Looking for anti-classism resources
August 25, 2022 8:04 AM Subscribe
I’ve realized that I have a lot of deeply embedded prejudiced ideas about social class. Can you point me to some resources to help me unlearn them and be a better anti-classist ally?
I grew up in an upper middle class family in California. Growing up, my parents taught me that racism and sexism are wrong (not to say that I don’t have unconscious bias in those areas), but I don’t think they’re really even aware that discrimination based on class is a thing, and for a long time, I wasn’t either.
-Please note that the next paragraph contains examples of bias-
I don’t think I’ve ever looked down on people because they’re low income or poor, but I have looked down on people and felt superior to them because of class markers, such as eating in chain restaurants or giving their kids unusually spelled name. That’s not okay, and I’m sure there are many, many things I think of as inferior due to classism that I am not aware of, and I’d like to work on that.
I grew live in the United States, so US-based resources would be most helpful for me. I’d like to say that long articles or books are okay, but knowing myself, I’m a lot more likely to actually read and digest things that are short and easy to understand (I’m more likely to read 10 two-page essays than one 20 page article). I’d love a list of common classist biases. There’s a lot out there if I google, so I’m specifically looking for resources that you think are especially helpful and easy to digest.
I grew up in an upper middle class family in California. Growing up, my parents taught me that racism and sexism are wrong (not to say that I don’t have unconscious bias in those areas), but I don’t think they’re really even aware that discrimination based on class is a thing, and for a long time, I wasn’t either.
-Please note that the next paragraph contains examples of bias-
I don’t think I’ve ever looked down on people because they’re low income or poor, but I have looked down on people and felt superior to them because of class markers, such as eating in chain restaurants or giving their kids unusually spelled name. That’s not okay, and I’m sure there are many, many things I think of as inferior due to classism that I am not aware of, and I’d like to work on that.
I grew live in the United States, so US-based resources would be most helpful for me. I’d like to say that long articles or books are okay, but knowing myself, I’m a lot more likely to actually read and digest things that are short and easy to understand (I’m more likely to read 10 two-page essays than one 20 page article). I’d love a list of common classist biases. There’s a lot out there if I google, so I’m specifically looking for resources that you think are especially helpful and easy to digest.
Take a look at Chris Arnade's work, including his book Dignity. It's mostly photographs, so a quick read. He has a large on-line presence too if you'd prefer that, such as this interview. He quit his Wall Street job to explore the rest of the world, especially the world of what he calls "back row kids."
"...you’ve described this framework for thinking about educational inequality, what you call the “front row kids” versus the “back row kids.”
"The front row is ... mobile, global, and well-educated. Their primary social network is via college and career. ...They view the world through a framework of numbers and rational arguments. Faith is irrational, and they see themselves as beyond gender. ... The front row kids have won. They’re in charge of things. They are the donor class in politics, they’re the analysts and specialists ..."
"...the “back row kids,” ... it’s defined by its difference with the front row. It’s not just the “white working class,” it includes minorities, black kids who are stuck in east Buffalo or central Cleveland or Bronx in New York. Mostly they don’t have an education beyond high school degree and if they do it’s kind of cobbled together through trade schools and community colleges and smaller state schools. Their primary social network is via institutions beyond work such as family. And their community is defined geographically, ... And they have different kinds of worldviews and values. They find meaning and morality through faith, which is also a form of community...Their kind of worldview has been devalued, because it’s the front row kids that have been in charge: the globalized, rational meritocracy versus the more traditional concepts of morality."
Oh, and he loves McDonalds.
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 8:33 AM on August 25, 2022 [4 favorites]
"...you’ve described this framework for thinking about educational inequality, what you call the “front row kids” versus the “back row kids.”
"The front row is ... mobile, global, and well-educated. Their primary social network is via college and career. ...They view the world through a framework of numbers and rational arguments. Faith is irrational, and they see themselves as beyond gender. ... The front row kids have won. They’re in charge of things. They are the donor class in politics, they’re the analysts and specialists ..."
"...the “back row kids,” ... it’s defined by its difference with the front row. It’s not just the “white working class,” it includes minorities, black kids who are stuck in east Buffalo or central Cleveland or Bronx in New York. Mostly they don’t have an education beyond high school degree and if they do it’s kind of cobbled together through trade schools and community colleges and smaller state schools. Their primary social network is via institutions beyond work such as family. And their community is defined geographically, ... And they have different kinds of worldviews and values. They find meaning and morality through faith, which is also a form of community...Their kind of worldview has been devalued, because it’s the front row kids that have been in charge: the globalized, rational meritocracy versus the more traditional concepts of morality."
