My social class is working poor. I would describe working poor as a huge struggle. Usually people who are working poor grew up in poor neighborhoods, grew up in a toxic household, doesn’t have a good education, etc. We have always struggled with money even with my mother working at a restaurant, where she only made over $200 a week, and with my grandmother receiving Social Security money of $1,000. As a teenager, my mother hung out with a lot of “gangsters” and dropped out of high school in the 10th grade. She also grew up in a poor neighborhood and in a poor household. All of those traits mark someone as a member of a particular social class because different classes look, think, and act differently. Lower classes might have more aspirations and attitudes to climb up to a better social class, whereas higher classes might have less aspirations as they stand in a good amount of wealth where they can live comfortably.
Appearances ALWAYS matter in this world, even if you’re poor. When I meet someone who comes from a higher class I feel amazed by them! I feel encouraged to keep working hard to move my family out of our section 8 home to a nice house where money will not be a problem for us anymore! I come across a lot of people who are from higher classes on campus, but I never feel embarrassed or intimidated because I know that one day my hard work will pay off. I knew that they were from a higher class because of their postures, clothes, the way they talk, and the kind of electronics that they have. During my interactions with wealthier people, I felt calm by most of them because they were usually polite, kind, and usually positive.
When I meet someone who comes from a lower social class I feel like I can relate to that person. I knew of their lower class because of their jokes about being broke. It’s something that lower class people can usually laugh and joke about in a relatable way. Comparing the two classes, I usually have great interactions with both! I can clearly relate more and feel more open with people coming from a lower class because it feels like we are all in this together. It encourages me to see lower classes at college because it calms me to know that society hasn’t stopped them from feeling like they couldn’t make it up in life. Social class matters because you want to have an open mind and have generosity towards each class, because I’m sure everyone has some sort of struggles that they go through. I also wanted to note (emphasize) that I am never ashamed of where I came from, because I was brought up to accept myself for who I am, to never forget where I come from, to give back, and to work hard. I was also encouraged to get a farther education to have a decent living job that I love!
