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Module 3: Paper

MODULE 3: Paper

Jenna Baba

Arizona State University

OGL 350 Module 3

April 5, 2022
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Module 3: Paper

Module 3: Paper

In this module, I learned much about social class and how big of a difference it makes in

everybody’s life. “Social class, which is usually determined by a combination of one’s income,

education, and occupation” (Harvey). It’s weird to say we are born unequal, but it’s true. We are

born into a different category our parents are in. “We are each born into a specific set of social

identities, categories, and these social identities predispose us to unequal roles in the dynamic

system of oppression” (Harro, 2000). The article Does Social Class Make a Different gave a

good example. There are two children Justin and Clark. Justin was born to a teen mom who

never got her GED and has a minimum wage job, and his father is not in the picture. Clark on the

other hand has two parents with good incomes his mother has the ability to take many years off

of work to focus on her children when they are at younger ages. When answering the question

about how I see their lives I came up with two very different answers. For Clark I see him having

an easier life with less worry. He doesn’t have to worry about his family and their finances, and

his parents can supply him with anything he needs. For Justin, he has to work harder being so

young. I feel like he would always be stressed out and want to help his mother. He might even

get a part-time job. For school, he has less of an advantage by not having all the technology, but

the makes him strive harder to get good grades to earn a scholarship. These two boys are born

into a class, but they can change classes for themselves. I think this exercise would be a little

different if the examples different “American society has been transformed from a society rooted

in white privilege to a society rooted in class privilege” (Lacy, 2014). If the examples were

female and non-white for me, it would come down to their background. A way for me. To
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become a better person and understand others in different social classes is to “practice mutual

respect for qualities and experiences that are different than my own” (AV Lesson 3).

When playing the game Spent the decisions, I had to make were very difficult. I had to make

many choices I don’t make in the real world. When making the choices I normally don’t have to

put that much though into it. For me going to the doctor is easy and never something I put off. If

a light comes on in my car I get it checked right away, but in this game I had to change the way I

think. I kept having to look at my balance and ask myself if it is really worth it. I had to put off

some major problems like my dental and car issue to make sure I had enough money for a place

to live and my child’s happiness. It’s heartbreaking to see that many families have to make these

challenging decisions just to cash in their pockets. I learned that many Americans have a difficult

time buying food, getting internet access, finding places to live, and helping their children with

schoolwork. The bills can add up faster than payday comes and once it’s there its gone. This

game was very eye-opening for me I never had to be this concerned about the amount in my

bank. I have much sympathy and respect for those that do.

When thinking about my personal identity in class I would say that I’m very lucky to be in a

somewhat higher class. My parents got divorced at a young at my father took full-time custody

of my brother and me. My dad had gone to a university and was working as a technical engineer.

With that, he had a good income, but being an only parent was very hard for him along with

having a full-time job. He had many friends that helped him watch over us when he couldn’t.

Our mother on the other hand didn’t have a college education and worked a handful of jobs. She

was always moving around. At the time I thought it was cool how she would get all these
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different houses. We got to see her every other weekend. I didn’t understand what renting was

and how much of a struggle it was for her. She later told me how much she had to work when we

learned around work at three different jobs a day and having to beg for those weekends off. My

parents both did a lot for us. Living with my dad I feel like we got everything thing we asked for

and more. My mother did the best she could do. We didn’t get that many material things from

her, but we got time to play with her. I remember going to her house and playing board games all

the time and watching movies. They lived in different classes and we learned quickly how

different they were.

I have seen a social class-related privilege when I was in an organization. When I was younger, I

was in all stare cheer. This was not like a high school cheer team. This was where we would pay

a gym to be on their cheer team. The gym would go off what kind of gymnastic skills we had and

place us on different levels. I had cheered at many different gyms around the state and once I

went to a never really saw social class privilege until I went to a gym located in the expensive

part of town. Here the girls were very different. They all had the newest line of workout close

always freshly done hair, nails, and spray tan. This was very new to me. Rather than ranking the

athletes off skill, the gym they were placing them on how much their parents were donating to

them. I always felt like I was well off, but this place made me feel well out of place. I was

astounded how even young girls can make others feel out of place. I remember coming home

from practice crying and not understanding how I could have all the skills and not be on a higher

level. I didn’t stay there for long. What made me so diverse from the other athletes was our

families, community relationships, and social relationship (AV Lesson 3).

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References

AV Lesson 3- Levels of Culture

Harro, B. (2010). Defining Cycle of Socialization,  Readings for Diversity and Social Justice.

Lacy, K.  (2015). Race, privilege and the growing class divide.  Race, privilege and the growing
class divide, Ethnic and Racial Studies, 38:8, 1246-1249

Social Class Exercise, Carol P. Harvey