- 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 first reading discussed Social class in term of hierarchy from low to high based on income, wealth, power and education. Per the author, this approach is the objective definition of the social class in a society. Additionally, the second reading defines social class by using the subway system and categorize them from lowest to highest. Other similarities that exist between these two texts on social class is, they both elaborate social class in term of income. The highest income or the upper class is above $200K and the lowest income is in the range of $20K. They both have 5 categories of social class based on household income. Yet, both readings differ from each other in different aspects, such as the first consider the US population in general while the other one is very specific to social class based on New York subway system. One of them talk about the perception of Americans on social class, what people think about their class, where they belong to. The other one is based on data from a credible institution, the U.S Census Bureau. These data shows that income changes between boroughs and neighborhoods. The richest people live in Lower Manhattan and the poorest in the other boroughs mostly black neighborhoods, except in minor stations in those boroughs.
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?
Considering the neighborhood and station where I live, on 185 Hillside Ave, I would say per the author my neighborhood is a middle class one. Because I noticed that most of people are working people. Some seems educated and some may not. I think maybe the median household income can vary between 40K to 250K. According to me, mostly all types of social classes lives in my neighborhood such lower, working, middle, Upper-Middle and Upper if we base on the author’s classification. I do not think it is an accurate representation because there are working people that makes more than 250k, should we consider them in the upper class or the working people class. A CPA, for example that owns a small accounting firm can make 500k or 1M as income or revenue. Does that mean they are not part of the working class. In what class should we categorize that person, Upper or working class? In what category or class should we put a rich person? A person that owns only businesses.
3- Based on Reading 4.2, do you notice a general pattern about social classes in NYC?
Yes there is a pattern about social classes in NYC based on the New York subway. I noticed that for all trains numbers, the stations situated in Manhattan specifically Chambers Street, Park Place, and World Trade Center, in Lower Manhattan), are where you find the highest median household income people. And as much as a stations are moving away from Manhattan you will find the poorest household income. Brooklyn, Bronx and Queens are the low income boroughs, except for some stations that are really closed to Manhattan. In most lines the poorest people live in Brooklyn and The Bronx. Except in line G, where the incomes shift a little higher for Brooklyn comparing to Queens.