived a totally different life when he went to school. Why am I sharing this story with you? This just shows that social class is not always how it seems. Just like Tammy’s eldest son, someone could look and act like they are from a higher class, but they could be just the opposite and vice versa. It can be perceived differently.
We also learned about immigrant families. In class, we had a little bit of role play. People volunteered to be apart of a family that was from Mexico that was soon going to move to the U.S. The dad was going to make the move by himself first and work to send his family back money. When he got to the U.S., he lived with a few other men in a small apartment that were in the same situation. The mom had to find a job so she could save up money for her and her children. The daughter had stayed home and took care of the house, while the son hung out with friends and played soccer. Long story short, they made the move but it had a big effect on the family. It drove them apart. Both the dad and mom’s relationship with the children had greatly weakened due to them being at work all the time. The son got into drugs and hung out with bad people and the daughter closed herself up and stayed in the house most of the time. The family structure fell apart. They also had a very hard time adjusting to the American culture. There were new holidays and customs they needed to get used to. They missed their family and friends from back home. Because they didn’t speak english, they kept to themselves. They would only interact with other people who spoke spanish.
What I took away from social status is that it is different for every person. Personally, my family is middle class. I had all the necessities needed in order to live and more, but I didn’t get all the wants. However, we were happy and that’s all that mattered. I think as long as you and your family are happy and well, your quality of life will be a lot greater. What I took away from Immigrants is that tough situations can either make or break the family. If you ever go through a tough situation, don’t let it break yours.
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