Brookshire 1

Olivia Brookshire

OGL 350

June 6, 2019

Module 3 Paper

1. What key things did you learn about social class for you personally?  Relate some of your

realizations to this Social Class Exercise. Would you have done this exercise differently if

the examples were female? If they were non-white? Think about access to jobs and

education.

In the Social Class Exercise, I learned that not everyone is given an equal chance simply

because of the environment and primary characteristics they are born into. For example,

if both Justin and Clark faced learning disabilities, it is likely that Clark would be offered

medication, tutoring, and special learning exceptions. Justin, on the other hand, would be

offered no support, and fall behind, while being labeled “dumb”. It is likely that Clark

would spend his summers doing fun things, traveling and becoming cultured, while Justin

would most likely accompany his mother to her jobs or be in a day care. If both boys do

not have high college board scores, Clark is likely to gain acceptance because of his extra

curricular advantages, in addition to the advantage of his parents class and wealth. Justin

would not have the same background to prove his abilities, and does not have the funds

or history to prove it. In short, Justin would have to work much, much harder than Clark

just to receive the same experiences. It is a shame that we feel sympathy for Clark’s

challenges, while treating Justin as if he deserves them, simply because of the way
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classism paints us out to be. Because of their different upbringings, it is hard for these

classes to see their similarities. It is hard for them to relate on anything and even

communicate because of their different environments (Harro, 2010, p.155-156). It is

frustrating that America is often perceived as the “land of opportunity” when it is far

from that. In Karyn Lacy’s “Race, privilege, and the growing class divide”, it is argued

that “people get ahead not so much through their own determination and grit, but because

institutions make it possible for them to do so” (Lacy, 2010, p. 1246). These are the same

institutions that are white patriarchy’s, fueling the divide between middle class and

poorer races. Should Clark be white and Justin be of color, Clark can at least be sure that

whatever his circumstances are, he has not been negatively impacted because of racial

bias (McIntosh, 1988, p. 214). If Justin and Clark had been portrayed as female, I feel

that the repercussions for a lower-class female is far worse than for male. Men can be

trusted and interpreted differently despite their racial or classist struggles, however

women are often depicted as stupid or incapable of overcoming these barriers. In

addition, women do not have the advantage that men do as far as physicality goes in jobs,

as shown in the Spent and Ayita games, and they face the consequences of pregnancy and

motherhood more than men, which makes finding work, finishing school, and gaining

money while paying for a child nearly impossible. This leads to the stereo type of the

“welfare queen”, a term coined by whites who do not understand the challenges single,

lower-class, women of color face to provide for their children and themselves.

2. Reflect on your experience playing Spent. 

Playing spent was hard. It breaks my heart that there are families that have to tell their

children “no” just so they can survive. In the end I ended with $491, but it was definitely

a struggle. I do believe that if we had more equal government assistance in rural

communities’ crime and living conditions would improve. I think the best plan for the

game would be to spend the first few years saving up as much money as possible, so that

they could attend school to gain a chance at a better job. Understandably, life happens,

and there are many costly things that get in the way. However, living “spent” is not

living. I assume that there are higher levels of depression and suicide amongst lower class

areas.

3. Do you personally identify with a certain “class” or have you or your family changed

class over time (“up” or “down”)?  If so, were there meaningful differences (for or

against) that you experienced simply by virtue of “class” or perceived class

status? (Sometimes we “pass” for a class we don’t really feel a part of).  You may want to

use the New York Time's Social Class Calculator (Links to an external site.)Links to an

external site. to help you figure out where you stand in comparison to most Americans.   

