Social class

[keeper of the funk]

working to lower middle class. single parent family. I remember my mum doing her studies and when we had nothing. I say lower middle because we've never been rich.

I feel most eurasians are from middle to upper class backgrounds, people like me seem to be the exception.

[Ganbare!]

there's a crack in the window...

[catgirl]

Everything from lower middle to upper middle/upper class in my lifetime I guess Raised by my dad alone with 2 younger brothers.

I think Im rather ambitious but still down to earth.

[thea]

Great topic, also an interest of mine.
A good book to read, is "Limbo:Blue Collar Roots, White Collar Dreams" by Alfred Lubrano. Very good book about social mobility and the emotional transition that takes place within the minds of those who traverse the different "class" changes.
There is also a twin study mentioned in the book, and also descriptions or various factors that contribute to the variance of "class" status even within one family.

During my undergrad years I took an economics class in which the instructor asked everyone what social class we believed we all belonged in. Most people answered middle class. He asked why and most students responded usually by stating particular experiences or possessing particular material assets-not specifically monetary. According to his definition, originally middle class meant those folks who were not the landed elite, but were business owners, and managed everything themselves, he did not specify business size or financial holdings.

Currently, I reside in a working to lower middle class household, with entrance into middle and upper middle class experiences, and the ocassional foray into an affluent experience.
If you look up wikipedia for Social Class there are various definitions. I actually agree with sociologists Thompson & Hickey
The Thompson & Hickey model found in their 2005 book, Society in Focus.

Here is their definition of lower middle class and working class:

Lower middle class, (ca. 33%) individuals who worked their way through college and commonly have a Bachelor's degree or some college education. School teachers, sales-employees and lower to mid level supervisors rank among those in this particular group. Household income is generally in the range of $30,000 to $75,000. Workers in this group are mostly white collar but have less autonomy in their work than do upper middle class professionals. Members of this class often attempt to emulate those in the two higher classes and have recently become overly indebted by their desire to have a comfortable lifestyle.[5]
Working class, (ca. 30%) individuals who occupy both blue and white collar occupations. Pink collar workers in predominantly female clerical positions are common in this class. Job security tends to be low for this group and unemployment as well as losing health insurance remain potent economic threats. Household incomes typically range from $16,000 to $30,000.[5]

The part about emulating the upper classes in expenditure and a consumerist lifestyle I don't agree with, since that has not been the experience of my immigrant parents nor my husband's experience. We live a rather thrifty non-consumerist lifestyle-i.e. we choose not to have a TV in our household, we shop for produce at either the farmer's market or ethnic enclaves such as Chinatown, the only techie gadgets at home are the computer, digital camera. It was only last month we decided to purchase cell phones to make it easier to pick up my 82 year mom when she's out and about. The cells are equipped with other devices but we don't use them. We are completely covered in regards to medical and dental insurance. We are also able to travel since we have selective spending habits-forgoing all the modern adult entertainment toys.

As for our children- we like them to have a positive socio-educational experience. (More on this later.)


Betahat said,

However, for me class is distinct from income, which means that you can have lots of money but still project an image and attitude of working or middle class

What exactly is an image or attitude of working or middle class?
What are the beliefs, mannerisms, communication style and relationship dynamics you feel each class exhibits?


I agree with Betahats's following quotes,

The intergenerational correlation of lifetime income is about 0.5. On average, your own test scores (IQ,SAT,etc.) are about 50% due to your parents IQ (both directly through genetics and through the effect of their IQ on your family income) and about 50% due to the part of your parents' wealth that is uncorrelated with their IQ.

given the importance of your family background, an activist welfare state can only enforce limited equality of opportunity without actively redistributing wealth and breaking the strong inter-generational heritability of intelligence (and other forms of "merit").

Social class and mobility interest me because I feel I am constantly navigating through it seeking the best opportunities for the development of my children and financial security of our family. Its kind of late now or I would get more in-depth.
Well, good night.

[milkman's baby]

My family household was probably considered middle class and sometimes upper-middle class, depending on where we lived (we moved a lot) and the economy at the time. I certainly wasn't Paris Hilton, but I had everything I needed growing up plus a little more. However, my parents both grew up in very working class/poor families in their respective countries, with 6+ siblings. Neither of them have blatantly said it, but I think they both feel a little resentful/irritated toward my sister and I for having more than they did growing up even though they're responsible for it. I'm almost 21 years old and I need them to pay my rent and tuition, sometimes I end up begging them to pay for my groceries and other items. They were both on their own by age 17, plus they were helping out their parents and siblings financially. So yeah, it's needless to say I owe A LOT to them.

[palaver]

The "Bell Curve Thesis" is a form of racist propaganda that elites and their attendant lackeys use to justify their socioeconomic position. They're resurrected a new form Calvinism around the heritability of IQ. And they did this without even studying the lower classes--only the spectrum of retainers they call the middle and upper classes. The poor are poor because they are stupid. That is the over-educated conclusion of morons made useful by the entitlement culture of great wealth and undeserved fortune.

