This film really showcased the harsh reality of social class. I was completely aware of some of the differences in social class, but I guess I had never seen them presented as they were in this film. Some of the interviews, comments, and viewpoints were absolutely infuriating! I'm not sure of the backgrounds of the other students in this class, but some comments were truly offensive to me. I'm very proud of my background and to see others belittle an individual's accomplishments based on their lack of "class" or material posessions really upset me. At one point in the film a British woman said she would never drive a Volvo. Then she said, "I 'd certainly never drive a Ford, it's probably stolen!" That statement offended me! I can't tell you how many people that I know who drive Fords.
In the beginning of the film a picture of an older gentleman is shown to several people. Their reactions were unbelievable to me. One of the reactions that stuck with me through the end of the film was, "He's definitely lower class, look at the screen door behind him." I guess that bothered me so because I have a screen door, my parent's have a screen door, most of my friends and family do as well. Ouch! That hurt. It is never fun to look at where you come from and to feel like you are worth less somehow because you aren't born into wealth and privilege.
Another offensive comment came from the woman about to be married. When she talked about how much lower her fiance was, it disgusted me. I thought, "How embarassing for him. How could he possibly marry someone who truly considered herself to be so much better than him?" Her statement about police officers being low class made me so angry! I've personally experience people like this, and it never fails to repulse me.
I'm from a very rural area and Tammy's story spoke to me. It almost brought me to tears to see a woman trying so hard just to get by. Instead of taking the easy way out and living off of government support, Tammy walked 10 miles to work every day. I have met many people in Tammy's situation and I was proud watching her. She has pride and she refuses to lower her expectations for herself by giving up on work, giving up on her dreams of going to college, or giving up on her children. Tammy's son could have easily been perceived to be kind of a jerk, but I felt very sorry for him. He was obviously very insecure about his home, his family, and himself. Years of poverty and rejection have taught him that he must be different from his family in order to be accepted, so he rejects his family almost completely. It truly broke my heart to hear his mother say, "really - he's in the same class I am. He's just trying to prove to his friends that he's in their class, but I know different."
The section of the film titled How to Marry the Rich was, for me, almost painful to watch. It seemed absurd to watch a "self help consultant" make a profit from teaching an outsider "how to fit in" with a class that's nearly impossible to fit into if you're not born into it. The woman, the beneficiary of these lessons, seemed desperate to me. I know that I'm judging her, but I just can't understand paying a person to try to teach you to fit in. Most of the interviews with wealthy people showed a sort of snarky criticism towards those "beneath them." It almost hurt to watch the woman be hopeful about the lessons she was learning because in my heart I feel like no matter what that woman did with her life, she probably never truly fit in to the class that she so desperately wanted to be a part of.
One author asked, "is it possible to ever change social class successfully?" He answers his own question by saying, "I don't think so. I think that you are for a lifetime in the class in which you grew up." I'm sure there are exceptions to this rule, but in most instances, I would bet that he's correct.
I think that for some people the most cruel, harsh reality of the American dream is that you CAN'T always move up and fit in. We're taught as children that we can be anything that we want to be if we work hard enough. We're taught that anything is possible. So in a way this video could be sort of heartbreaking if you still believed that you could make lots of money and become part of the upper class. In reality, no matter how much money you make, you'll probably always be judged by the class above you. Either you haven't had your money long enough, you don't spend it the right way, or you don't come from the right family.
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ReplyDelete"One author asked, "is it possible to ever change social class successfully?" He answers his own question by saying, "I don't think so. I think that you are for a lifetime in the class in which you grew up." I'm sure there are exceptions to this rule, but in most instances, I would bet that he's correct."
I think it's exactly this mindset that's a big part of the problem with social class in America. No one believes in upward mobility anymore. I've been wondering whether this kind of thinking is self-defeating, in a way -- if you don't think you're going to make any more than $20,000 a year, why bother trying?
