"You Can Go to School but you Can't Buy Class"

In Invisible Inequality  by Annette Lareau,  she examines child rearing particularly looking at  two Black boys in this chapter. She argues that child rearing strategies are influenced by “the interweaving of life experiences and resources, including parents economic resources, occupational conditions and educational background” in middle class families. She expresses how analyzing what happens “inside the home” can really explain how parental behavior is enacted by their children (612).

She describes how middle-class parents enroll their children in organized activity, stress on language use ,and have their main emphasis on the performance of their children (612).  In contrast, working-class and poor parents have more directives for their children, have fewer organized activities, this in turn means their children have more free time, in addition to this they have stronger ties to their extended family (612). Their emphasis is the “accomplishment of natural growth” (612).

From this, Lareau describes that middle-class children emerge from being raised by certain experiences with an “emerging sense of entitlement (613). Conversely, children who grow up in the working-class or poor families gain an “emerging sense of constraint (621). These two distinctions affect how individuals who grow up in these classes generally interact in social institutions. For example Alexander’s mother teaches him to be an “assertive client in interactions with professional” (622). Moreover Alexander gains a “sense of entitlement” and like children at his school would then be able to apply this to other similar situations.  In contrast to this, “Harold is reserved” during the physical he attends, mirroring his mother’s quiet composure.  The “dependence on public assistance and sever economic shortages that…shaped poor parents’ views”, contributes to Ms. McAllister’s demeanor. In a similar fashion to many working-class and poor families, there exists “distance or separation from” social institutions.

“you should ask the doctor” (622). This is how Alexander’s mother encourages him to inquire about his rash as they pay a visit to the physician. Through this persuasion, Alexander learns to be inquisitive and is more likely to receive more out of his social interactions than Harold is. The “cautious and constrained” attitude Harold learns to adopt in environments outside his neighborhood inhibits the opportunities he is likely to inquire about.  In this way, it is unlikely that he will urge anyone outside his neighborhood to provide “a customized accommodation of institutional processes to suit [his] preferences” (623). Thus, “differences in family life lie not only in the advantage parents obtain for their children, but also in the skills they transmit to children for negotiating their own paths” (613).

In this manner, Lisa Wade addresses the issue whereby low social economic status students are less likely to apply to at least one highly selective college (Wade). In the same cautionary approach Harold’s mother approached the physician, more than half of the “less affluent students were more intimidated by” highly selective colleges (Wade). She expresses unfamiliarity with such colleges as a reason for this.  On the contrary, higher social economic status students “felt more confident that they'd be successful at such an institution” (Wade). While the academic ability of these valedictorians differ by mere points, the approach they have to adapt in these institutions are worlds apart. A child like Alexander would not merely exist in this environment but challenge it. A child like Harold would distrust such an environment and thus stay away from it. These valedictorians confirm that ability is not what holds them back, but unfamiliarity of such social settings.

Yet Tammy’s son wants to be familiar with the ‘class’ that his friends belong to. He does not want to shy away from the higher class, and even dresses ‘appropriately’ so that he can fit into it. In a sense, he achieves this, given that he is viewed as popular and perhaps manages to conceal the class his family comes from. He aspires for upward mobility in his dream to attend college and pursue either a law or architectural degree.  However, the WASP video confirms that a combination of factors determines one’s class. These are attributes that cannot be taught in an educational and formalized setting, but by having grown up in these classes. For example, using the word ‘drapes’ for curtains and knowing which furniture to purchase are unwritten rules or hidden curricula that are learned by people who are WASPs. Thus Tammy’s son may never fully fit into the class he desires mainly because of his upbringing.

I found a series of picture that either show a stark contrast between class or allude to the fact that the occupation that the people hold are influenced by their class (as well as other factors) it has shortcoming in that sometimes the differences made comparisons difficult and some of the titles may be blanket terms and too broad. I am unsure of what to make of picture number four. Also some pictures may have a controversial nature that I tried to remove from the slide but found difficult so please go past these.

http://www.boredpanda.com/created-equal-mark-laita/