CAPS BLOG #1- Jihyun Kim

Class Identity

It is defined as a sense of belonging to a group that shares similar economic, occupational, or social status. The class identity can be easily distinguished by what an individual wears, by what kind of car they drive; by what school they went to receive their degree. It is against the social norm to ask a person’s salary; therefore, there are other ways to define a person’s class by simply observing their presence. For example, it is hard to imagine a member of the working class to be spotted at a 5 star restaurant in the Upper East Side of Manhattan. According to the French sociologist Bourdieu, the working class prefers to watch soccer because it is something they can easily relate to. Blaming the poor people for being poor is not always true. The United States has the most unequally distributed wealth income in the world and the only class being unaffected by this is the upper class. The top 1% has controlled at least a third of all wealth and the wealthiest 20% has held over 80% over the last 4 decades. The American dream of the upper class is easy to achieve but for the working class it takes more than having a one full time job to even come close to the American dream.

A classic example of class identity is the down falling economic crisis of the European Union states. The rich are getting richer while the poor are getting poorer. This article discusses the ever-rising unemployment situation all across Europe because of their debt crisis. The working class of Germany is tired and frustrated of being unemployed and being known as the “Sick Man of Europe.” While other countries like Spain, France, and Greece were improving in the job market; Germany was rapidly dwindling. In 2005 unemployment reached a peak of 12.5 percent, but in December 2011 it had a major turnaround and the rate went down to just 6.6 percent.

The concept of class identity is not only relevant to me, but also to the rest of the world. It not only defies whom we are but also where we stand in our society. There will always be that difference in communication between the upper class, middle class, and the working class. I am part of the middle class and it has appeared to me how much of the difference I see between the classes everyday. Even right here, on our own streets of downtown Lincoln we can see the struggles of the poor as they sit or sleep on benches asking for money. Some people will give those homeless people some money or a nice hot meal, but other will completely ignore them and move on with their lives. This concept is useful for understanding different cultures and the differences within the class identity. 

References

Martin, J.N., & Nakayama, T.K. (2009). Intercultural Communication in Contexts. McGraw-Hill Higher Education

Dowling, S. (2012, January 25). Germany's Job Miracle. CNN World. Retrieved January 25, 2012, from http://http://globalpublicsquare.blogs.cnn.com/2012/01/25/germanys-jobs-miracle/?hpt=wo_r1