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How social class affects educational attainment
How social class affects educational attainment
Impact of social class
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Fighting for Justice or Just for Attention? The Many Ways Being Different Isn't Social Change The problem with structuring subcultures in the context of resistance is that sometimes it’s really hard to figure out just what someone is resisting. The CCCS approach focuses on subcultures of the Working Class because its much easier to see their actions in terms of resisting larger social structures. In Amy Wilkin’s (2008) book she depicts three subcultures primarily consisting of middle class white youth. While there is still the possibility of resistance, the efforts of goths and Unity Christians are aimed achieving distinction, while the wannabe desires authenticity. Instead of wanting to change the actual hierarchy, they simply want to rig the game so that they can win. Often these ‘deviant’ actions serve to reinforce existing structure. Goths, Christians, and Puerto Rican Wannabes use the idea of the ‘other’ to form their own identities, often by using less privileged groups to define their own distinction. The use of sex is common among all three as a way of lending biological weight to what would otherwise be viewed as a ‘phase’. In a way, Wilkins’ subcultures are actually the opposite of resistant. As Thornton notes, “distinctions are never just assertions of equal difference; they usually entail some claim to authority and presume the inferiority of others” (Thornton 1995, p 201). However, Wilkins’ notes a number of contradictions and places of resistance in her …show more content…
The problem for her studying it is that “the goths and the Christians talked little about race. The wannabes talked little about gender. And almost nobody talked about class” (Wilkins, p. 3). However, just because we don’t speak about these things does not mean that they are not effecting our actions, rather Wilkins looks to see what lines were being drawn by what wasn’t being said as well as what
When Anne Moody was a young child she was not entirely aware of the segregation between whites and blacks. However, as time went on she began to see the differences between being black and being white and what that meant. One of the contrasts that Anne first encountered was that whites generally had better
Anne Moody (born Essie Mae) was a very private person, and her withheld feelings often led to mental breakdowns. Throughout her childhood she is a timid, poor little girl who is afraid to even ask her mother questions about what is going on around her. Through most of her childhood experiences she learns the social significance of race and gender on her own because her mother avoids confronting the issue because she feels society cannot be changed. The first time Anne is really confronted with the issue of racial differences is when she makes friends with some white neighbors and goes to the movies with them. When arriving at the movies she learns that she cannot sit in the regular seats with the other white children. ?After the m...
While Helga identified herself with African-Americans while living in Harlem this idea quickly fades as she becomes exasperated with some of the societal norms that come with living in Harlem. She hates how focused everyone is on “the race problem” and wishes to get away from it. “Even the gentle Anne distressed her. Perhaps because Anne was obsessed by the race problem and fed her obsession.” (p. 50-51) When Helga first came to Harlem she really admired Anne for her intelligence and aesthetic sense when it came to interior decoration. But the longer she stayed in Harlem among purely African-Americans, the more hypocritical she found Anne to be: “Anne’s insinuations were too revolting. She had a slightly sickish feeling, and a flash of anger touched her. She mastered it and ignored Anne’s inadequate answer.” The more intellectual side of Helga becomes annoyed with Anne because she contradicts herself constantly when it comes to “the race
In Rizga’s essay, she explains about how two different students who have experienced stereotype by someone’s race. A student named Brianna, was once in the bathroom with five of her other black girl friend’s fixing their hair. While two Asian American girls came in and saw them, they ran out right away, thinking something bad might happened and get bullied. Another experience from a student in Rizga’s essay was a girl named Rebecca. She exclaims how she moved to St. Louis from China. She went to an all-African American school and was told by her parents to stay away from black students, to not trust them, and run away even though they were all really nice to her. In Dickerson’s essay, she says one thing that is similar to these two situations of the student’s in Rizga’s essay. Dickerson says, “Race is an arbitrary system for establishing hierarchy and privilege” (69). If so, we shouldn’t rank one above the other or lower, stereotype and judge by their group of culture, education and race society has organized and shaped well in to be pushed and categorize by groups. Some of all of us, meaning of all people are not good. Stereo type and social stereo type has caused difficulties in the world tension and
Helga’s first indication of racial conflict revolves around her occupation as a teacher at Naxos. Not so much with her fellow teachers or the other staff, but with the core concepts and principles of the school itself. Helga admits that she has had trouble fitting into the “Naxos mold” (Larsen 10). She describes this failure to conform as “a lack somewhere,” stemming from “parts of her she couldn’t be proud of” (Larsen 10). These subtle hints show Helga’s conflict with racial discomfort. She strongly disagrees with the southern school’s values and ways of thinking. Helga feels that the school had become “a showplace in the black belt, [an] exemplification of the white man’s magnanimity, [and a] refutation of the black man’s inefficiency” (Larsen 8). In her opinion, this institution of le...
Different social classes come with different perspectives and challenges, usually the belief is that higher society is much happier than those in the lower rank, but not including race into the education does not give all sides of that story. By evaluating parts in Cane by Jean Toomer, Quicksand and Passing by Nella Larsen, and Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston story of class and race is being told. Color and classism have gone hand in hand for many years and evaluating the lives of characters that are considered the lowest of the low and yet made it up the totem pole brings up an important discussion. The conflicting ideas of race and class actually encourage racism and ruin the lives of characters in the black bourgeoisie.