If poverty is the unrealized potential of being educated to reason incorrectly, wealth is having it all at birth.

[FreckleFoot]

I definitely came from a working class family. Before I was born my parents had only cardboard boxes for furniture. Neither of my parents went to university, but everyone considers my father to be an incredibly intelligent man. He worked his way up the ladder to, what I would probably call, lower middle class: little to no money worries, holiday abroad every year. My mother had a potentially excellent career ahead of her (despite no degree), but quit when I was born and could never go back as she didn't complete a test to get qualified. Then everything went pear-shaped and they are back to working class. My father practically pays his company to work 24/7. Compared to others, perhaps they never even left the working class.

Since my parents were working class, I suppose I am too. I was the first in my family to go to university, but it got buggered up when I tried to transfer to a better one and I never did get to finish my degree. It has come back to bite in me in the bottom. Hard. Since my husband comes from a higher social class, I would say I am broadening my experience of the world and my tastes have changed after seeing what more is out there. Other than that, I would say I am still working class.

Social class never mattered to me as much as open-mindedness when it came to relationships. My husband's family is rich from my point of view, but he would call himself middle class, perhaps upper middle class. He is very open-minded, though I do have to say that, despite my manners and instincts for social etiquette, it is sometimes difficult to deal with my in-laws when they do not realise exactly what background I come from. E.g. Having one of them burst out laughing in my face because I suggested serving something sweet before dinner. When people came round my family's house it wasn't anything special: we would eat as we normally would without guests and if they were my parents' friends they might even get drunk... My in-laws are lucky I even know which fork to eat with first!

[rob]

^ Nice to see you haven't forgotten your roots (memories keep you humble eh?) and that your hubby and his family take it in good stride. I know many old money or middle-upper families who believe in the 'marrying your equal' bit and might have been less accommodating of someone from the working class.

As for me, not an insult against my parents but we were definitely lower-middle at best. When i was born my dad lost his job at the shipyards and a drove taxi. and my mom was a home-maker who sold eggrolls and children's dresses and the weekend fairs ("swap meets" they used to call them). Both of them had a tough start in life so I think they accomplished alot..... and I think I enjoyed childhood alot more than alot of wealthy kids which speaks volumes.

Anyways, my work/career forced me into upper/high society and I've always rejected it and run away 'back to the farm'..... only to grow discontent with my surroundings/old friends (since we just see everything through a different lens). I feel completely lost... culturally, geographically, morally and socially...... and like penguin and others have noticed, even with ppl with whom you ostensibly share some link (e.g., other eurasians)..... there are just way too many other differences to surmount

enough about me. i'm curious to hear about all you..... where you're from, whether you're happy and where you want to be.

[FreckleFoot]

Jan 29, 2010 11:46:23 GMT -5 rob said:

^ Nice to see you haven't forgotten your roots (memories keep you humble eh?) and that your hubby and his family take it in good stride. I know many old money or middle-upper families who believe in the 'marrying your equal' bit and might have been less accommodating of someone from the working class.

I could never forget where I came from.

I did feel rather awkward in the beginning because not only did they expect him to marry his 'equal', but also that she would be white, extremely outgoing, confident and have a great career. I'm practically the opposite of that and some things they are finding more difficult to accept than others. However, class-wise it helps that my father-in-law came from a working class background himself.

[quiapo]

I dont think there has ever been an adequate definition of social class. It is convenient to use income and education as criteria, but that wouldn't apply say, to India's caste system, and to some societies I belong.
People seem to define their own social class and status by the social groups nearest them, for example, skilled tradesmen defining themselves between professional engineers and unskilled labour.
Status is another difficult concept and can be related to social class, but may be distributed differently.

[anothername]

Class is a tricky one, for me it is easy to spot and hard to define. It has little to do with money, imho. Money comes and goes, it's how you carry yourself through life.

[haplotype]

What about a postdoc who lives in trailer home, because he/she doesn't make enough to live in an apartment or regular home? Are they "lower class" because they live in a trailer, or "upper class" because they have a PhD?

I've read articles before about Stanford med students who sleep on couches in basements, since their fellowship doesn't pay enough to afford an apartment. Are they "lower class" also?

[lonerangerandtonto]

Class is about the person you are. Intelligence, knowledge, SOH, honesty, compassion and all kinds of other virtues. This doesn't reflect where they come from; class background. Unfortunately class is about your bank account balance, lifestyle and circle of freinds and your network. Viewing from the outside, as you go lower in class the bank balance and luxuries in lifestyle diminish but the circle of friends and network are still there but different. Something like that. Being educated is class. Being able to say I'm all that, whatever and warts and all is pretty cool. Cool is class. Cool is doing what you want to do and who you want to be with whatever those you want to be with social class they might belong too.

Actually....f*** social class. The

[helloagain]

^^Haplo, class is relative. I agree with Lonerangerandtonto.

[quiapo]

A difficult concept. Some occupations seem to transcend class, such as being an artist, a medical specialist or in the military.
I have not felt affiliation with any social class, but respond to the hierarchy within my profession.