1.Both readings agree that class is about more than money, it shapes people’s life chances. But while one focuses more on neighborhood differences, the other highlights the bigger picture of inequality across New York City.

2.Looking at the station closest to me, I notice that the surrounding area reflects a mostly working-class community. Most people rent apartments, rely on public transportation, and work in service jobs. This matches what Reading 4.1 said about how class is visible in neighborhoods. I’m not surprised by the result, but it does feel accurate.

3.Reading 4.2 shows that NYC is deeply divided by class. Wealth is concentrated in a few neighborhoods, while working-class and immigrant communities are clustered in outer boroughs. This reinforces inequality and makes it clear that class shapes where people live and the resources available to them.

1. Similarities and differences (Readings 4.1 & 4.2)
Reading 4.1 explains that Americans often define their social class based on factors like income, education, occupation, and lifestyle. It also shows that people’s self-perception doesn’t always match their actual economic situation. for example, many identify as “middle class” even if their income or resources suggest otherwise. Reading 4.2, the New York subway article, uses geography and subway lines to highlight how inequality plays out across the city. It shows how stops along the same subway line can reflect very different social classes, with wealthier neighborhoods close to poorer ones. Both readings emphasize how social class divides people, but 4.1 looks at self-identity and perception, while 4.2 highlights visible patterns of inequality in the city.

2. My neighborhood station
The station closest to me is subway (F – train). According to the subway inequality article, the area around this station is mostly middle-class. This seems accurate to what I observe in my neighborhood. For example, I see types of housing apartments, public housing, luxury buildings, etc. and the kinds of jobs people around here tend to have. I’m surprised by how well the article reflects my community because it matches what I notice every day.

3. General NYC pattern (Reading 4.2)
The subway article shows that New York City has strong class divisions that follow transit lines. Some stations are linked to wealth and privilege, while just a few stops away, other stations reflect poverty and limited opportunities. This creates a map of inequality where where you live and which station you use can reveal a lot about your social class. The general pattern is that NYC’s diversity also comes with sharp economic contrasts.

1. Do you notice any similarities in the way social class is discussed in readings 4.1 and 4.2? Do you notice any differences in the way these two readings DIFFERENTIATE between social classes? 

1. In reading 4.2, the author characterizes the upper class as the owning class because they are ‘owners of wealth’ whereas the author is reading 4.1 is described as the upper class because they just have more money than the average person. A similarity that I see is that both articles highlight the role of capitalism in the socioeconomic status of these classes. 

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? 

2.The closest subway station to me is Hunts Point Avenue. My neighborhood would be classified as lower and / or working class. I was not surprised by the answer as my neighborhood is very rough with many homeless people and addicts in the area. Things in my area are typically a little less expensive than neighborhoods in the city. 

3. Based on Reading 4.2, do you notice a general pattern about social classes in NYC? 

3.In NYC, I notice that many of the more expensive neighborhoods (excluding Manhattan) with the upper and middle class are more on the outskirts of the city. For example, Bensonhurst and coney island are considered more expensive areas which are more towards the water in Brooklyn. Also, with the Bronx, the upper-class and middle-class neighborhoods are more toward mount Vernon and upstate New York where the lower and working class are more towards the city. 

1) Both readings show that social class is not a straightforward concept, and they both highlight the disconnect between perception and reality. In reading 4.1, people often label themselves as “middle class” even when their income doesn’t really match that category. Reading 4.2 also shows this gap between belief and reality by pointing out that most Americans think wealth is more evenly distributed than it actually is thus resulting in categorizing themselves in the wrong bracket. The difference between the two readings is that reading 4.1 looks at self-identity and how people see themselves while reading 4.2 goes more into depth about the actual statistics of inequality.

2) The station that is closest to me is the F train- 179th street. Based on Reading 4.1, I would say people in my neighborhood are majority working class with a small percentage that actually identify with middle class. My reasoning behind this inference is because of the mix of public housing, apartments and family homes. The demographic of my area leans more towards ethnic backgrounds and those who are immigrants that tend to work more entry-level positions locally. The actual cost of living in this area compared to what people earn makes the middle class idea feel more like a perception rather than a reality.

3) Based on Reading 4.2, NYC shows the inequality of wealth through the many divisions through the city based on residence. In Manhattan, such as the Village, upper East side, Brooklyn’s Williamsburg and Queens with areas like Bayside or Forest Hills a commonality of higher earned income is more prevalent compared to areas such as the South Bronx, Jamaica Queens or East New York- where you can clearly see the economic contrasts between each area through our transit system. NYC tends to group together those alike to preserve social class divisions.

1. It seems both articles recognize that class is defined not only by money, but also by self-perception, education, age, and race. Both readings recognize and discuss the similarities of how people perceive their classes, but the reality may be different. The biggest difference between the articles seems to be that while 4.2 discusses how different neighborhoods and boroughs are tied to different levels of income, 4.1 discusses a lot of the sociology behind how people perceive their class.