A subculture can consist of any small group outside the central or key majority group. The groups can range from an organized crime group, to an Asian American group, to a religious group, to even a hippie commune. The main focus of this unit is the immigrant subcultures. The immigrant subculture that is becoming more commonplace every day in the United States is the Mexican Americans. Mexican Americans have many religious traditions, ceremonies, customs, as well as art and music forms. There are also various cultural traditions. Mexican Americans have their own identity on the contrary they still have distinct American characteristics.
But unlike Gregory’s tale, Wilkins’s story lacks figurative language. Though he does use descriptive language, like when he described what his white neighbors thought about him and his African American family moving in: “The prevailing wisdom in the neighborhood was that we were spoiling it and that we ought to go back where we belonged (or, alternatively ought not intrude where we not wanted.)” (Wilkins). The main problem is that there are no metaphors, similes, symbols, alliterations, and so on. But a strong point of this piece is that it is to the point. All the details he put in his story made sense and helped make his point of equality clear. One such example of this is when he describes his teacher Dorothy Bean, “I later came to know that in Grand Rapids, she was viewed as a very liberal person who believed, among other things, that Negroes were equal.” (Wilkins). This detail helps to establish her as a guiding force to help the other students see Wilkins as an equal. Another great strength in this story was its clear organization of the events that took place. It began with an explanation of the setting, how he was treated, how the teacher treated him, and ended with him being accepted by the other students. Everything was chronologically ordered and easy to follow, which also made it a more enjoyable
During the sixties Americans saw the rise of the counterculture. The counterculture, which was a group of movements focused on achieving personal and cultural liberation, was embraced by the decade’s young Americans. Because many Americans were members of the different movements in the counterculture, the counterculture influenced American society. As a result of the achievements the counterculture movements made, the United States in the 1960s became a more open, more tolerant, and freer country.
Throughout, Bettie research describing how young women experience class differences within their peers and culture depending on living conditions and identity. I think Bettie explained fully how cultural capital can be a privilege but it can also be a reason why their is a huge gap between classes. Not only this but Julie illustrates how women are treated by earning lower wages then men. My favorite part is in the end how women shouldn’t be without class instead to look over how some too are apart of class. Not only that but class shouldn’t be divided upon race, sexuality, and gender but look at the formation evenly among each. Throughout my writing assignment I argued how Bettie’s theories of inequality connect with Pierre Bourdieu, Kimberle Crenshaw, Marx and Engels and the students perspectives towards class difference, race, gender, cultural, and
In the book, the readers see the wall between black and white people during the movement. An example is a reaction to Fern’s doll which is white, while Fern, however, is black. On pg.65, it reads, “‘Li’l Sis, are you a white girl or a black girl?’ Fern said, ‘I’m a colored girl.’ He didn’t like the sound of a colored girl,’ He said, ‘Black girl.’ Fern said, ‘Colored.’ ‘Black girl.”
The human brain has great power and abilities, some of which we fail to realize it uses every day of our lives. This can be exemplified by our brain’s ability to create mental shortcuts by assigning labels to what is around us. Although this skill is typically good and helpful to us, “[it] can also be extremely damaging, especially when it comes to categorizing people” (Kaufman). This statement’s validity true enough that novelists have noticed and incorporated it into their work to raise awareness. Different authors have incorporated this into their work such as Barbara Kingsolver and John Irving. The novel that will be analyzed specifically is by Octavia Butler called Kindred. It is a 1979 novel of an independent, African-American woman who travels back through time to save her kin from death during the time of slavery. The analysis of this novel will present examples of labeling, the rejection of labeling, and real life commentary as it
Everyone is different in their own unique ways. We are characterized by what we wear, what we look like, how we walk, and how we move. We are also characterized by our likes, dislikes, hobbies, and more. In addition to all of this, each one of us is characterized by what culture we are a part of. We represent that culture and its subcultures in unique and interesting ways. Today, I will share with you what subculture I belong to. I belong to a subculture of gaming, and I will talk about how, when, and why I participate in this culture.
There were many acts of violence that took place during Moody’s childhood that helped prove to her that interracial relationships were unacceptable. For example, white people burned down the Taplin family home, killing everyone inside. Moody recalls being in shock and everyone in the car sitting still in dead silence, “We sat in the car for about an hour, silently looking at this debris and the ashes that covered the nine charcoal-burned bodies . . . I shall never forget the expressions on the faces of the Negroes. There was almost unanimous hopelessness in them.” It wasn’t until highschool when she came to her first realization about the racial problems and violence that have been plaguing her when a fourteen-year-old African American boy is murdered for having whistled at a white woman. Before this, Moody was under the impression that “Evil Spirits” were to blame for the mysterious deaths of African Americans, “Up ...
The sixties was a decade of liberation and revolution, a time of great change and exciting exploration for the generations to come. It was a time of anti-war protests, free love, sit-ins, naked hippie chicks and mind-altering drugs. In big cities such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York and Paris, there was a passionate exchange of ideas, fiery protests against the Vietnam War, and a time for love, peace and equality. The coming together of like-minded people from around the world was spontaneous and unstoppable. This group of people, which included writers, musicians, thinkers and tokers, came to be known as the popular counterculture, better known as hippies. The dawning of the Age of Aquarius in the late sixties was more than just a musical orgy. It was a time of spiritual missions to fight for change and everything they believed in. Freedom, love, justice, equality and peace were at the very forefront of this movement (West, 2008). Some wore beads. Some had long hair. Some wore tie-dye and others wore turtle-neck sweaters. The Hippie generation was a wild bunch, to say the least, that opened the cookie jar of possibilities politically, sexually, spiritually and socially to forever be known as one of the most memorable social movements of all time (Hippie Generation, 2003).