Lawrence Mead has some nerve

Lawrence is basically saying that it id a poor persons fault for being poor and that they are the sole reason that they have not moved up in the social class. He is implying that they could get out of it but they just dont want to. After watching the movie i agree and disagree with this statement. When we watched the people who were diving into mud and fishing for pigs feet it seemed that they liked being poor. They enjoyed the friends they made and all that went along with having little money. But then when we saw the women and her sons in the trailer it seemed that she didnt like being poor and was trying to get out of being poor. But it isnt that easy to just get out of being poor as we watch. She couldnt afford a car so she had to walk 10 miles to work and as a result she showed up smelly and dischevelled. A job that would pay more then minimum wage would require someone to come in looking presentable and well kept. You could see that the women was trying so hard to care for her family but it wasnt so easy. Sometimes people dont mind not making much and enjoy the simple things in life but for those trying to get out of poverty its not that easy. Lawrence makes it seem like people can just wake up and not be poor but it is so much harder then that.

class without a teacher went well, we all stayed and watched the movie, and stayed to discuss. It was so refreshing to see that people can be mature in settings such as that. We chatted about the film and shared stories about how class has effected  our lives. Everyone had something to say and got a chance to say it.

by Brooke at 11:17 pm

0

Comments

Sep

29

reflection

After reviewing both of the webistes i decided to do the reflection because i feel like i can relate to this topic of class and how people get classified either wrongly or accurately. This text made me think about how people can be judemental and oppressive when it comes to class. So far as getting a job people may be looked over because they dont own a house yet they have a degree and can do the job super well. It related to me beacuse when i came to Rhode Island i made a ton of friends that were from here. One day at lunch after knowing me for some time i told them i was from Connecticut. After disclosing that information they immediatly assumed that i had money and was rich. From then on when we went out they would say things like "oh im sure brooke can pay for that because she is from Connecticut". It bothered me because i no longer felt like i was the same person they once thought i was, i became classified by my class. I am not rich and i work for everything i have but there was no use trying to explain that to them so i just let it go. I myself have made assumptions like this in the past but never really realized how it could make someone feel. Most people assume that if your from south Providence you live in the ghetto and have no money. When that may not be the case. Social class is an issue because there doesnt seem to be a way to break out of it once that class is place upon you. While on the website i took the quiz to find out what class i was and it told me that i was some what trailer park class. Now this quiz has no idea who i am or were i am from it just based it off the answers i put down. Which is alot like what people do in society today. The base your class off of what you have and the answers you give. If some one where to use slang such as ain't they would automatically be classfied as un educated and from a lower class. This structure has been around forever and is still a prevelant issue.
it can make even the hardest working person feel small just because they arent in the "right class". I am currently sitting in the computer lab and can see the girl across from me glaring at another girl who looks like she hasnt bathed in days and has ripped clothes on. I can only imagien what is running through her head while she glares at this girl. Every one may not experince being made fun of for there class but we all witness people assumeing in there mind that someone is beneath them or above them when it comes to class. I hope that we can abolish class and finally achive eqaulity, because although America says it is all about equality, that just isnt the case with a structure like class around.