Oh, and he loves McDonalds.
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 8:33 AM on August 25, 2022 [4 favorites]
Why R U Mad at the Name Kayleigh? (Without paywall: archive.ph/DKlur)
Kathryn Jezer-Morton's essay for New York magazine's The Cut section took aim at a lot of my own prejudices.
posted by virago at 8:36 AM on August 25, 2022 [2 favorites]
Kathryn Jezer-Morton's essay for New York magazine's The Cut section took aim at a lot of my own prejudices.
posted by virago at 8:36 AM on August 25, 2022 [2 favorites]
I recommend the book Missing Class: Strengthening Social Movement Groups by Seeing Class Cultures by Betsy Leondar-Wright. Here's an article she wrote that draws on the same stuff: 'It's not "them" — it's us!' Her framework of "inessential weirdnesses" has helped me when I notice a difference between my own habits, preferences, etc. and someone else's.
posted by brainwane at 8:54 AM on August 25, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by brainwane at 8:54 AM on August 25, 2022 [1 favorite]
"Evicted" was the "everybody reads" book of the year a while back. The library bought a bunch of copies and gave them away without requiring that they be checked out.
The link has shorter stuff you can poke through.
posted by aniola at 9:06 AM on August 25, 2022 [1 favorite]
The link has shorter stuff you can poke through.
posted by aniola at 9:06 AM on August 25, 2022 [1 favorite]
This may seem obvious, so pardon me if it's something you've done already, but have you tried eating at the chain restaurants you're dismissive of? That's a pretty common bias, one my wife shared. But I fucking love Applebee's (I'm actually eating takeout from Applebee's as I type this), and I finally convinced her to try it. (They have carside pickup, which is really helpful when you've got two toddlers - that's what finally made her agree to try it.) Turns out, Applebee's is her new favorite restaurant. When she gets together with girlfriends, they now go to Applebee's. It becomes remarkably easier to understand other people's decisions when you're making similar decisions.
posted by kevinbelt at 9:10 AM on August 25, 2022 [5 favorites]
posted by kevinbelt at 9:10 AM on August 25, 2022 [5 favorites]
Why is it harder to find a public bathroom in a poor neighborhood?
posted by DirtyOldTown at 9:31 AM on August 25, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by DirtyOldTown at 9:31 AM on August 25, 2022 [1 favorite]
Some food for thought.
The low-income people often aren't going to go buy a book on learning things like this; if they get a book, it's probably borrowed from the library. If they're enough of a reader to spend what little disposable income they can scrounge up on an e-reader, it's still from the library. Or pirated.
It's not researched at high speed on $1000 phone; it's on a cheap phone or tablet, or a several-year-old laptop, often using the wifi at somewhere other than home.
They're reading short pieces because that's all they have time for. If that.
And, Applebees? Heck, even McDonald's can be too much a luxury to a low-income family. Don't imagine that's everybody in the family getting a combo meal. It's a sandwich per person off the value menu, and maybe the cheap fries each. Drinks? There's water. And often, the parents don't eat; just the kids. Unless they work at the fast food place... then, if they're lucky, they might be able to occasionally afford the half-off discount, if the employer offers it. Otherwise, it's mistakes that are leftover.
They can't go slum at the fast food restaurant to "see what it's like" and then go back to their real world; it's life and not something that will ever be escaped from, no matter how tired they get. Middle class norms are unimaginable luxuries.
It won't be understood by reading or hearing about it. Even the "experience" things, where someone plays at living at poverty level or on food stamps, doesn't really come close... because the people choosing to do that have an escape route, something better to return to, the knowledge that the instability and fear isn't permanent. They have hope.
And that's very, very rare for the low income.
posted by stormyteal at 10:52 AM on August 25, 2022 [3 favorites]
The low-income people often aren't going to go buy a book on learning things like this; if they get a book, it's probably borrowed from the library. If they're enough of a reader to spend what little disposable income they can scrounge up on an e-reader, it's still from the library. Or pirated.
It's not researched at high speed on $1000 phone; it's on a cheap phone or tablet, or a several-year-old laptop, often using the wifi at somewhere other than home.
They're reading short pieces because that's all they have time for. If that.
And, Applebees? Heck, even McDonald's can be too much a luxury to a low-income family. Don't imagine that's everybody in the family getting a combo meal. It's a sandwich per person off the value menu, and maybe the cheap fries each. Drinks? There's water. And often, the parents don't eat; just the kids. Unless they work at the fast food place... then, if they're lucky, they might be able to occasionally afford the half-off discount, if the employer offers it. Otherwise, it's mistakes that are leftover.
