From: tstil@Auspex.COM (Tim Stilwell)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.thai
Subject: Re: Low Class
Date: 14 Oct 92 17:58:57 GMT
Organization: Auspex Systems, Santa Clara

In article <92285.140659U25256@uicvm.uic.edu> U25256@uicvm.uic.edu writes:
>
>>> I disagree with you (Lisa). On top of that (money, education, religion and
>ETC.) Many societies also use race as a mean to determine classes. 

  < stuff deleted >

>What is the point to all this? LOW CLASS to me are those
>people that were a victim of racism or had been classified as a
>lesser race in their own country or society, but yet they have
>enough nose (nerve) to criticize other societies.
>

I don't know who you are (why can't you post your name?) but anyway...
I thought I would offer an American view on this class thing...

I have traveled all over America and I have not yet met an American that
will admit to being lower class.  I grew up very poor as did all my friends.
Many of us were on welfare, but none of us were ever willing to admit to
being anything less than middleclass.  Now that I live in California, I
have actually met people that are willing to admit to being upperclass 
although the more polite ones will say uppermiddleclass.  Note that some
Americans who do not have enough money but wish they did will also call
themselves uppermiddleclass.  I guess social status is very important to
Americans.

Anyway, having grown up lowclass, I would like to say this.  IMO, each
of our social classes differs greatly in our views of the world.
Here are some examples:

low class people like myself will never quite understand the need for
insurance (protection against the unknown?) because it always seems like
a ripoff.  We prefer to be on constant guard against attack from our
neighbors.  Also, we don't believe in saving money for the future because
even tomorrow is a long way off and who knows what can happen?  And,
we don't believe in longterm planning (like secondary education).  In
general, we don't believe in thinking things out in any detail.  We
just continue to do what our parents have done and not stop to consider
if what we are doing is a good thing or a bad thing, a problem to society
or a benefit to society.  This is why stupid things like racism, alcohol
and drug use, low education continue to occur here.  Despite all of this,
we are happy with our lives.  We still find time to have fun.  Although
watching "Archie Bunker" or "The Simpsons" or "Roseanne" and drinking
alcohol until you vomit everywhere may not be considered fun by everyone.

I don't want to leave out racism since it was mentioned.  We do not
see ourselves as racist.  Instead, we see ourselves as acting the same
as our fathers did.  You know... In school, they teach you that Columbus
discovered America.  At home, your parents teach you that raceA is bad
because they do this... or raceB is bad because they do this.  We do not
think about it.  We just believe it.  I think the saddest thing I ever
heard was a young black aerobics instructor telling his manager, "This
is harder than I imagined.  I just learned that all Black people don't
have natural rhythm."  

Lastly, in a twisted sort of way, we don't mind stealing from the rich
if we have the opportunity.  We justify it by saying that they are rich 
and we are poor.  But we don't analyze it to death and say, "hey! that 
guy was poor like us but he saved his money for 5 years and invested it 
so now he has money.  Also he never skipped school and studied hard and 
won a scholarship to a university so now he has education and good manners.
All in all, he used to be one of us so we should not treat him any
different."  Why think so much?  We just say, "Hey! see that guy...
I think I remember him.  Let's see if we can trick him out of some 
money because he probably thinks he is better than us now that he
has education and money.  Let's prove to ourselves that we are still
smarter than he is."  We are jealous of people who have money or power
but we are unwilling to go to the trouble to become like them.  Maybe
we are lazy.

Anyway, that is what it is like to be lowerclass in america.  IMO class
is dependent on behavior not money or education.  But, it seems that the
more money or education you have, the more opportunities you create for
yourself to learn new ways to behave.

tim
-- 
Tim Stilwell	Technical Support Engineer	tstil@auspex.com
		Auspex Systems Inc.		408-492-0900x340