24 Classism
Classism: / Optional (Choose 2)
The Oxford Dictionary defines classism as “prejudice against or in favor of people belonging to a particular social class.”
It is no stretch of the imagination to say that rich billionaires have considerably more access to power than the average working-class individual.
Living in a hyper-consumerist, capitalist society has created wealth gaps (and legal gaps) between corporations and individuals. Among the nuisances within the class spectrum is accessibility: access to quality food, access to clean water, access to affordable housing, access to healthcare, and access to a quality education.
Working-class people struggle with everyday bills and costs of products, from basic necessities to luxury items, but there are individuals in our society that contain more wealth than developing countries.
Privilege can be connected to a multitude of power structures, but consider for now the concept of class privilege.
Watch this video to learn more about privilege:
Classism also affects the way we perceive each other. Consider how society perceives someone of wealth or celebrity — like Bill Gates, Elon Musk, Beyonce Knowles, or Kim Kardashian — in comparison to the average person in sweatpants and a hoodie. What does society or social media tell us that we “should” have?
Watch this video to learn more about the recent history of class in the U.S.
- Consider how society perceives the unhoused people living on our sidewalks.
- Consider how people who live in the city perceive people from rural areas.
- Consider how social media has only made this issue more visible.
Directions: Choose 2 articles to read.
Center on Rural Innovation. “The Equity of Economic Opportunity in Rural America.” ruralinnovation.us, 12 Oct. 2023.
Fickman, Laurie. “Poverty, Racism and the Public Health Crisis in America.” University of Houston, uh.edu, 11 Nov. 2021.
Jarow, Oshan. “Basic Income Is Less Radical Than You Think.” Vox, vox.com, 13 Oct. 2023.
Love, Hanna; Hadden Loh, Tracy. “The ‘Rural-Urban Divide’ Furthers Myths about Race and Poverty – Concealing Effective Policy Solutions.” Brookings.edu, 8 Dec. 2020.
Sutherland, Paige; Chakrabarti, Meghna. “Can Focusing on Class Instead of Race Solve Our Country’s Equity Issues?” WBUR, 3 Aug. 2023.