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https://openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu/pol-100-0502-fall-2026-american-government/online-discussion-guidelines/

Instructions for completing this discussion board assignment:

a) Identify which discussion question you are answering in your comment by placing the relevant number at the start of your answer. For example:

2. Crime has often been used as a form of social control by…

4. Michelle Alexander’s argument about segregation…

b) Respond to one other student’s comments.

NOTE: As usual, follow the guidelines from previous discussion board assignments, in answering by creating a new post…

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

8 thoughts on “Discussion Board 4.1”

  1. 2. The subway station closest to where I live is on the Q line in Brooklyn. Based on the concepts from Reading 4.1, I would describe my neighborhood as mostly working and middle class. There are people with different incomes, education levels, and occupations living in the same area, so I don’t think everyone can be placed into one specific social class.

    I’m not surprised by this because I’ve always seen my neighborhood as a mixture of working- and middle-class people and families. Something that stood out to me in the reading was that the class people identify with does not always match their income. Someone may have a lower income but still consider themselves middle class based on their education, occupation, lifestyle, or how they compare themselves to the people around them. I think this makes sense for my neighborhood because there is a lot of economic diversity even among people who live in the same area.

    1. I organized my post pretty similarly to yours, hope that’s cool! I really agree with what you said. Even in super diverse neighborhoods, it’s easy to see how working-class people are really the main engine keeping the whole city running and it’s crazy that those are mostly the people with low to middle incomes.

    2. Hi Kailey! I understand the conclusion you came up with, on how the people in your area don’t fit into one specific social class. With such different demographics you cannot group everyone into one class. The fact that income doesn’t necessarily have to align with social class is also intriguing me! You’d think a high paying job means being labeled as at least upper middle class but in some situations that’s just not the case. Perspective definitely plays a role in determining what social class you’re in.

  2. I live near the Flatbush Ave Brooklyn College station, which is the last stop on the 2 and 5 lines. Based on the concepts from Reading 4.1, I would classify my neighborhood as a mix of working-class and middle-class residents. I wasn’t really surprised by this because it matches what I see every day when I take the train, but I find it very interesting to observe the community. I notice a lot of nurses, healthcare staff, and social workers living here, alongside students and small business owners. I think this class description is mostly accurate, but it only tells part of the story. Standard income categories miss how hard-working and supportive people are, especially with many large immigrant and multi-generational families sharing expenses and helping each other in the neighborhood.

  3. I agree with you especially about how the social class people identify with doesn’t always match with their income. I think education, occupation, lifestyle and who you associate yourself with can affect how they see their social class. I also like your point about economic diversity because people from different backgrounds and income levels can live in the same neighborhoods

  4. 2. I live closest to the R line in Brooklyn. Based on reading 4.1, the upper-middle class tends to live in my area. I am not surprised by this answer given the fact that my neighborhood is generally filled with majority white people with high paying jobs and families. I feel this an accurate representation of the people living in my neighborhood since a lot of people in my area have nice brownstones, cars, and even pets! I feel that the reading gives a good explanation of demographics in regards to social classes.

    1. Hey Toni,
      i agree with you, because i also like in brooklyn and just how you said, it feels accurate since majority of the neighborhood have all of that nice stuff like nice cars and all of the other things that you mentioned.

  5. 3) based on the reading 4.1, it seems theres a pattern where neighborhood in nyc with stations on the subway map correspond to different average income levels. and this suggests that social classes in nyc are geographically concentrated with certain areas being home to people of similar economic backgrounds. the reading implies that the subway map can be used as a way to visualize these divisions. and i feel that the reading actually gives a good explanation regards to that.

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