As reading 4.2 is still unavailable at the time of writing this response, I will instead talk specifically about reading 4.1 on how it discusses social class. In the article, “What Determines How Americans Perceive Their Social Class?” it explores how Americans shape their own perceptions about their social class. The article highlights the socioeconomic factors that may lead to someone understanding their own social class such as their income, wealth, education, and occupation. As income is a significant, objective factor to being able to determine one’s own social class, those with higher incomes will tend to view themselves as middle or upper class. The article also discusses the concept of class self-identification which goes over what factors Americans consider when identifying their own social class. With about half of Americans consistently identifying as middle class as many Americans tend to make around $40-50k in household income. The article also goes over the factor of education and that depending on your highest level of education can influence how you perceive your own social class. This is spread through mainly a lower social class if you’ve completed less than high school, working class for completing high school, a split between working class and middle class if you’ve completed some college, being a college graduate leaning more towards middle class, and post-graduate work being split between middle class and upper-middle class. With all the points covered, the article provides a broad perspective on social class in America and how it’s not solely determined by one single aspect of your life.
Using the concepts from reading 4.1, the social class of the people of a place like Harlem do have a mix of socioeconomic backgrounds, although I would say it is a mix of lower class to middle class citizens. I am not really surprised by this answer as I’ve been aware of my own family’s standing for a large amount of my life. I do believe that it is an accurate representation of the people living in my neighborhood. I have been aware of those who work in the area and they do fit in to that social class.
From reading 4.2, the general pattern of social classes in NYC is that most people in the upper class tend to live more downtown. An example of this would be the East Side, Central Park South, etc. While more of those in the working class or lower class will live more uptown towards the Bronx or Harlem.
One thought on “Kinsey Martyn – Discussion Board 4.1”
Hi Kinsey,
As someone who lives in Brooklyn, I can agree with different types of social class and backgrounds in my area. I live in an area where there’s two types of social classes so you definitely get to see different types of people throughout. I do think however majority of Americans tend to be in the lower class and middle class.
Hi Kinsey,
As someone who lives in Brooklyn, I can agree with different types of social class and backgrounds in my area. I live in an area where there’s two types of social classes so you definitely get to see different types of people throughout. I do think however majority of Americans tend to be in the lower class and middle class.