Photos

After listening to really smart people and old friends I recalled the power of image. When you search for images of social class you don't get much that is enlightening.



This is a colleague at a committee meeting at a national conference. The jeans and jacket makes a social class statement. It is a really nice jacket, well tailored and nice fabric.





Blue jeans with a formal shirt, tie and vest. In another era this might have been yuppie-ish, but this is a clear social class message.





Also at a national committee meeting. The jacket was across the chair back. The fabric is some manner of jean material, and the wear is visible on the lapels. Note the Harvard lapel pin that provides interesting social class contrast with the jacket. The personal identity advertisement here is clear.  Is this "Harvard Casual"?





In contrast to the jeans and jacket. This three button suit with the top two buttons done, and the tight Seville Row tailoring makes a social class statement.  This is a "trust me" suit.





Misty is the fictional majority class female student. In this photo she has a smart phone in her hand,  an upscale and attractive backback on her back, flip flops on her feet, is wearing a stylish top and is going to class.  This woman represents many of the stereotypes of the mainstream majority woman student on my campus.









Misty and Marky Majority Student.  This was posted to a Facebook site about a football game.  I read all of this as upscale casual with nice haircuts.



This is another representation of the majority campus social class woman on my campus. I was first taken by her backpack, and the branded water bottle, just barely viable.  I asked her to pose so we could see her and the backpack. This is one of my wonderful graduate students. 




Another student representing the majority mainstream fashion sense for women on my campus.  African American Misty on my campus has her own style that is a little different than European American Misty.  This is also one of my wonderful graduate students.

I have updated this on 11/11/11 to add the photos here.


These images are also at:  
https://picasaweb.google.com/114191390355712924920/SocialClassImages


If you have photos that you would like to send along and have posted, that would be great.

“People talk about class because they don’t want to talk about race.”

Will Barratt

I hear this regularly from people. It is partially true from one perspective. It is certainly true from another perspective. If you believe that the discussion should be totally about race, then this is an appropriate criticism of discussions of class. It should not pass the readers notice that if you believe that the discussion should be totally about gender, then replace “race” with “gender”, and it is certainly true. It is also true that for many people a discussion about class is easier than a discussion about race or a discussion about gender. Discussions about race and gender come with lots of baggage, accusations, recriminations, and otherwise negative experiences. No wonder some people don’t want to go there. I find that a discussion about class is a good place to start a discussion about race and gender. This is what brings me to my current response to this attitude.

“People talk about race and gender because they don’t want to talk about diversity.”

A conversation about diversity is a very different conversation than one about race. A conversation about diversity is very different than a conversation about gender. A conversation about diversity is very different than a conversation about class. While it is important to know something about gender, about ethnicity, and about class, it is really important to know something about diversity.

“Not mine, not yours, ours.”