- 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?
In readings 4.1 and 4.2 there are few similarities in which social class is discussed. In both readings they focus on total household income. As depicted on both the subway graph and Gallup article, income is key element in as to what social class people place themselves in. People at the lowest household income are most likely to identify at lower, middle, or working class, where those at the highest income bracket identify as upper-middle and upper-class. Additionally, the two readings also center around people’s social class in terms of the location they live in. For example, reading 4.1 states that people who tend to live in rural, countryside locations are less likely to place themselves in the high social class bracket than those who live in urban and suburban areas. In reading 4.2 displayed on the subway map image, you will observe evidence to support this statement. On the map, people who live in the borough of Manhattan tend to have higher incomes than those who live in Brooklyn, Queens, or the Bronx (the only exception being York Street, the first Brooklyn stop on the F line).
There are multiple differences within these two pieces in terms of making distinctions between the social classes. In reading 4.1 the reader receives a more thorough analysis of the elements that helps one determine their social class. As determined in reading 4.1, they describe social class in terms of someone’s education, race, job, political party affiliation, marital status, age, and gender. The graphs in 41. also provide the specific social class people identify as in relation to their household income, ranging from lower, working, middle, upper-middle, and upper-class. Reading 4.1 additionally provides the reader with details about how education impacts how people view their social class. As stated in the reading, working class identification falls with those who graduated college, thus causing the upper-middle class identification to increase substantially. The middle-class identification stays the same regardless of education level, and less than half categorize themselves as working class at any level of education. As far as age goes, those who are 65 and older tend to put themselves in a higher social class as opposed to those who are much younger. The reading in 4.2 gives extraordinarily little detail as to the specific backgrounds of the people incorporated into the graph. The only details we get are how much money these people make in their respective neighborhoods/subway stops.
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?
According to the information found on the graph in reading 4.1 and the subway map in reading 4.2, my neighborhood can be categorized as middle to upper-middle class, with a median income of $98,646. I’m not surprised by this news due to my neighborhood being widely known for its extravagant brownstone buildings, with a verity of expensive restaurants, bars, local coffee shops, parks, and above average schools. Recently my neighborhood made it to the top ten most expensive locations in Brooklyn. However, because there are quite a few families who have lived in my neighborhood for many generations, the income of those who live there may vary. This is due to the probability of them inheriting their homes from older or deceased family members. This is an accurate representation of my neighborhood because I’ve watched it develop and change for over 25 years. It has changed from a nice quiet area, with a lot of schools and parks, into a heavily populated area with quality restaurants, expensive boutiques, and superior nightlife. These new elements are bringing in more young wealthy people with families who would have previously preferred to live in the city due to its impressive accommodations. Additionally, my neighborhood is attracting several travelers from both inside and outside of the country.
3. Based on Reading 4.2, do you notice a general pattern about social classes in NYC?
In relation to the graph in reading 4.2 I’ve noticed that in the Borough of Manhattan people tend to lean towards the upper-middle and upper-class systems. People in the Bronx tend to have the lowest income, and therefore, part of the lower- or working-class systems. Consistent with the graph, Brooklyn has both lower class, middle class, and upper-class people living within the borough. Queens falls somewhere in the middle with a mostly middle-class population. I additionally observed that those who classify as upper-class New York citizens live around Chambers Street and Park Place both averaging a $205,192 income. What has also come to my attention is that the U.S. Census Bureau left out neighborhoods located in Staten Island because they don’t use the New York City subway system to travel. Therefore, it is not a complete graph of New York City’s social class identification. This leaves me curious as to how the data would change if the income from Staten Island was also incorporated.
