I would describe my social class as the working middle-class of society. My mother works as a receptionist at a pediatrics office and my father drives semi-trucks. I consider those to both be good jobs as my life has not been negatively affected because they do not have more high-end jobs or that I did not grow up wearing designer clothes. Things like education, background, gender, and even race matter in our society today and play a key role in how people are placed into categories. Race can play a role in social class as people who are seen as the minority are typically on the lower end of social class because minorities are not allotted the same opportunities because they may not look like the majority. If you do not have a good education, then your chances of getting a job are significantly shorter than others. If you do not come from a rich family or have some type of distinguished background, then you will experience inequality in life.
I often think about my education and how I am constantly worrying about my financial aid and how I am going to be able to afford the remaining 2 years of my schooling. Although my parents have good jobs and my grandfather helps me out whenever he can, the tuition with costs of the books are still a lot of money. I have met people who do not have to worry about paying for school and being able to live on their own and it always makes me feel like I am behind or that I am lacking because I am not on the same level. Whenever I meet someone who is in a lower social class than I am, it can sometimes make me feel sad. The reason is because all the things I enjoy doing and that I like to eat may not be something someone else can afford. I never try to make them feel less than they are or make them feel bad about not having as much as I have as I do understand the struggles of not having money.
I feel like you can always tell when someone may be in a lower class based on their clothes, shoes, and even sometimes in their attitudes in how they view the world. The most common interactions I have with people from a lower social class than mine are typically homeless people on the street who I sometimes give money or food to if I can too. Every time I have an encounter with a homeless person or even someone who did not grow up with the same luxuries I did as a child (traveling somewhere new every summer) it does make me feel sad like I stated before but, it also makes me grateful for what I do have. Social class does matter because it is also a part of this society’s inequality issue and within each class there is something that someone will miss out on.