2. The closest station to me is Morgan Ave (L) in Bushwick, BK. I think this statistic is a half-truth. The median income for this station is listed at around 80K, and yes, while much of the neighborhood is populated by educated, mostly white transplants, a lot of the neighborhood is inhabited by working-class Puerto Rican and Dominican residents. If we look at Montrose Ave, which is almost equally far as Morgan from me, you’ll see how the number is much more modest (37K). I think when you put these side by side, it shows how the neighborhood is being gentrified.

3. 4.2 shows how there are many centers of wealth within this city. Income inequality can literally be demonstrated by walking down some main streets in this city. It shows that wealthy areas are more in the center of the city (with some exceptions), and most of the working-class population is concentrated in the outer boroughs.

1. Both readings look at how social class affects people’s lives, but they do it in different ways. Reading 4.1 is about how people use their income, education, and job to figure out what class they belong to. It shows that a lot of people think of themselves as “middle class,” even when their finances don’t match that label. Reading 4.2, on the other hand, uses geography, specifically subway stations, to show how class differences are spread out across New York City. It shows how neighborhoods that are only a few stops apart can have very different levels of wealth and opportunity. So, while 4.1 talks about how people see things, 4.2 shows how inequality really is in terms of space and time.

2) The closest station to me is 125th Street on the A/C/B/D lines in Harlem. Reading 4.1 makes me think that most of the people in the area are working class, with a few middle-class pockets. There are both older apartment buildings and new developments, as well as public housing. A lot of people in the area work in healthcare, education, or service jobs. Even though there is a strong sense of community, you can see that the economy is having problems. This classification doesn’t surprise me; it seems right. The neighborhood has a long history of culture and strength, but it is also under pressure from gentrification and rising costs.

3) If you pay attention to subway stops, you can easily see how NYC is divided by class, as shown in Reading 4.2. The Upper East Side, Tribeca, and some parts of Brooklyn are wealthy neighborhoods with high median incomes and access to top-notch schools, services, and housing. At the same time, most of the working-class and immigrant communities live in the Bronx, Queens, and parts of Brooklyn, which are on the outside of the city. The subway system itself is a map of inequality; where you get on and off can tell a lot about your social class. It’s a reminder that class isn’t just about how much money you have; it’s also about where you live, how easy it is to get to things, and what chances you have.

1. Some similarities I found in the way social class is discussed in readings 4.1 and 4.2 are that both readings talk about social class, just in different ways. The Gallup article expresses the looks into how people view their own social class. How they place themselves based on things like income, education, and their job. The New Yorker subway project on the other hand shows social class across New York City by neighborhoods and using actual data to map where different classes live. So the main similarity is that both show how social class affects people’s lives, but the difference is that one is about how people feel about where they fit based on their own scale or how society places them. basing it on perception and the other is about where people actually live, based on data.

2. The Closet train station to where I grew up would be Delancey st. Which is the F,J and M trains. I’d honestly say based on the reading that my neighborhood would be seen as middle class. There’s a mix of apartment buildings, local mom and pop shops, and some restaurants that make it feel like a typical middle-class neighborhood. I wouldn’t say I’m at all surprised by this because by simple observation of the people that are around/ in my neighborhood, such as families, young professionals, and some older residents that fit the middle class lifestyle the article talks about, for example having steady jobs and going to school. Overall, I think it’s a pretty accurate picture of the people who live here, even though there are a few wealthier residents and some lower income too.

3. Based on the subway project, it looks like social classes in New York City are pretty separated by neighborhood. Wealthier people tend to live in parts of Manhattan, while lower-income groups are more common in other boroughs. It’s interesting how just a simple ride through the train system can classify a society of people, or even display the dramatic changes of income levels.

1. Do you notice any similarities in the way social class is discussed in readings 4.1 and 4.2? Do you notice any differences in the way these two readings DIFFERENTIATE between social classes?

The most interesting part about the readins to me is that social class is perceived in a different way by different groups, and when given the chance, nobody will choose to label theirselves as part of a lower social class, even if they might be part of it, or even demonstrate that people around them are part of that specific social group that they would avoid being, like the work class. Another difference I noticed is how the public transportation intentionally avoid connecting different social classes, mostly so that the upper classes will not interact with lower classes.

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 closest station to me now is North White Plains, and this neighborhood is often seen as part of middle and upper class. I am not surprised by that, as walking around everyday reminds me that most of the people I see are actually part of those social groups, and they really try and separate theirselves from lower classes, either by the way they dress, talk, and even places they go to. I am not part of those social groups, so It’s really interesting to be around them, and sometimes looked down by them.

3. Based on Reading 4.2, do you notice a general pattern about social classes in NYC?

The biggest pattern I noticed about social classes in NYC is that the different social classes tend to grouped together, in a way that they intentionally don’t mix with others.