These are some very challenging questions. I am very lucky to be brought up in a household where I never had to struggle with finance worries. Yet, down the street there was a trailer park.
Now, I was a slightly sheltered child, so I didn't realize that there was anything different about the perception of their living situation until I started riding the bus in the first grade. These kids were made fun of for their appearance and living situation, and I began to realize that we were seen as different.
Later in my life, my first boyfriend's family greatly struggled with money. His mother was a high school teacher, and father almost non-existent in his life. Before him, I was under the impression that children should have no part in financial worries, but I was certainly wrong. I even remember offering to give him some of my own money, and now I wonder whether he could of found that insulting despite my good intentions.
People don't want to talk about class simply because its easier to ignore. It is much easier to make stereotypes about certain classes of people than to acknowledge solutions to our dramatic bridges between classes.
To encourage discussions of class, children need to be taught before they adapt to other's intentions. Get them while they are young and let them make their own judgements instead of listening to others.
I think you are so right. Not only with class, but people find it easier to put someone in a box, rather then get to know them.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that children need to be taught early...but I also think it is important to teach children what some of the roadblocks to their success are.
ReplyDeleteChildren definitely need to be taught early, they are the beginning to the future. Also the fact that people would rather ignore the issues involving stereotyping between classes today is sad and that's part of the reason I'm actually doing my video project on classism. To educate viewers that there really lies a problem under it all.
ReplyDeleteI agree that children need to be taught about class at a certain age but they should also be presented with the tools to succeed in the future if possible. I hate when people stereotype people based on class because these people are no different, you just need to open up to them and give them a chance.
ReplyDeleteYes, I also think that kids should be taught early about class, and learn to accept all. Class seems to be a taboo subject, unless you are of a comfortable higher class. However, no one should judge someone because of their "class", where they live/ come from, or by how much money they have!
ReplyDeleteI also think it is important that children are educated about class and the different impacts it has on others. I liked how you incorporated your own life experiences, I agree that it is easy to ignore rather than acknowledge solutions. I think coming up with solutions is really difficult for a subject like this.
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ReplyDeleteI had a really hard time with this post and the subject of class. Reading your blog and the comments of others has helped a bit. I guess I never realized that class was a taboo subject. I don't think people go around talking about it in their everyday lives but people know it exists. Either way, I agree with what Lainey 11 said-no one should judge someone because of their class, where they live or come from or how much money they have. Having children understand this is important too as they are the ones who shape the future of our world and can eliminate the stereotypes that come along with class.
ReplyDeleteI agree that kids should be taught about these issues early on. Just like color of skin in not a hindrance in intelligence and must be taught that behavior of people around make it one according to Jane's experiment. This should be taught in schools to treat each other equally no matter what is their financial background.
ReplyDeletei liked how you made the point clear by sharing your own experience.
I shared similar experiences as you. I come from a solidly middle-class family but never really realized how much classism affects the way you are looked at. I went to good public schools and I grew up around kids who had more than me and kids who had less than me. I realized it but watching the video framed it in a whole different way. Kids should be taught this at an early age.
ReplyDeleteOne of the things I want to stress is that in addition to personal education, and the elimination of personal bias and prejudice, we also need to talk abotu systemic, structural and cultural change. One of the problems here is the myth of meritocracy and the American dream--the idea that if you try hard enough you can make it in America. This is nice national rhetoric, but obviously it is much more complicated than that. In order to help people succeed, we need to look at the structures we live in and transform them to be more democratic and inclusive. We also need to make higher education more available to all and have more free job training programs.
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