1. Both readings look at how social class can be measured and represented, but they approach it from different angles. Reading 4.1 focuses on how Americans perceive their social class and shows that income and education are stronger factors that influence whether people identify as upper, middle, or working class. Reading 4.2 looks at NYC specifically and uses subway stations to map median household income, which makes the divide between rich and poor neighborhoods very visible. The similarity is that both readings highlight how class is tied to access and opportunity, but the difference is that reading 4.1 is based on objective income data.
  2. The station closest to me is the Canarsie- Rockaway Pkwy Station on the L train. Based on Reading 4.2, the median household income there is around $32,000, which suggests that most people in my area fall into the working-class category. This lines up with Reading 4.1, which shows how income and education strongly influence where people place themselves socially. I’m not really surprised by this because it feels accurate when I think about the people in my neighborhood, the housing, and the local businesses around us.
  3. Reading 4.2 makes it clear that New York City has extreme inequality that you can literally trace along subway lines. In some cases, just going one or two stops can mean a huge jump in income levels, like between Fulton street and Chambers street. Wealth tends to be concentrated in parts of Manhattan, while many outer borough stations reflect lower incomes. At the same time, there are lines like the G train that show more consistency, with stations closer in income range. Overall, the subway map really shows how divided the city is by class.

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