They can't go slum at the fast food restaurant to "see what it's like" and then go back to their real world; it's life and not something that will ever be escaped from, no matter how tired they get. Middle class norms are unimaginable luxuries.
It won't be understood by reading or hearing about it. Even the "experience" things, where someone plays at living at poverty level or on food stamps, doesn't really come close... because the people choosing to do that have an escape route, something better to return to, the knowledge that the instability and fear isn't permanent. They have hope.
And that's very, very rare for the low income.
posted by stormyteal at 10:52 AM on August 25, 2022 [3 favorites]
This going to sound like I'm being flippant or arch, but I actually recommend the song "Common People" by Pulp. Not a joke or a bit. I recommend it.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 11:02 AM on August 25, 2022 [7 favorites]
posted by DirtyOldTown at 11:02 AM on August 25, 2022 [7 favorites]
Neither of these are resources for unlearning classism generally, but two pieces that may surface class assumptions/prejudices and bring them into the light so you can rethink them:
"Poor Teeth" by Sarah Smarsh, about how poverty takes a toll on the teeth and the teeth then act as a visual marker of poverty
"Poor People Deserve To Taste Something Other Than Shame" by Ijeoma Oluo, about the gut instinct many people (including poor people) have to judge poor people for being "indulgent"
posted by babelfish at 11:41 AM on August 25, 2022 [2 favorites]
"Poor Teeth" by Sarah Smarsh, about how poverty takes a toll on the teeth and the teeth then act as a visual marker of poverty
"Poor People Deserve To Taste Something Other Than Shame" by Ijeoma Oluo, about the gut instinct many people (including poor people) have to judge poor people for being "indulgent"
posted by babelfish at 11:41 AM on August 25, 2022 [2 favorites]
One of the tricky things about class prejudice in America is that by and large, we pretend that we live in a mostly classless society. Of course, we don't. But it makes it easier to pretend that our class-based scorn for people is simply scorn for their individual failings.
posted by Artifice_Eternity at 12:11 PM on August 25, 2022 [4 favorites]
posted by Artifice_Eternity at 12:11 PM on August 25, 2022 [4 favorites]
You might like to read this pretty good Metafilter thread from a decade ago. The linked article is, improbably, still online.
posted by gauche at 1:44 PM on August 25, 2022
posted by gauche at 1:44 PM on August 25, 2022
Just want to counter-recommend Arnade; his worldview is incoherent and I find that comes through in how he discusses the kind of people I grew up with. Generally feels condescending, focused on one mode of being poor and seems like he’s instrumentalizing people to stick it to the “elitists” who think his Wall Street background makes him an asshole. Total poverty tourism with a douchey reactionary edge.
He likes McDonalds? No shit, it’s delicious.
posted by stoneandstar at 4:14 PM on August 25, 2022 [1 favorite]
He likes McDonalds? No shit, it’s delicious.
posted by stoneandstar at 4:14 PM on August 25, 2022 [1 favorite]
Class is not an identity category like gender or race, but by definition a relationship to capital/resources that we all have (in America, it's often obscured so that we all believe we are middle-class). So the idea is less about avoiding being "classist" (which could just be called old-fashioned snobbery) and more about identifying your own relationship to the "means of production" and how you can then either show solidarity/organize with fellow working-class people (if you're a member of the proletariat) or else move towards undermining/dismantling a system that you benefit from (if you're a member of the bourgeoisie/capitalist class) by becoming a "class traitor."
Socialist or Marxist texts are the way to go for the most meaningful stuff on this!
posted by CancerSucks at 5:07 PM on August 25, 2022 [1 favorite]
Socialist or Marxist texts are the way to go for the most meaningful stuff on this!
posted by CancerSucks at 5:07 PM on August 25, 2022 [1 favorite]
As you probably know, in the US class and income are often conflated and that's reflected in the answers you've received. As a British person who is interested in how social class actually works over here, I view class and income as being correlated rather than identical. Low income people who grew up 'middle class' often retain higher status class markers like valuing certain kinds of education, books in the home, cultural interests and so on. They are more likely to act in ways that middle class people view This effect is even more pronounced in the British upper classes, for whom the phrase 'genteel poverty' applies. Higher income people who grew up 'lower/working class' will often struggle with 'fitting in' if they aspire to be middle class, or (eg if they achieve wealth later in life) resolutely retain lower status class markers.
