July 22, 2011 Chris Sneller

 Classism can be simply defined as prejudice or discrimination based on class. The definition may be simple but there are many aspects and opinions regarding this prejudice.  “Of the various and cultural forces in our society, the mass media is arguably the most influential in molding public consciousness.”  “Class distinctions operate in virtually every aspect of our lives, determining the nature of our work, the quality of our schooling, and the health and safety of our loved ones.” (Mantsios, 610)

 The media has a strong sense of power over all those it reaches. We allow the media to influence what we believe.  The media presents the poor people of America in a distorted fashion. Either they are ignored completely or when they do get some media attention they are displayed in a negative way.  ARE THE POOR UNDERSERVING? When the media displays people who have fallen upon hard times they give the impression that they are lazy, worthless, or that they perhaps have issues with drugs and alcohol. While sometimes this is the case, not everyone who is poor has one of these as a factor.

 Classism has been in our society one way or another throughout all of time. Examples of this are: Hinduism, a caste system, and our basic idea of upper, middle, and lower class.  A caste system is similar to how Americans place individuals into a particular class determined by their occupation, income, or social class. Although there are obvious cultural differences.  In past times, however, it was much more difficult for a person to work their way up through the classes to the top.

 Classism in America (youtube link) Classism in America  As Americans, do we tend to work towards change or turn the other way when people are discriminated against due to class in society?  Our culture as a whole seems to have accepted the idea that each individual falls into a particular class. The upper class is superior to those in the middle & lower classes. It seems as though the character of a person does not determine the quality of a person.  Classism seems to be a mindset among our culture.

ASPECTS OF THE POOR  The media leaves our society with distorted and misleading information.  More than 40 million poor people are left unnoticed and out of the news unless a crisis is occurring.  When it comes to the media, the poor are seen as a statistic, not as people with feelings and lives of their own.  The media leaves us with stories of people cheating welfare and drug addiction.  We should try to take an understanding state of mind when it comes to people who are less fortunate. ASPECTS OF THE WEALTHY  Many people do not own stock yet the media dedicates a lot of air time for stock quotes.  The media fails to notice the way in which the rich create and shape domestic and foreign policy.  Gossip columns keep the elite people of our country informed on what they are doing while the lesser people are forced to see what they do not have.  This just shows how the media can display the wealthy in many different ways.

ASPECTS OF THE MIDDLE CLASS  The middle class is given the overall idea of universal.  Blue collar workers are inevitable in our society and are hard workers, yet the media gives the impression they should be unhappy with the work that they do.  Media convinces us to fear being victimized by those less wealthy than ourselves.  Often the middle class is shown as separate from the working class, which is not the case. OVERALL SUMMARY OF THE MEDIA  As the media likes to display:  The wealthy are a class with distinct life-styles and are a ruling class.  The middle class and working class as responsible for declining purchasing power and economic security.  People in the poor or lower class are to be feared, resented, and blamed for their place in society.  The media is not objective, balanced, independent, or neutral.

Four Sections of the Middle Class

 Our failure to acknowledge the phenomenon of classism has not made it any less real.  “Such bigotry, whether derived from the shade of one’s skin or the size of one’s wallet, is eating away at the foundation of our society. The object of our derision should not be those who have been most adversely affected by our perverse economic system, but the system itself.” (Wellington)  It is up to each of us individually and to work together to learn to accept people for who they are not any other factor. The media needs to be given less power to influence us and we should work to form our own opinions.  It would be a huge feat if one day we could make class discrimination not exist. We are all just people trying to work towards that which is important to us.

Mantsios, Gregory. “Media Magic: Making Class Invisible." Race, Class, and Gender in the United States. By Paula S. Rothenberg. 8th ed. New York: Worth, Print. Morin, Rich. "America’s Four Middle Classes | Pew Social & Demographic Trends." Pew Social & Demographic Trends - Public Opinion Polling, Survey Research, & Demographic Data Analysis. 28 July Web. 15 July Wellington, Sam. "Staggering Along the Periphery: Classism in America." Dissident Voice. 19 Aug Web. 13 July