I got another compliment from my professor in that class I dislike. Maybe I will end up liking the class after all 
Class In America (with comparisons to the British)
Why are we so hesitant to talk about class? I was thinking about this and I am still not sure this is true. I do not have any studies to back up that America is talking about class so I am willing to concede it might be true that most Americans do not talk about class issues. I feel this is because for one thing America was supposedly trying to get away from the class distinctions of our British oppressors – you know way back in 1776. This country was created on the principle that all men (ok, all white men) are created equal, so having class distinctions kind of negates that. What we learned though is that people classify and stereotype everybody and we cannot get away from that. Another reason why people may not talk about class is they may be in a class of people they really do not want to identify with. It may hurt them to realize the truth. Yet another reason, and I believe this to be prevalent, is that people (like me) may not know exactly how to classify themselves and are hesitant to classify themselves and most other people. I think a lot of middle class people may feel this. Also, there are two ways of classifying people – by wealth and by mindset. It begins to get sticky when you have a wealthy person who leads a trashy lifestyle (like Paris – can she even be classified as upper class anymore even with all her millions; not in my book. She is as trashy as they come) or a poor person has an upper class mindset, is educated (think homeless guy with a Phd). There are subcultures within the main classes (working class, lower middle, upper middle, professional, etc) and it is hard to put a label (if that is what you really want to do – I am not a big proponent of this) on everybody. Some people may be able to fit into a couple of different class structures. Some people are on the way up, while some are on the way down. Overall I think it baffles people and it is something that is not at the forefront of our minds unless we are upper class or intellectuals. In my opinion, they are the ones that have time to think about this – the rest of us are just trying to get by.
The exception may be the people who are proud to be redneck or hillbilly, like Jerri, Sam and Jessi Rae (249) from the "White Trash" article. They don't think about it too much though, they just are what they are and are proud of it. Ignorance is bliss, huh?
Why do we aspire to be "rich and famous"? In this country, I think the majority of us are raised to be a success. Being rich equals success in many people's eyes. Also, having money equals freedom. If you are well off you can do what you want, when you want. You do not have to kow tow to anyone. We value our freedom in this country but at the same time we are slaves to money. In America, it seems that everybody wants to have a type A personality and they think there is something wrong with you if you do not, you slacker. It is part of our patriotism, that drive, that can do attitude. We are schooled this from birth. It may have started as a "We'll show them" attitude after the war for independence, again way back when our country was forming. I think I have read something about Americans having Puritan beliefs; hard work and no play. As for fame, being famous equals having money, riches, which in turn equals freedom or at least hot chicks, hot cars, and all the bling you could ever desire.
Why don't we despise and mock the rich? This too I disagree with. There are times and people who despise and mock the rich. Here again I am just telling you my opinion. I cannot produce any hardcore evidence of this. I guess we may not do it to the extent the British do, but I have a prejudice against rich people. I have seen some American comedy/comedians that do this and even some sitcoms. What about shows like "The Fresh Prince of Belaire" where Wil Smith is the poor kid that comes to live with rich relatives. There was some mocking going on there and at times the richie people would learn from the "poor street kid". Or I am thinking about "The Nanny" with Fran Drescher, also mocking of rich going on there and the nanny gets over on the rich guy. I am also thinking about "Frasier", here are two upper class brothers with a working class father. There was a lot of mocking going on there. Ah, Dave Chapelle mocked just about everybody. Even in today's culture, to like the things that are seen to be upper class - such as the symphony, the ballet, opera, art museums, is portrayed as not very soulful; wooden maybe; white bread; boring; la di da!; etc… Stuff like that is certainly mocked. If there is not much mocking going on in other areas it is because we all aspire to be rich or at least comfortable, so we would be mocking are own desires; we would have to despise ourselves. Also, in America, we are raised to be successful, and that means rich. "I'm rich bitch!"
What ideologies drive American concepts of class? How does it differ from the Brits? This is a hard question for me. Capitalism is a big one that drives American concepts of class. The 'haves' and 'have nots' and the 'in betweens'. Supposedly anyone can make it in this country. If you are one of the 'have nots' then you just didn't work hard enough or weren't smart enough to achieve the American dream so therefore you do not deserve it. This differs from the British by the fact that their 'haves' wealth is inherited and their 'have nots' even if they become the 'haves' can never be seen as anything other than upstarts or new money. They would never be classified as upper class no matter how much money they have. In America, most people, once they hit a certain income bracket and aren't too trashy can achieve upper class status. I am not sure this is the case in Britain.
How does pop culture help confront or cover up class divisions? It helps confront class divisions by mixing it up. Do you know what I mean? Musical styles combining, things coming out into the mainstream that in the past were just culture or class specific. It may help cover up class divisions by giving us the false impression that the divisions are non existent.
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Terrific post, Jaquelyn - your theories are backed up by plenty of compelling evidence, and you've stood up to the questions with confidence and clarity. Well done. L. Juchartz
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