I grew up upper-middle class. My parents worked very hard to provide things for me and

my brother and we have always been very privileged to have the support of our parents

who bought our cars, pay our insurances, and help pay for our schooling. After I moved

out and was attending college, I felt that I passed for upper-middle class but no longer

truly belonged. I lived in very rough houses with way too many roommates. I worked

way too hard while also trying to work 40 hours a week, just to pay my $290 rent and

groceries. Then, I got pregnant. I had to stop attending school and I was working 50 hour
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weeks at Starbucks while pregnant. We lived in a 700 sq foot studio apartment that cost

$1000 a month. It was the cheapest place we found. Luckily, I could walk to work and he

could bike though we both had cars, we didn’t have to pay for gas much. I started to look

more and more lower class. I was too tired to wear makeup that I didn’t have money for,

and I wore old hand me down clothes from my cousin. I gained an insane amount of

weight because I was stealing food from Starbucks, one because I was pregnant and

hungry and two because I was always there, it was my only option. I did not have the

time or money to make better nutritional choices. I am lucky enough to work for a

company that pays for me to attend ASU, and I started taking classes towards the end of

my pregnancy. Many of my customers at my Starbucks knew all that I had on my plate,

in addition to an abusive boyfriend, and took pity on me. I had customers give me money,

maternity clothes, and always offered their help should I need it. However, my situation

was not by predetermined factors, but by choices, or lack there of.

4. In terms of organizations, what really “stuck out” to you from the Social Class readings

and team building discussion? Did it trigger any awareness? Bias? Understanding? Have you

seen social class-related privilege or bias at work in an organization?  If so, briefly describe

it. 

What sticks out to me the most about the social class readings is that white privilege

paints lower class people out to be “bad” because they assume that people are lower class

based on their decisions. It is the systematic oppression of race and class that is keeping

this cycle going today, that feeds the racially charged incarceration epidemic. Lower class

and minorities are targeted because of their characteristics, making ti easy for cops to
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gain their monthly quota and keep them oppressed. If someone who is lower class has no

support system, or very little, it is hard to gain a chance at getting out of that class. After

playing the Ayiti game, I realize that families in other countries can hardly survive, let

alone move up in class. Class can be responsible for their death! At the end of the

seasons, both of the parents in my game had passed away, and the three children had no

education, and were split up to be sent to foster homes. It is tragic that this is reality for

some. The rest of the world still deals with potentially fatal illness and extreme weather;

two things that can truly shape someone’s life. After listening to the NPR interview, I

was shocked to learn that the United States has the lowest degree of social mobility

amongst rich countries. Like we learned in “Defining Cycle of Socialization”, we are

subject to our predetermined primary diversity factors at birth. The only social class

related privileges and biases I can think of that I have experienced in the workplace is the

privilege of having a means of transportation. I have seen managers favor upper class

employees who have cars and can run errands when needed to, and who show up early or

on time to work. I have worked with a number of people who do not have the privilege of

owning a vehicle and who are consistently late to work and ask for rides. I feel that this is

unfair given that this is something that most of the people with cars were handed.

Thankfully, that is the only social class related instance I can recall of in the workplace.

However, lately, my family has had it hard. My grandmother passed away after a long,

hard battle with her fifth cancer, my brother’s cocaine and meth addiction have taken its

toll, and issues with my baby’s father have skyrocketed, all while my parents and I work

every single day. My mom often complains that she never gets a break. And she is right,

she doesn’t. However, it bothers me that she is living this “why me” ‘attitude, when we
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have so much to be grateful for. My son is healthy, we all have jobs, we have a beautiful

home and we get to spend a little time together each day. I spent a month in India in

2017, and it is crazy how different their world is. Most everyone is poor, has to gather

their own water and ration their food. The whole country is filthy. They are susceptible to

diseases and if they do have jobs, they do not get paid much at all. There are so many

con-artists there who pick pocket tourists or oversell them, not out of malice but because

they are trying to survive. Women and children stand out in the streets begging tourists

for money or food. Women in India have such little rights and respect, if they do not have

a man to assist financially, they and their children are in danger. But they attend temple

each day, sometimes multiple times a day, and give thanks for what they do have, which

is life. All we can do as Americans is be grateful for all that we do have, even if we are

lower class and even if we face life’s challenges.

Works Cited

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 Race privilege and the
growing class divide.pdf

Mcintosh, P. (1988). Chapter 33: White Privilege Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack.