Class Class PassingPassing

Lina Medaglia-Miller, Ph.D.Lina Medaglia-Miller, Ph.D.The Great Pretender: The Art of PassingThe Great Pretender: The Art of Passing

GSSC 1073GSSC 1073May 2010May 2010

What is ClassWhat is Class??

Social Social classesclasses are the hierarchical are the hierarchical arrangements of people in society as arrangements of people in society as economiceconomic or or culturalcultural groups. Class is groups. Class is an essential object of analysis for an essential object of analysis for sociologistssociologists, , political scientistspolitical scientists, , economistseconomists, , anthropologistsanthropologists and and social historianssocial historians. In the . In the social sciencessocial sciences, social class is often discussed in , social class is often discussed in terms of 'terms of 'social stratificationsocial stratification'. '.

In sociology and In sociology and political philosophy, political philosophy, the most basic the most basic class distinction is class distinction is between the between the powerful and the powerful and the powerless. Social powerless. Social classesclasses with a great with a great deal of power are deal of power are usually viewed as usually viewed as "the "the eliteselites" (the “" (the “fat catsfat cats”) within ”) within their own societies. their own societies.

The Fat Cat stereotypeThe Fat Cat stereotype

Various social and political Various social and political theories propose that social theories propose that social classes with greater classes with greater powerpower attempt to cement their attempt to cement their own ranking above the own ranking above the lower classes in the lower classes in the hierarchy to the detriment hierarchy to the detriment of the society overall. By of the society overall. By contrast, contrast, conservativesconservatives and and structural functionalistsstructural functionalists have presented class have presented class difference as intrinsic to the difference as intrinsic to the structure of any society and structure of any society and to that extent ineradicable. to that extent ineradicable.

“Social class” definition derived from Wiki

Distribution of wealthDistribution of wealth

How is the How is the world’s world’s wealth wealth distributeddistributed??

The richest The richest 20% of the 20% of the planet own planet own 82.7% of 82.7% of the wealth.the wealth. Conley (2008), You Conley (2008), You May Ask YourselfMay Ask Yourself

Closer to Closer to home, in home, in the U.S., the U.S., the top 1% the top 1% of people of people hold 34.3% hold 34.3% of the of the wealth.wealth.

(See Wolff, 2004, Recent Trends in Household Wealth)

Here’s Here’s another another way of way of visualizinvisualizing those g those same same statistics.statistics.

Predictors of wealthPredictors of wealth From rags to riches? Is From rags to riches? Is

‘making it’ up the ‘making it’ up the class ladder a class ladder a possibility?possibility?

Who are your parents?Who are your parents? Who are your Who are your

mentors?mentors? To what clubs do you To what clubs do you

belong?belong? What is your What is your

gender/sex?gender/sex? What is your What is your heritageheritage//

ethnicityethnicity??

Abject vs. Relative Abject vs. Relative povertypoverty

No food >>> bad foodNo food >>> bad food No education >>> substandard No education >>> substandard

educationeducation No housing >>> substandard No housing >>> substandard

housinghousing No work >>> working poorNo work >>> working poor NoNo health access health access >>> poor health >>> poor health

accessaccess

Criminalization of povertyCriminalization of poverty Socioeconomic value = Socioeconomic value =

materialismmaterialism Non-consumer = Non-consumer = subversivesubversive Non-consumer = without valueNon-consumer = without value Elimination of social burden Elimination of social burden

(Brazilian street children, mental (Brazilian street children, mental health patients)health patients)

LoiteringLoitering (no ID, no $) = crime (no ID, no $) = crime Guilty by associationGuilty by association ““Dead-beats” pay on time, in Dead-beats” pay on time, in

cashcash

What defines a person’s What defines a person’s “class status”?“class status”?

