Class

1. Class

2. Diversity and Multiculturalism - Throughout the unit we looked at various areas of diversity and multiculturalism. • We examined ethnicity, race, gender, and now we are going to be looking at class.

3. What is it? • Class indicates economic status, which is related to education, occupation, and income. • While race, ethnicity, and gender are inherited, class is often evaluated in terms of skilled vs. unskilled, intellectual vs. manual labor, and professional vs. blue-collar workers. • The distinction is based on occupational level as well as the quality of our possessions, such as the make of car we drive.

4. What is it? • In our society, classes are divided into three distinct groups, lower, middle, and upper class. • Individuals often will fall under a certain distinct class, however, some can call in between, upper middle, lower middle and working class. • Different classes often have distinct lifestyles that emphasizes their class.

5. Class Upper class: those with great wealth and prestige. • This class makes up about 1% of the population. Upper middle class: this group consists of white collar professionals with a high level of education. Middle class: applied very broadly. • People from all walks of life- bus drivers to attorneys. Lower middle class: consists of semi-professionals, salespeople, and craftsmen. • May have some college education. • Many in this group lack job security. Working class: includes blue and white collar workers who have relatively low personal income and lack college education. Lower class: this class includes the poor, alienated and minority members of society. .

6. Class • Classism: discrimination against classes that differ from middle class culture and values. • Values are different for the working class, the unemployed, and those living below the poverty line • by far the largest population in Canada • about one-quarter ofschool populations.

7. Class • Stratification within a society based on a number of variables • Income • Education • Breeding (Tastes) • Blood (Old rich vs.. nouveau riche)

8. Class • Vast differences among Americans in their incomes, property, power • Life chances are significantly influenced by social class at birth • Education • Access to technology • Network of opportunities

9. Class • Although individual class status can be changed (usually with higher levels of education) leading to a rise in economic status, class status tends to persist. • Education is thought to be a significant factor in maintaining class structure. • Schools fail the children of the poor when their values and culture are left out of the school curriculum. • This alienates poor children, whose experiences of poverty (undernourishment, bad housing, unfavorable living conditions, absences from school due to sickness) extend the cycle of underachievement and cause high dropout rates. • The most damaging implications, however, remain invisible: personal experiences of failure, hopelessness, alienation, and lack of opportunities.

10. Lower Class • Downward spiral • Number of American families living in poverty increased by 400, 000 in 2002 • 2/3 of adults in poverty are women and 44% of single mothers will remain below the poverty level

11. Class • What are some of the privileges that you have in comparison to the lower class?

12. Class • Life chances are significantly influenced by social class at birth • Education • You are all so lucky to be receiving an education. Education is a privilege. • Access to technology • Network of opportunities

13. Classism in Schools • Now that you know what classism means, can you tell me an example of classism in schools?

14. Classism in schools • Classism has led schools to a uniform policy

15. Classism • Have you ever been affected by classism in school? • Have you ever experienced a situation where a student was unable to participate in a school activity due to their financial situation?

16. Class • Classism in relation to the goals of multicultural education: “The goal of multi-cultural education is aimed at students from both dominant and minority groups (not only the latter). Its framework is inclusive, integrated, and student-centered, and is based on cooperative approaches to teaching and learning.”

17. Class and the media • Access to media • More expensive media tend to be used more by the groups who are higher in the social hierarchy. • Taste cultures • “High culture” vs.. “low culture” (popular culture) • Opera vs.. hip-hop

18. Social class affects: • Media access/choice • Content preferences • Interpretation of media content • Representation within media content • Control over media

19. Media • An old proverb says: "History is written by the winners." The history of our world is being written now, every day, in our society’s newspapers and magazines, in television news shows and entertainment programs.

20. How media portrays lower-class women • Trashy • sexualized • Unsophisticated • Domestic • Kids • Dependant • Focused on men and money

22. Stereotypes of lower-class men • Violent • Dominant • Ignorant • Focused on cars, sports, sex • Racist • Sexist • In gangs

24. Stereotypes of race in the media • African American men: according to how the media portrays them, members of “threatening and violent underclass” • African American women—are depicted as “ignorant, promiscuous women who are dependant’” • Emphasis on African Americans tends to make white poor ‘invisible’ in popular culture

25. Race • Popular music draws heavily from urban lower class and rural working class • Rap • Hip-hop

26. Poor • The poor are either rendered invisible or portrayed in terms of characterological deficiencies and moral failings e.g., substance abuse, crime, sexual, availability, violence

27. Working-class and lower-class • Media tends to over exaggerate, and under-represent working-class women and men. • Working wives in TV tend to be middle class women in search of careers. • Depictions of working class wives are rare. • Working-class men tend to be shown as immature and irresponsible • Trailer trash” can be depicted in ways that would cause significant outcry if applied to racial minorities, etc. • Homer Simpson • Seen as sexist, racist, violent, unintelligent • Jerry Springer • WWE • Blue Collar Comedy

28. Working-class • In the early years of television, there was a number of working-class leads • Ralph Cramden • Marty • Examples from recent years • All in the Family • Roseanne

29. Soap Operas • On soap operas, single mothers are typically depicted as White, upper-middle-class professionals, with nurturing male friends and an abundance of reliable child care providers.

30. Middle-class in the media • Family sitcoms often portray middle-class families. • Why? • Families watching “families” • Family sitcoms depict the average American family, therefore, most families want to watch TV shows they can relate to.

31. Family Sitcoms • Everybody Loves Raymond: • stars Ray Romano and Patricia Heaton as a middle-class, suburban, un-yuppified Long Island couple named Ray and Debra Barone. He's a sportswriter, she's a full-time mother -- they have twin toddler sons and a 6-year-old daughter.

32. Family Sitcoms • Home Improvement: Tim "The Tool Man" Taylor, his wife Jill and 3 troublesome boys are a white, middle-class family. • We see laughter, love, hard work, struggle, family • Normal family

33. 7th Heaven • A middle-class, white family with a minister father, and a stay-at-home-mom having their hands full raising seven children. • We see their ups and downs, break ups, loves, hardships

34. Upper-class in the media • The Upper-class are often portrayed in teen dramas. • These shows generally appeal to teenagers because they often depict a materialistic lifestyle that they often fantasize about. • Teen dramas are often about glitz and glamour, money, fashion, and looks.

35. Upper-class in the media • Upper-class teens are often depicted as: • Beautiful • Rich • Wear the best clothing • Go to the best parties • Have the best looking boyfriends It is everything a teen girl would want, right?

36. Teen Dramas • Gossip Girl: centered in New York's Upper East side where the characters are young, snobby wealthy and connected. They mingle at benefits and try to deal with their always dramatic love lives, sex and choosing colleges. Blair Waldorf and Serena are the so-called toast of adolescence in her world; they go to a prep school and fancy parties with their rich parents

38. 90210 • The series focuses on the Wilson family, along with other upper-class teenage students at the fictional West Beverly Hills High. • Deals with rich, spoiled teens and their time in high school. • About fashion, romance, parties, sex.

39. 90210

40. Conclusion • Media affects our lives greatly • Just as for ethnicity, race, and gender, etc. there are stereotypes that go with social class • Usually negative for those lower on the status hierarchy

41. Conclusion • The media often perpetuates negative stereotypes towards people who are lower in the class hierarchy. • We need to not take everything we see in the media as being accurate. • We must judge for our selves, and not let the media influence our views and attitudes towards groups of people.