Don't get me wrong here: I know that there are barriers to upward mobility that are both tangible and intangible, which this film highlights quite nicely. But I have to say that I think, for many Americans -- especially in the dwindling middle class -- the perception that upward mobility is impossible is working to create that reality. It's like going to a restaurant and suffering through bad service -- it's likely that you'll stop going to that restaurant, and tell your friends about your experience so that they'll stop going. Well, if X is true for Steve, it'll probably be true for me, too. And yes, some people do all the right things and get completely hosed, but they're the exception, not the rule.
There is still the possibility of upward mobility in American society, and to allow ourselves to collectively think otherwise is to doom millions to an existence devoid of one of life's most important feelings: hope.
I agree that there should be hope to "move up" in class and ambition to better your life. I'm simply saying that it's not easy to gain acceptance into new, "higher" social groups - no matter how much money you make. For instance, if Tammy from the film made $250,000 per year but remained the same person with the same appearance - would she be accepted by that social/peer group? Thanks for your comment! It did sound sort of like I was saying that they should just give up instead of trying to move up in life.
ReplyDeleteI think your viewpoint is quite understandable. However, I think its important to note that class exists because of human nature. People can naturally be very cruel but is it the fault of the cruelly insensitive or the "victim" that he or she is hurt by such statements or exclusion. It seems obvious to me that to wish to associate yourself with people such as those quoted throughout the film speaks volumes about oneself. Class is not something you can legislate out of society. There will always be those with and those without, whether it be power, beauty, money, talent...etc. How many times can you think of that one or more children picked on another because they were poor or they smelled bad or they had last years' clothes? Its wrong but it will exist no matter what your efforts, because people are flawed and often find self worth in meaningless things and in the humiliation of others. It would be a better documentary to display those that find value in more meaningful things and in themselves. Because in the end who really cares what someone else thinks? They wont be there when you are on your deathbed...and we all die penniless and classless. At least your legacy could far more prestigious and meaningful.
ReplyDeleteI knew from the beginning of this film that this movie was going to be very interesting. It is funny to me how people make assumptions just by a picture!! An innocent old man posing for a picture and getting classified into the lower society because he has a screen door behind him! I also noticed that the people they were asking had a lot of confidence behind their answers, like they knew for sure this man was of lower class. For all they know he could have been a millionaire. The soon to be married couple was almost comical for me. I think this man has his hands full, and maybe fell into her society and class when he purposed to her. Just makes me wonder if he is marrying her for love or money. What do you think?
ReplyDeleteThe lady who was a "self help consultant" for people to fit into society is completely ridiculous to me! I would never stoop to that level to fit into society by hiring someone to help me fit in. Someone who would hire someone for lessons in fitting in has no self worth I think. I agree that this woman seemed more than desperate. How sad. Unfortunately, I think there are some wealthy people who still degrade people who are beneath them in society, I really do not think that will ever change. Do not get me wrong, some wealthy people are so generous and loving and you would never know that they are wealthy.
I also was very surprised about what individuals had to say about class issues and how it is viewed to them and others with-in the same class.
ReplyDeleteI believe there are many people that are judged on what class they belong to by just how they appear or dress. You mentioned how people judged the picture of the man standing in front of the screen door. Like you, I personally don’t think a person is lower class because they have a screen door.
I also believe Tammy’s Story was very powerful. Certain individuals may not even know that these people exist. There are many people, like her son, that become embarrassed by these people, think they are in a higher class than her, ignore the lower class completely and never help them.
I found it interesting to watch How to Marry The Rich, only because this lady was telling what to wear, how to put her toes, and how to act. I never knew that there was a certain distance, such as, 16 inches or 19 inches you needed to stand from a person. She tells the other lady that “she is worth it” and “you’re the jewel” and it really shows me how she often feels about herself.
One part of this film was a girl standing and describing people that walked past her. I believe she was not only describing class but also the stereotypes we place people in with-in a class system. She used words such as “preppy” or “nerd” to describe others and that could be considered more of stereotypes. When you think about it a “nerd” could be part of any class, weather it is upper, middle or lower class.
I was as disturbed by this film as you were. I was completely disgusted by the fact that the people in this film had the audacity to say the things they did. You brought up the section with the woman who was receiving lessons on how to fit in with the upper class. I could never imagine undergoing such large measures just to try to fit into a social class that you will never really feel comfortable being a part of. Throughout my life I have experienced many encounters with friends from every social class, and although I am not the type of person to ever intentionally judge this film made me question how I feel about those considered to be a part of the upper class.