Geographic Geographic locationlocation

Type of jobType of job IncomeIncome EducationEducation Family of originFamily of origin TitleTitle PropertyProperty

EtiquetteEtiquette Friendships/Friendships/

connectionsconnections ClothesClothes Teeth and hairTeeth and hair ComplexionComplexion LanguageLanguage Air of entitlementAir of entitlement

Category 1 Category 2

Karl MarxKarl Marx

Karl Heinrich MarxKarl Heinrich Marx (May 5, 1818 (May 5, 1818 – March 14, 1883) was a – March 14, 1883) was a GermanGerman philosopherphilosopher, , political economistpolitical economist, , historianhistorian, , political theoristpolitical theorist, , sociologistsociologist, , communistcommunist, and , and revolutionaryrevolutionary, whose ideas played , whose ideas played a significant role in the a significant role in the development of modern development of modern communismcommunism. Marx summarized his . Marx summarized his approach in the first line of chapter approach in the first line of chapter one of one of The Communist ManifestoThe Communist Manifesto, , published in 1848: "The history of published in 1848: "The history of all hitherto existing society is the all hitherto existing society is the

history of history of class strugglesclass struggles."."

Marxist analysis of classMarxist analysis of class People People

organized organized around around Means of ProdMeans of Productionuction

Who owns the Who owns the MoPMoP??

Who has to Who has to work with the work with the MoPMoP??

Who lives Who lives outside the outside the MoPMoP??

Pyramid Pyramid of of CapitalistCapitalist SystemSystem

Class struggleClass struggle

Economic Economic exploitationexploitation

Super-Super-exploitationexploitation

Hierarchy of Hierarchy of class oppressionclass oppression

Bread and circusBread and circuseses

Opiate of the maOpiate of the massessses

What are the “What are the “opiates of the peopleopiates of the people” ” in our culture?in our culture?

Types of Class PassingTypes of Class Passing

Lying about your Lying about your addressaddress

Misrepresenting your job Misrepresenting your job status and incomestatus and income

Claiming more degrees Claiming more degrees or education or education

Lying about your ‘Lying about your ‘pedigreepedigree’’

Using a fake titleUsing a fake title False property claimsFalse property claims Don Draper (Jon Hamm)

of TV’s “Mad Men”

The Art of Class PassingThe Art of Class Passing Take etiquette lessonsTake etiquette lessons Develop powerful Develop powerful

connectionsconnections Buy expensive clothesBuy expensive clothes Fix teeth and hairFix teeth and hair Develop a taste for art, Develop a taste for art,

fine foods, and winesfine foods, and wines Speak with confidence and Speak with confidence and

entitlemententitlement Learn the grammar and Learn the grammar and

dialect of the richdialect of the rich Marry someone with Marry someone with

statusstatus Create a false history that Create a false history that

is difficult to disproveis difficult to disprove Impostor ‘Clark Rockefeller’ did most of the things listed here.

Why might a rich person pretend to be poor?Why might a rich person pretend to be poor?

RomanticizingRomanticizing Poverty: Poverty: The The RomanticRomantic movement movement began around 1800. It was began around 1800. It was an art movement through an art movement through which intellectuals and which intellectuals and artists expressed, among artists expressed, among other things, their belief other things, their belief that the average worker that the average worker was more honest and noble was more honest and noble than the rich. This than the rich. This culminated in numerous culminated in numerous artworks and pieces of artworks and pieces of music dedicated to ordinary music dedicated to ordinary people. people. Corot’s “Old Man on Trunk,” 1826

Appropriation by imitationAppropriation by imitation Ironically, this Ironically, this

political/artistic political/artistic movement was movement was appropriated by appropriated by the rich, who the rich, who imitated the poor imitated the poor in dress and in dress and demeanor. demeanor.

Rich and powerful Rich and powerful people people dodo tend to tend to imitate art styles imitate art styles and behaviours and behaviours that are that are considered trendy.considered trendy.

Appropriation by imitationAppropriation by imitation But also, psychologists But also, psychologists

speculate that there is speculate that there is a degree of guilt in the a degree of guilt in the elite’s desire to be elite’s desire to be closer tocloser to those whom those whom they have exploited or they have exploited or oppressed, in order to oppressed, in order to be forgiven.be forgiven.

When the privileged act When the privileged act like those without like those without privilege, there is a privilege, there is a pretense that there is pretense that there is no hierarchy.no hierarchy.

DefensesDefenses

What defense mechanisms do you What defense mechanisms do you think are utilized during such think are utilized during such appropriation (the elite acting as if appropriation (the elite acting as if they are poor/ordinary).they are poor/ordinary).

What What examples of examples of this kind of this kind of class class appropriatioappropriation do you see n do you see in the 20in the 20thth century and century and in our culture in our culture today?today?

The EndThe End