Social class is a hot button topic among many adults and students. Whether or not social class plays an integral role in being the best version of yourself possible is one of life’s biggest questions. Social class itself can sometimes be an enigma. Social class is best described as a division of a society based on social and economic status. Social class, however, does not matter because it’s a social construct which is used to allow the unfortunate to have an excuse as to why they aren’t able to achieve what they want to, and allow the rich to believe they are better than others. 

Social class is used to push people to think less of themselves, and to be content with being less than they can truly be. In the past, children who were poor were not taught in school, and were instead used for manual labor. (Rothstein, Richard) The simple idea that someone who is poor is not smart is alarming, as it further connotates the narrative of Social class; Being poor means being dumb. The way people think after being labeled as a certain social class damages them, regardless of where they are placed. Someone who is poor may act as if they don’t care about succeeding in anything in life, while someone who believes they are of higher social class might act as if they are better than someone less fortunate. The main idea to take away is that while social class does not matter, the way people label each other absolutely does. 

Personal experience has taught me that no matter where you place in the spectrum of “Social Class”, you are able to overcome any barrier through hard work. My job can sometimes be very heated and stressful, and as a result, only two people remain from the crew of people that started when the building opened. At work, social class does not matter because one of the biggest weaknesses of “Social Class”, is that people must be shallow enough to treat each other as if it actually exists. People of all ages treat each other with dignity and respect, even though we come from different backgrounds. Even books such as, ‘Nickel and Dimed”, prove this concept correct. The main character works difficult, no education required jobs but still does not gain a voice above others because they all worked the same, equal job. The people at the main character’s job held the power through seniority and hard work. 

Some people will contend that social class matters because it will help people gain more the higher up in social class they are. This is false since hard work is something all people are born capable of doing. The only difference between people is that sometimes it requires more hard work for some than others. If the person in question has determination and perseverance, then no matter their origin, they can achieve greatness. 

People create ideas to attempt to explain where people fit in society. Of the many ideas people have created in the past, social class is among the most dangerous of them all. When suddenly when confronted with a simple descriptor, people believe they are less or more than others. Without misleading phrases, people are measured by their determination and hard work. When as a whole we observe how we treat each other and how we use words to place people above or below us, we can start to ascertain the solutions to the social class crisis.  

Sources-

Ehrenreich, Barbara. Nickel and Dimed. 2001. 

Rothstein, Richard. “LESSONS; Does Social Class Matter in School?” The New York Times, The New York Times, 10 Nov. 1999, www.nytimes.com/1999/11/10/nyregion/lessons-does-social-class-matter-in-school.html.