ReplyDeleteIn America, everyone seems to be hung up on the "American Dream" and that it involves having tons of money, a huge house and nice cars. I'm not saying that being successful and making a lot of money shouldnt be something everyone should strive to do in life, but the extent to which people try and achieve this needs to be reasonable. I know plenty of families who have huge houses, nice cars and wear designer clothes but their family isnt close and loving. They fight constantly and dont talk to one another. They just go about living their lives by trying to impress everyone they encounter on a day to day basis. Personally, I would rather have a family that I can have fun with. One where we are all best friends and enjoying hanging out with one another. Sure money can make certain situations in life easier, but on the other hand money can also cause many problems amongst families.
The part where the couple who was about to get married also really bothered me. Why would you ever want to marry someone who is obviously trying to change you because they arent completely happy with the person you actually are. She constantly belittled him in the clip we saw, I cant imagine how she treats him in their day to day lives.
As I am sitting here writing this I keep shaking my head because it still blows my mind that some people think the way they do. I feel like the lady that said she would never drive a Volvo or a Ford had a chip on her shoulder. Like she may have grown up in the middle/lower class and now feels that since she is "upper class" she has to do everything she can to protect that status.
Tammy's story was the most moving section of this film. It almost brought me to tears as well because she was still doing as much as she could for her family and none of them seemed to be happy with their living situation. She is providing for them to the best of her ability and her oldest son is obviously not as thankful as he should be for what she does for them.
Like Bridget said, the amount of money you have and social class you belong to really doesnt matter in the end. If you enjoy working hard day in and day out to make enough money to buy the luxuries in life you feel you need then more power to you. I say, enjoy the little things in life, cherish your friends and family all while enjoying your work and making money.
"One author asked, "is it possible to ever change social class successfully?" He answers his own question by saying, "I don't think so. I think that you are for a lifetime in the class in which you grew up." I'm sure there are exceptions to this rule, but in most instances, I would bet that he's correct." From your post--
ReplyDeleteYes, exactly like you said “you cannot always move up and fit in.” The only exception it seems like is hiring someone to help educate you on the customs of "tribe" or class. Or, like one gentleman explained, if your money accumulates over many generations it will sustain your class. When I think about it, it reminds me a tree. I found it very suprising, in the video, that when other people tried to emerge themselves or become a part of other social classes, either above their status or below, they were labeled and identified as imposers, yuppies, intruders. People that make up the tribe can tell the real from the phony.
A apple tree that is. Apples don't fall far from the tree.
ReplyDeleteThe documentary "How to Marry Rich" was very painful to watch and very frustrating. I think that is was absurd that a woman was being taught how to be rich and how to fit in with the higher social class. She completely changed who she was and got a make over to "fit" the part of being rich. Our world is a very stereotypical place and judges quickly based on your appearance. It was hard to watch this woman be told that she wasn't good enough to be rich unless she changed the way she dressed and looked. I don't think you can ever change social classes successfully. You are born and raised into a social class and it's very hard to change into a higher social class then the one you were raised living in. I believe that the "American Dream" is to have a lot of money and if not born rich, then to one day become rich. The sad thing, those who are rich become so caught up in making millions of dollars that they forget what's important at the end of the day. Just as Bridget stated, its about the love within your family rather than the money. If you enjoy the life you're living and living life to the fullest than thats all that matters. In the end you will always have family to turn to. People are always going to want better than what they have, but you should never have to completely change who you are to be rich or to be someone your not.
ReplyDeleteFrom your post: This whole debate just opens your eyes to how much our food implies where we fit in our society, and it’s sad how some people will look down on others when they see what kind of food someone else consumes.
