Is "Fitting In" Fueling Social Class?

I think social class in modern America matters a lot. I think this truth is masked by the "politically correct movement" which encourages everyone to treat everyone the same. However I think attitude doesn't translate into our realities because of the economic conditions, personal experiences, and communities that make us different and divide us.

The controlling concept of acceptance is what stands out to me the most as I reflect on social class discussions I have encountered for this class and in my life-time. And in my mind, the concept of acceptance and non-acceptance goes hand-in-hand. By this I mean that people shun or treat people differently because other members of their social class do. We all do this because we want to be accepted by those who matter most to us.

I wonder if we live in social classes, whether blatantly or not, because it is not accepted in our social groups to treat others a certain way. Generally, a poor member of a minority group associated with gangs would be frowned on to try to hang out with a middle-class white person. Members of a well-established community club or organizations would collectively feel uncomfortable to allow someone with an impoverished background participate in their meetings. A club member would have to be brave enough to break a social norm to have meaningful contact with this poor person.

According to the text of Introduction to Psychology, studies show it is hard for people to break out of the social class when poor. There are many reasons for this, but high among them is a lack of education or means. The text says that children who are poor don't know what to aspire to. I wonder if this is because there is no motivation to be accepted by another social group, so they don't do anything.

I personally identified with the story of Dena on the PBS special "People Like Us: Social Class In America." Like her I moved to the Washington D.C. area to build a career, but I struggle with the pulls of a slower, more modest life-style I left on the West Coast. It has always been important to me to fit in where I grew up. It worries be that I've changed too much and may never fit in at home. The other stories in that documentary also illustrated that people are controlled by who does or does not accept them and how they do, or don't reach out to others.

The messages of equality that we have heard in America for decade now are important and I think they've made a difference. But I think until we can all truly learn to put others before ourselves, social classes will always exist.