Keep in mind our Online Discussion Guidelines:
https://openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu/pol-100-0505-spring-2025-introduction-to-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?

2 thoughts on “Discussion Board 4.1”

  1. Do you notice any similarities in the way social class is discussed in readings 4.1 and 4.2?

    I can’t access reading 4.2
    However, 4.1 discusses the concept of social class and how society defines themselves based on their financial, education, and even racial background.

    Do you notice any differences in the way these two readings DIFFERENTIATE between social classes?

    Based on reading 4.1, I notice things like the older one is the more they identify with a higher income level. Or if someone is White their income is higher then those who are non-white.

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

    The station closest to where I live is Jamaican Center- Parsons/Archer Avenue
    Black/African American tend to occupy my neighborhood with Asians coming in second. Out of 106,922 people 52.2% of that population make up women who are apart of the workforce with the rest being men. I’m not surprised by these stats. When I go out it’s what I see in reality so it is an accurate representation.

  2. 1. From the video “Wealth Inequality in America” and the article “What Determines How Americans Perceive Their Social Class?” I was able to understand how different we perceive social class. It was really interesting to see how skewed our perception of distribution of wealth is. This article shows the way that people perceive their own class based on income or wealth and surprisingly, not based on something like political standings. Social class is more seen through economic factors rather than political affiliation. Older generations affiliate themselves with higher social class, while younger generations see themselves as lower.

    2. Based on the graph someone in the comments provided I was able to see the differences between the station closest to me, the 2 and Q train, with those further down the line. The difference in household income is a little under the median income in my neighborhood. This information doesn’t surprise me since I believe my neighborhood to be part of the lower class.

    3. There seems to be a general pattern within NYC where you can immediately tell where each social class is located. There is a clear division, and you notice it with housing or the types of amenities that are available in those neighborhoods. In parts of the Brooklyn you see more diversity and middle to lower class neighborhoods, whereas in Manhattan, you can clearly see the change of wealth when you look around.

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