Classes in Society

We all know the different classes within society, the upper, middle, and lower classes. We often separate ourselves and others into these separate classes often by the amount of money they have. We often make assumptions based on other factors such as clothes, formal education, size and location of the home, speech and manner, and the activities kids or adults participate in. These assumptions are made by observation alone. When we break cultural normal, for instance, maybe getting married to someone who is more better off, others of their class may look down on the spouse that is from a lower class. Based on the assumptions made from observations, classes make judgements that are often negative. Like it is a bad thing, something to be frowned upon to be associated with someone from another class due to the access of resources they have. This is a very dangerous mentality, it can lead to a cultural divide, segregation, and even prosecution. Take bullying for example, the source (though I understand this can be much more complicated, but for the sake of the example lets assume this is the cause) could be that the victim dresses in a funny way, or doesn’t talk the same maybe they have a lisp. Either way, they are a victim to harassment due to the outward observations of class. This is a huge problem, humans, especially in the United States, often come to conclusions from observations all the time. It is how we perceive our environment. It often takes a disciplined mind to correctly conclude that does not lead to a divide of a sorts. It takes a positive attitude and a dismissal of assumptions. Often, I find that making a positive assumption about a person, even when faced with a negative behavior from that person, allows me to set aside this difference and move on. A good example of this is the drivers in Arizona or often bad. This is due to a lot of factors but that is besides the point. When I see a person speeding, when I am cut off, I think to myself excuses of why they might of done that that sheds a positive light rather then a negative one on them. “They may have some kind of emergency or are late to something important, that must be why they are going so fast.” Or “I wish they wouldn’t get in front of me like that, perhaps they really needed to get out of the turn lane and had no other way to go.” I try to keep my assumptions positive rather then negative. I try to find an excuse that isn’t bad. I find that this helps me live happier, instead of being angry I can move on and use the energy that I would’ve used being angry with something more productive. I believe that for society to start improving (this will not solve major problems but make them more bearable) we need to stop assuming in a negative fashion and start assuming in a positive one. A major example I learned about was the strain put on a Mexican family seeking to live in the United States. They love their families and want their children to have major benefits, the main one being able to speak English and Spanish. They often send father ahead first to secure finances for everyone to cross. However, this man used to be an accountant belonging to a major law firm for instance. He can only secure a less then minimum wage job in construction for instance. All because he could not afford to enter the United States legally. Due to the threat of deportation they often accept these jobs and keep them for years. The separation of father from the children can alienate his relationship with them. They are no longer a successful family in Mexico but are strained to make ends meet. This changes the family on drastic levels, in ways we often do not understand or bother to understand. This made a huge impact on me learning about this, because the media often puts refugees in a negative light and allows us to make negative assumptions. I did not know that families in Mexico, ones that were successful were also trying to come to the United States. It changes so much of their family dynamic, all so they could find a better quality of life. I am not saying this is the main group of people coming but it helped broaden my view on this controversial subject. We too need to broaden our perspectives and not take everything for granted.