- Do you notice any similarities in the way social class is discussed in reading 4.1 and 4.2? Do you notice any differences in the way these two readings DIFFERENTIATE between social classes?
I noticed that in 4.1 and 4.2, social classes are discussed by the relation between people’s level of income and where they live. The way these two readings differentiated between social class is that reading 4.1 included an impact of education level, age, race, and income, while reading 4.2 focuses on where the individual lives and household income.
2. Pick the station closest to where you live. Using the concepts from Reading 4.1, what social class tends to live in your neighborhood? Are you surprised (or not) by the answer? Do you feel it is an accurate representation of the people living in your neighborhood?
The station closest to me is the 3-train station. I live in West Harlem. There is quite a mix of classes that live in my area, but what I see mostly are working class and lower-class people. Although there are some middle- and upper-class people in my neighborhood because of gentrification, I am not surprised by the results because Manhattan does house many middle and upper social classes. I do think it is an accurate representation of my neighborhood because the 3 trains in Manhattan show a variation of income in my area; there are both higher and lower household incomes in this area.
3. Based on Reading 4.2, do you notice a general pattern about social classes in NYC?
In reading 4.2, the general pattern about social classes in NYC is that richer families live in Manhattan, while lower-income families live in the other boroughs. The Bronx and Brooklyn had the lowest income, while Manhattan showed the highest household incomes, which were $150,000 and up.