It sounds like you are more interested in changing your views of class markers, rather than poverty/income. Some class markers are, of course, spending decisions that are directly related to poverty. But others are not. You might be interested in articles aimed at people switching class, like this one. But I think that you need to develop the mindset that some perceived class markers are an adaptation to particular economic and social realities, and also that cultural class markers are quite arbitrary. Camilla, Olivia, and Ellie-Mae all have different class markers in England but there's no reason inherent to the name why they should. In general, being lower income is bad for you because you have less stability and resilience, but having lower status class markers is only bad for you because other people treat you less well as a result.
posted by plonkee at 1:47 AM on August 26, 2022 [2 favorites]
It sounds like you are more interested in changing your views of class markers, rather than poverty/income. Some class markers are, of course, spending decisions that are directly related to poverty. But others are not. You might be interested in articles aimed at people switching class, like this one. But I think that you need to develop the mindset that some perceived class markers are an adaptation to particular economic and social realities, and also that cultural class markers are quite arbitrary. Camilla, Olivia, and Ellie-Mae all have different class markers in England but there's no reason inherent to the name why they should. In general, being lower income is bad for you because you have less stability and resilience, but having lower status class markers is only bad for you because other people treat you less well as a result.
posted by plonkee at 1:47 AM on August 26, 2022 [2 favorites]
this one.
That's kind of a weird article, though it holds many truths. The shaking hands thing is weird - US people shake hands a lot (and hi-five). If I had to guess, I'd say it was more a military quirk than a class-based one. The US really doesn't have strong income/class distinctions - they are far more race based within the same social classes, but as long as you have the income, you can be upper class in the US. Multiple professional athletes, former reality tv stars, and actors have literally become the President or members of Congress.
That's not to say that the US isn't attempting to create a sort-of 'landed gentry' class -see these distinctions in property tax between neighbors due to Prop 13 in California as one example. Atherton CA But that's still an age-based distinction, and these properties will have to be passed down to the next generation before any real income distinctions are useful and able to be realized.
The US is also quick to conflate the best paying, most-senior blue collar jobs to compare to new managerial salaries to show that income means less and class more, but those examples tend to be kind of thin if you dig too deep. And it belies that fact that the most successful blue-collar guys are actually really high-paid members of the ownership class, and run most cities.
He is correct that office jobs run on upper middle class manners and mores, and those have to be learned, but really dismissive of discussion about how things are going to be in the future vs operational (how things are now), which is what much 'high paid' office work is, and is often meandering and messy. You think that plumbers didn't and don't have deep conversations about PEX vs copper advantages and disadvantages before they take it out to the field? That's dismissive.
posted by The_Vegetables at 10:09 AM on August 26, 2022
That's kind of a weird article, though it holds many truths. The shaking hands thing is weird - US people shake hands a lot (and hi-five). If I had to guess, I'd say it was more a military quirk than a class-based one. The US really doesn't have strong income/class distinctions - they are far more race based within the same social classes, but as long as you have the income, you can be upper class in the US. Multiple professional athletes, former reality tv stars, and actors have literally become the President or members of Congress.
That's not to say that the US isn't attempting to create a sort-of 'landed gentry' class -see these distinctions in property tax between neighbors due to Prop 13 in California as one example. Atherton CA But that's still an age-based distinction, and these properties will have to be passed down to the next generation before any real income distinctions are useful and able to be realized.
The US is also quick to conflate the best paying, most-senior blue collar jobs to compare to new managerial salaries to show that income means less and class more, but those examples tend to be kind of thin if you dig too deep. And it belies that fact that the most successful blue-collar guys are actually really high-paid members of the ownership class, and run most cities.
He is correct that office jobs run on upper middle class manners and mores, and those have to be learned, but really dismissive of discussion about how things are going to be in the future vs operational (how things are now), which is what much 'high paid' office work is, and is often meandering and messy. You think that plumbers didn't and don't have deep conversations about PEX vs copper advantages and disadvantages before they take it out to the field? That's dismissive.
posted by The_Vegetables at 10:09 AM on August 26, 2022
This is book-length, so longer than you asked for, but just in case someone else reading the thread is interested: The Hidden Injuries of Class by Jonathan Cobb and Richard Sennett is eye-opening and well-done.
posted by umbú at 11:47 AM on August 26, 2022
posted by umbú at 11:47 AM on August 26, 2022
I think a big thing to remember is that people of all classes can be happy or unhappy. I live in a big working class immigrant apartment complex in the expensive inner suburbs where it's common for multiple families to share an apartment, i.e. six people in a one-bedroom place. Many happen to be undocumented and, therefore, not eligible for government support. Arguably their lives are much harder than yours and mine but overall people are or at least seem really happy. The adults work long hours, then come out and go on walks or bike rides with their kids and pets. Massive groups of parents and older siblings wait for the school buses and greet the kids with love, which is sweet but probably unnecessary because it's a very safe neighborhood. Parents will carry their elementary-age children up stairs because there are no elevators or ramps; unfortunately, accessibility is often connected with privilege but people make do. Sunday may be the only day off: there are often cookouts or soccer hangouts; neighbors will pool together funds to get a bouncy castle for a special birthday. Holidays involve music and beer and adults sitting together in the shared back lawn while kids play. It's sometimes loud but never rude. The teens walk to the high school and many are involved with sports and clubs; the public library across the street has lots of free activities too and there's a pool too. You sometimes smell pot, which is legal in our state. I have never heard any domestic violence, which is amazing and a relief.