ReplyDeleteI think that it is hilarious simply because, I have experienced ridicule from my family, based on some of newly found food choices I have made sense attending college. I come from an upper lower class; you know, maybe a paycheck or two away from middle class. Since I have been away from home and developed more academically and socially, my taste and desire, for a certain food quality as shifted as well. When I visit my family back home, they always made commits on my food choices. To my family or to some individuals apart of the lower class, they interpret eating healthy choices with race. My family, because of their lack of understanding sometimes associates healthy with white people, and if I eat it I’m trying to be white . To me it really doesn’t make since, I just want to live longer and I like the quality of the food. However, it just goes to show how class effect everything from education to the food we choice to strengthen or bodies with.
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ReplyDeleteThanks for the post, Lee. I can't help but think that there's a contradiction of sorts that surfaces in the discussion your post inspired. If the judgments of the wealthy are despicable because they are condescending, dismissive, stereotypical, degrading, etc., then why is the American Dream to become wealthy? Why would anyone want to join this exclusive (and excluding) group of popular "kids" (to extend the high school metaphor)?
ReplyDeleteI think we should keep in mind that there are at least two components of social class. There's an economic component based on income and assets and there's a cultural component based on tastes, mannerisms, etiquette, education, etc. Those who are born wealthy grow up learning the cultural behaviors of those people who have "class" (notice how the word "class" also means "impressive stylishness in appearance or behavior"?). The "proper" behaviors of the upper class are "naturally" acquired by their children. However, if you are born to modest means but find yourself wealthy one day, you have to learn how to act in these elite circles that your money gives you access to (kind of like learning a foreign language in high school/college). Paul Fussell, the talking head in the film who claims that he doesn't believe it's possible for someone to change classes without a lifetime of actor's training (he, by the way, is the author of book we're reading for next week), is talking about acquiring the cultural aspects of class, which are, in many respects, more difficult than acquiring the economic aspects. We use a French word to talk about people who all of the sudden find themselves with the money to move up, but lack the ability to act wealthy: nouveau riche, the new rich. You can't just buy your way into WASP circles, for example, unless you are a fantastic actor (precisely the talent of Matt Damon's character in The Talented Mr. Ripley).
Did you notice how the self-help guru training the woman to exhibit class played the role of fairy godmother in the art gallery? She held a golden rose, her magic wand, and waved it to release her client into the ball, a la Cinderella. Have you ever thought about Cinderella and the whole princess fairy tale as a story about "class jumping"? Cinderella is destined to become a princess because the "shoe fits," but the deus ex machina is the fairy godmother's magic. How do you turn a peasant into a princess? Extreme Makeover Edition, replete with pumpkin carriage and mice attendants. (Makes you wonder just exactly what is going on when a father refers to his daughter as "princess." Isn't he telling her, albeit unconsciously, to make sure that she marries up, that she finds someone who is worthy of her, socioeconomically-speaking?)
Bridget believes that social class is ineradicable because of "human nature." Do you think so? I'm not so sure. Anthropologists believe that early tribal societies were collectivist and somewhat egalitarian (what some call "primitive communism"). They had to look out for each other and work together in order to survive. I do think that history provides endless examples of societies that have divisions that we would identify as class divisions (although they may more appropriately be called caste divisions in many cases). But I don't think that it is human nature to be cruel and judgmental. Psychologists have studied young children and discovered that they don't make social distinctions based on race, class, and even gender. They will play with anyone, for instance. We learn to make distinctions and privilege certain people over others. These lessons occur early, but we are not born to be discriminatory. Nevertheless, as I stated earlier, class is not just about perceptions; there is an economic reality underpinning these judgments. Just think how much your life would change if you made $250,000 instead of $25,000 a year. Just think how different you would be if you grew up in a household with an income of $250,000. Would you be presently be attending NKU?
ReplyDeleteI recommend listening to the following story from the wonderful show Radiolab about a grade school game called "Homestead." It shows just how young we learn to adopt ingrained class differences: http://www.wnyc.org/shows/radiolab/episodes/2006/04/28/segments/58916
Having preconseptions about people and their social classes can cause all kinds of problems. If we judge people based on what class we believe them to be we can seriously offend the people around us.
ReplyDeleteAlso, we can't focus on pigeon holing an entire class and hold negative or positive on a group of people based on what class they are. That's what lead to the slaughter of millions in the marxist movements of Communist Russia, China, N. Korea, Cuba and Fascist Germany.
