Transcript Classism

Classism
Carolyn R. Fallahi, Ph. D.
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Understanding and experiencing class
privilege
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The social construction of social class in the
U.S. is controversial.
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The definition of classism
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The institutional, cultural and individual set of
practices and beliefs that assign differential
value to people according to their socioeconomic class, and an economic system
that creates inequality and causes basic
human needs to go unmet.
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The wealth of our country is not equally
distributed
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In the last decades of the 20th C, production
and worker productivity increased
dramatically, but real wages for working class
people feel, and both income and wealth
shifted away from workers to capitalists.
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The relationship between class and power
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Analyzing class allows us a better
understanding of power.
The economic trends reflect shifts in the
relative power of workers and their bosses.
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The family link
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Children who grow up in privileged families
are more likely to become professionals than
those raised in a working-class family.
However, one point to be made, education
still matters.
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Loewen, James
The Land of Opportunity
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James Loewen laments that many students
dk understand the social structure of
America. They hold the following ideas:
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The poor are poor b/c they have done nothing to
be successful.
They dk understand that the social structure of
America influences what opportunities people can
have, what ideas we hold, and how we live.
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What is classism?
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Many feel that all of the isms are rooted in
classism.
Classism is the parent – the common seed.
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The stereotype of the poor and working
class
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The stereotype of the poor and working class
are: unintelligent, inarticulate, and overly
emotional.
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Teachers’ responses
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Most teachers dk talk about class. They will
talk about the injustices of being a person of
color; gender; sexual orientation – but they
avoid the discussion of class.
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Storck, 2002
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Children’s first knowledge of class differences
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Vocabulary words
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Direct discrimination: a person who is denied a
benefit or treated unfairly b/c of his or her class (or
other grounds for discrimination).
Indirect or constructive discrimination: a person who
experiences a negative impact b/c of a rule or policy
impose by an individual or institution.
Systemic discrimination: a person who is affected
by subtle and unsubtle barriers imposed through the
existing structure, policies, and/or practices.
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The unintentional consequences of
classism
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Children’s issues
Richard Sennett and Jonathan Cobb – The
hidden injuries of class
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Vocabulary
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Direct discrimination
Indirect or constructive discrimination
Systemic discrimination
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Vocabulary
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Harassment
Poisoned environment
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Culturally not prepared
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Class markers – even when someone has
made it big and moved out of poverty, the
class markers remain.
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Has the poor become offensive to us?
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Wealthy nations are greedier than ever.
Poverty is a real issue.
Whether it’s the right to life or the right to an
education, people’s human rights are being
violated b/c they are poor.
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Dehumanization
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Freire: “Pedagogy of the Oppressed”
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Dehuminization: humanity has been stolen, but it
also says something about those who have stolen
it.
Who suffers the effects of oppression more than
the oppressed? Who is better at understanding
the necessity of liberation?
As long as the oppressed remain unaware of the
causes of their condition, they fatalistically
“accept” their exploitation.
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Important Dates
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1997-2006 International decade of the
Eradication of poverty.
October 17th – International Day for the
Eradication of Poverty (began in 1993).
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Exercise
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What kinds of things do we mean when we
say people are in one economic class or
another?
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Exercise
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I was in a private school before my folks
broke up. They had money when they were
together. He left us and now my mom has a
job and gets some help from my
grandparents to help raise my family.
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Exercise
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My mom and dad both work, and dad has two
jobs. We’ve wanted to move to a bigger
house out of our neighborhood for a longtime,
but can’t afford to right now.
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Exercise
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When we were in grade school, my little
sister and I qualified for free lunches; but a lot
of times I took a pass because of some of the
jokes that people made.
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Exercise
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My parents inherited some money and I have
a trust fund for college. We don’t take big
vacations or have a lot of cars or anything,
but we are doing okay.
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Exercise
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I’ve got a job, and I’m helping out with money
at home. I’d like to buy clothes and shoes
with what I earn, but the fashions cost more.
I always have an argument with my folks
about what I can buy.
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Exercise
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I was living on the street; I made a lot of
money selling drugs before I got picked up.
I’m in a group home now, but I know what I’m
going to do to make it when I get out of here.
I don’t talk about it at school.
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Exercise directions
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What reasons did you use to classify these
people?
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Pyramid Project
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Each group will receive one of the following
institutions:
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School/education system
Real estate/housing/land ownership
Business/jobs/corporations
Criminal justice/prison system
Organized sports
History books
Government
Banks/financial institutions
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Pyramid Project
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Questions:
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Who is at the top in this pyramid? This can
include those people or organizations who have
the most wealth within the institution (e.g. the
highest paid people who work in the institution),
as well as whom the institution most supports,
most protects and keeps wealthy (e.g. who the
institution benefits or works for most). Write
names at the apex of the pyramid.
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Pyramid Project
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Who is at the bottom of this pyramid? This
can include both who is poorest (lowest paid
or non-paid people who work in the
institution), as well as whom the institution
most excludes or keeps poor or makes
invisible. Write the names on the bottom of
the pyramid.
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Pyramid Project
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How are the people who are lower in the
pyramid “exploited” by or made to work for or
serve or provide profit for those who are
higher? Write answers across he middle of
the pyramid.
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Pyramid Project
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What ways does the institution work to hide
or cover up class differences, or “distract”
people from seeing class differences that
we’re not all on a “level playing field” Write
answers along right and left sides of the
pyramids.
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Pyramid Project
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What are possible ways this institution could
(and sometimes does) work against classism
to promote equality?
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Getting Together Exercise
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Living on the Pyramid
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People can decide in various ways to live in the
pyramid by getting ahead
Getting by
getting back at
Getting out.
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Brainstorm
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If people decide to “get” in this particular way,
what do they do?
How might they relate to other people
“above” them in the pyramid? Below them?
Side by side, like family members and
friends?
Given the structure of the pyramid, what is
likely to happen to them?
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Upsetting the set-up: Getting Together
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If people decide to get together, what can they do?
What would they do to get more and more people
together?
How could people resist classism? How could they
be allies against classism?
Why might they want to get together?
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Housing: how should housing be organized so that
everyone can live with some privacy and safety while not
excluding some people? Think about cities, suburbs, rural
areas, as well as group and family living, people being able
to live together and apart, or differently at different ages.
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Upsetting the set-up: Getting Together
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Food: How would the community produce and
obtain its food? How would it make sure
everyone was fed, and that all kinds of different
foods could be produced so that people could
have variety and balance in what they ate?
Safety: How would the community organize to
keep its children safe but not afraid? So that
adults would not hurt each other? If someone did
hurt someone else, how would it be handled
fairly?
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Upsetting the set-up: Getting Together
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Work: What kinds of work are needed to
make a community happen? Who would do
what work? How would people share
community tasks like garbage, housekeeping,
cleaning, and so forth?
School: How would he community provide
for children and adults being educated? Who
would teach? Who would be taught? How
would the community ensure that all of its
members had time to play, create, relax?
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Upsetting the set-up: Getting Together
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Children and Elders: How would the
community operate to make sure that its
children and elders are cared for?
Voice of the people: What should the
community government look like, to enable
everyone to participate in decisions affecting
the entire community?
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To begin to undo the damage…
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To begin to undo the damage caused by
classism, it is useful for everyone to examine
their own feelings about money, education,
privilege, power, relationships, culture,
ethnicity.
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