Again, I know their lives are hard and I don't want to romanticize it. I like my neighbors but also realize, even though I live in the same place, I'm so much more privileged considering I live alone here. A few miles north is an upper middle class neighborhood and a few miles south is a more middle class one, and the city itself is a mix. I have to say that lately I have seen way more unhappy middle class and upper middle class people in my area than working class even though people are getting pushed out. Living here has been really eye opening in a good way. I've always had a lot of solidarity and grew up mostly middle class but with lower class and upper middle class element (a bit unusual, I know.) For you -- and me and everyone who is privileged and learning about people of "lower" socioeconomic class -- it's so important to recognize people who have less money often have it harder. However, we shouldn't put our own class shame on them and assume they're less happy or that their lives are less "rich" than those who have more money. This is a type of elitism in and of itself. I say this because it's something I've had to work on understanding, in part because of my own class discomfort. The great thing is that I have found peace and understanding with myself and others too.
Everyone has great suggestions here. I also recommend Nomadland: Surviving America in the 21st Century by Jessica Bruder; the movie was based on it though the book is more sociological. And heck yeah to kevinbelt's restaurant recommendation. I almost never eat at these popular chains but they are a treat and I say this without irony: yummy food, great service, and a good atmosphere. Honestly, not sure why I don't go more often. Also, fast food is super yummy and fun. My go-to is making healthy international cuisine from scratch using farm-to-table produce but damn a simple Happy Meal always hits the spot!!
Finally, as someone who has taught kids of all types of names, i.e. social classes, I can say that the Jaxons and Kayleighs are just as lovely and delightful to teach as the Schuylers and Wrens. And that the "fancier" public or private schools are not necessarily better or worse than ones with a "worse" reputation.
posted by smorgasbord at 7:43 PM on August 26, 2022
Again, I know their lives are hard and I don't want to romanticize it. I like my neighbors but also realize, even though I live in the same place, I'm so much more privileged considering I live alone here. A few miles north is an upper middle class neighborhood and a few miles south is a more middle class one, and the city itself is a mix. I have to say that lately I have seen way more unhappy middle class and upper middle class people in my area than working class even though people are getting pushed out. Living here has been really eye opening in a good way. I've always had a lot of solidarity and grew up mostly middle class but with lower class and upper middle class element (a bit unusual, I know.) For you -- and me and everyone who is privileged and learning about people of "lower" socioeconomic class -- it's so important to recognize people who have less money often have it harder. However, we shouldn't put our own class shame on them and assume they're less happy or that their lives are less "rich" than those who have more money. This is a type of elitism in and of itself. I say this because it's something I've had to work on understanding, in part because of my own class discomfort. The great thing is that I have found peace and understanding with myself and others too.
Everyone has great suggestions here. I also recommend Nomadland: Surviving America in the 21st Century by Jessica Bruder; the movie was based on it though the book is more sociological. And heck yeah to kevinbelt's restaurant recommendation. I almost never eat at these popular chains but they are a treat and I say this without irony: yummy food, great service, and a good atmosphere. Honestly, not sure why I don't go more often. Also, fast food is super yummy and fun. My go-to is making healthy international cuisine from scratch using farm-to-table produce but damn a simple Happy Meal always hits the spot!!
Finally, as someone who has taught kids of all types of names, i.e. social classes, I can say that the Jaxons and Kayleighs are just as lovely and delightful to teach as the Schuylers and Wrens. And that the "fancier" public or private schools are not necessarily better or worse than ones with a "worse" reputation.
posted by smorgasbord at 7:43 PM on August 26, 2022
Someone I know recommends a class based on Bridges out of Poverty: Strategies for Professionals and Communities.
posted by brainwane at 7:55 AM on September 8, 2022
posted by brainwane at 7:55 AM on September 8, 2022
This thread is closed to new comments.
* NIMBY
* anti-homeless sentiment
posted by aniola at 8:14 AM on August 25, 2022 [2 favorites]