Sheesh. Radiolab hits pretty hard.
ReplyDeleteListening to that program raised a lot of interesting questions about fairness, an issue I've been struggling with for some time now. In the course of my college career, I've taken a few philosophy courses, and had a lot of those debates that... well, you know, they just never really leave you satisfied. One such debate revolved around the idea of materialism, a philosophical view which holds that everything that we are or, more simply, what our personality is made of, is a learned, chemical response to external stimuli that occurs in our brains. There is no "mind" in this, no over-arching morality, nothing more real than the physical world.
In this debate, I took the side that said there was (is) something more to what we are, that we weren't (aren't) just existing in an objective world. I've since begun to think that it really doesn't matter whether or not we have a "mind" (or a soul, if you like). It doesn't matter whether there's a God or not, and it's not worth thinking about. It's impossible to prove, either way.
The real world, the one we occupy and that we can see and smell and touch, is incredibly unfair. Society itself is a response to that unfairness, a social construct upon which a majority agree, especially in the case of a republic (like America) -- we join together and form governments that protect us from other people that don't think like we do, and that erect buildings and roads and a judicial system and a legislature, all an attempt to protect the citizens against unfairness.
That subjective reality that we call society exists because we say it exists, and we all agree that it should. So to me, class exists because we say it exists. Perhaps another way to say that is to that class exists because we say money exists. We become the haves and the have-nots, the rich and the poor.
So, Dr. B, in response to your question, I don't know that I think it's in human nature to be cruel and judgmental, but I do think that society (and therefore class) is an idea, and that our responses to that are just a part of our reality. I suppose that, following this vein of logic, it would be difficult to make the claim that class can be eradicated.
I completely agree, Lee, that class is a social construct, but I wonder why that leads you to claim that it can't be eradicated. If it is social, as opposed to natural, then it logically follows that we could create a society where it doesn't exist, i.e. a classless society. That's easier said then done, of course, and usually requires a bloody revolution to accomplish, which might be what Chris is talking about but I'm unsure because the argument in his brief post is undeveloped.
ReplyDeleteOn Lee's philosophical point about materialism - I think the materialist versus idealist binary is a false dilemma. The world is neither completely objective (the materialist viewpoint) or subjective (the idealist viewpoint). Much of social reality is "subjectively objective." Money, for example, is a social construct. It exists, as Lee points out, because we believe in it. Even if you are skeptic, when you pay for something (like your next beer at the bar), your actions betray your skepticism. In other words, you act like you believe in it even if you don't. However, money is not strictly subjective in effect, hence the paradoxical designation "subjectively objective." The belief in money has countless effects in the "real" objective world. You can't just stop believing in money like you can overcome a prejudice, for example, hence social class (and racism and sexism, I would add) can't simply be eradicated on a subjective level by everyone casting off their prejudices. The objective aspect of social reality must be altered as well.
There's this wonderful scene in an episode of The Office (season two, episode 15 "Boys and Girls") where Michael is talking to the blue collar warehouse workers and the white collar office workers. He says, “Now, you may look around and see two groups here. White collar, blue collar. But I don’t see it that way. And you know why not? Because I am collar-blind.” The camera cuts to Jim, one of the few sane characters on the show, who rolls his eyes, looks down, and shakes his head in predictable disbelief of Michael’s ignorance. Michael's statement ignores the fact that class (and money for that matter) is a "subjectively objective" phenomenon that cannot simply be "subjectively" ignored.
I was thinking in a... let's say fatalistic way, when I said that I didn't think class could be eradicated because it's a social construct. It seems like class is an inevitable part of society, and that society is an inevitable part of our future. I take note that there have been cultures in the past that lived communally, and I think that's possible to achieve again. But to me, the only way for that to occur would be for a country to completely cut itself off from the rest of the world and somehow eradicate the temptation that profit presents in other places in the world, OR for the world community to band together and agree to try things without money. But that's not going to happen in our lifetime, if ever. Assuming an unending human existence, it makes sense that we would move toward that kind of life, but our existence as a species is, to all natural indications, limited. "Will we get there?" is the question I ask.
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