The Demonization of the

Lower Class in Our Society

Jen Ebora Ballat

Introduction
What is a social class? Social class is a division based on economic status. It is
the barrier that separates us, and defines our role in society. According to
Britannica (n.d.), sociologists generally posit three classes: upper, working or
lower, and middle. Historically, the principal contrast with the upper class in
industrial societies was provided by the working class. Similarly, an example of
this is the pre-colonial period in the Philippines, where social classes comprise
of noble class; ‘Lakan or Tumao’ (the ones who owned the land and named the
clan or community), middle class; ‘Maharlika or Timawa’ (the commoners who
can owned a land), lower class; ‘Alipin or Oripun’ (the slaves who were forced to
work in order to pay their 'debt of gratitude'). Due to this ‘ancestral domain' that
we inherited from our ancestors, to this day, the working class or lower class
such as the indigeneous people, still remain as inferior, irrelevant, and
insignificant compared to the upper class and middle class. According to
Bociaga (2020) The lockdown imposed by the government in March also
highlighted the discrimination faced by Indigenous groups, including
Mangyans. Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on the Rights of
Indigenous Peoples and herself an Indigenous woman from the northern
Philippines, said she has received reports of Mangyan groups being overlooked
in the delivery of relief supplies by the government.

Askeland (2010) attributed this discrimination to the Philippines’ lowland

Filipinos perceiving Mangyans as dirty and uncivilized. She writes that, over
time, the word ‘Mangyan’ itself became derogatory, carrying a negative
connotation of ‘backward’ or ‘primitive’.

Even the late Dutch anthropologist and paleographer, Postma (n.d.), described
them as having suffered from ridicule since childhood. Before his death, he
noted that the younger generation had grown ashamed of their culture, a trend
that persists today. This inferiority complex forced tribe members to accept less
pay for doing the same work as others, based solely on their ethnicity.

If we do not resolve this issue, those who are considered as the lower class, such
as the índigenous people, might resort to ‘terrorism or rebellion’. How can we
stop the discrimination towards the working class or lower class that had
started since the beginning of time? Simply, the solution can be done with the
use of VOICE: validating their role in our society, obliviating the media's
stereotypical representations, involving other social classes to the picture,
conducting surveys, and enlightening the youth.
 Validating Their Role in Our Society
Marx (1848) defined the ‘working class or proletariat’ as individuals who sell their
labour power for wages and who do not own the means of production. He
argued that they were responsible for creating the wealth of a society. This
explains that we should acknowledge their presence rather than rewarding
them with false propaganda that will only reduce their income.

The Philippines is still primarily an agricultural country despite the plan to

make it an industrialized economy by 2000. Most citizens still live in rural areas
and support themselves through agriculture. (Nations Encyclopedia, n.d.)

Thus, if our country cannot keep up when it comes to overall industrial

development or technological advancement, we could use this as an advantage
to focus more on those who work on agriculture such as farmers, fishers, swine
dealers, and etc., not only that this will help our economy to grow but also help
those who are classified as the 'working class' who suffer the most.
 Obliviating The Media’s Stereotypical Representations

Why is the media involved? Media can shape us based on what they want us to
be, therefore the media can also manipulate how we perceive reality.

Social class stereotypes support inequality through various routes: ambivalent

content, early appearance in children, achievement consequences,
institutionalization in education, appearance in cross-class social encounters,
and prevalence in the most unequal societies. Class-stereotype content is
ambivalent, describing lower-SES people both negatively (less competent, less
human, more objectified), and sometimes positively, perhaps warmer than
upper-SES people. Such stereotypes affect lower-SES children as well as adults’
academic achievement. (Durante & Susan, 2017)

Thompson (2019) points out the constant media focus on the lifestyles of
wealthy celebrities tends to glamourize such lifestyles, suggesting this is
something we should all be aspiring to, rather than focusing on the injustice of
how much these people are paid compared to ordinary people. He also added
that the middle class (higher income) families seem to be overrepresented on
day time T.V. especially – in shows such as homes under the hammer, escape to
the country and antiques shows featuring typically very high wealth/ income
families, and yet presenting them as ‘the norm’. Most T.V. presenters are middle
class, and so they are more likely to identify with middle class guests compared
to working class guests, reinforcing the concerns of former as more worthy
attention. Most journalists and editors are privately educated which means that
the news agenda is framed from a middle class point of views.

In addition to that, there are some cases where the lives of the royal family in
the UK are even fabricated in order to have a good impression on the public
eye. Nairn (2019) presented an evidence that after WWII the monarchy
developed close ties with the media industry and worked with them to reinvent
itself as ‘the royal family’ and since then they have been represented in the
media as a family that are ‘like us but not like us’, and the narrative of their lives
is presented as a soap opera, and is part of our day to day media fabric, which
encourages us to identify with the royals.

In comparison to the upper class and middle class, Jones (2011) suggests the
working classes are represented as feckless racists who hate immigration and
multiculturalism – coverage of Brexit seems to offer support for this. Livesley
(n.d.), working class representation routinely involves a relatively narrow and ‘limited
range of identities’, working class life represented through a range of socially
‘problematic behaviours’: crime, welfare dependency, unemployment, sexual
promiscuity, divorce, divorce and single parenthood (the latter almost exclusively
portrayed as female). While working class lives are marginalised by their
invisibility as both historical and contemporary actors, middle and upper class
lives take centre stage. British history, for example, is largely represented
through the thoughts and actions of royalty and the aristocracy.

To sum up, the media condemns the working class or lower class. In order to
solve this problem, they themselves should use the media as a tool to speak
what is on their minds.

Involving Other Social Classes to the Picture, Conducting Surveys,

and Enlightening the Youth
‘The Platform’ is a Spanish movie that centers on the prisoners fighting their
way up in order to survive. Examining this movie, the social class in our society
is no different. In our vulnerable moment as a human nature, we compete and
tend to forget humanity. Like animals, it is in our biology. Those in the top are
afraid to experience what it feels like to be part of the bottom, because they
wonder what treatment they would experience on those who are ahead of them.
That is why they choose to remain on top, instead of helping others. In their
minds, they have the power to do so.
To further solve this issue, other classes must be willing to participate so that
the government will take action. Another way to contribute is by joining
non-governmental organizations (NGOs), such as Oxfam International, Concern
Worldwide, World Relief, and etc. According to Zoleta (2020) The latest Family
Income and Expenditure Survey by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA)
shows that the majority (58.4%) of Filipinos belong to the low-income class,
while the middle class comprises around 40% of the population. Only 1.4% fall
in the high-income class. Also, by conducting a survey such as this, we will
know the gap between the social classes. Having information about this will
help us determine the inequalities in each class. Aside from that, teaching the
youth how society functions, can help them to be aware, and to find more
efficient ways to improve our economy without disregarding other classes'
needs.

Conclusion
To recap, change is not impossible with the use of VOICE: V-alidating Their
Role in Our Society by acknowledging their presence, and helping them to grow
as well as the economy. O-bliviating the Media's Stereotypical Representations by
using the media as a tool to be heard, and to spread awareness. I-nvolving other
Social Classes to the Picture, C-onducting Surveys, and E-nlightening the Youth by
joining organizations, differentiating the gaps, and educating children to finally
end the oppression that had continuously passed through generations. Rather
than normalizing this system of inequality, let’s break free from the boundary
that set us apart.