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I live in an area which is predominantly classed as working class. I think that clasism works both ways. I think that the working class can make prejudicial statements agaisnt those with a better social standing than themselves.
I am not sure which region I fall into, with my father being a migrant to this country, through the 'honoured' citizenship his father recieved from the British government, his dad, my grandfather became a civil servant in India working for the British government, before that he was a General in the British army fighting for the British during the early to mid stages of the 1st world war.
My father was educated in India, and then to cambridge to become a doctor of medicine. I feel it a pre-requesite to give the premis for my statement, thus me explaining some of my past family history
To that matter at hand, my father has moved around from place to place, till in the mid eighties he settled in a working class area opening surgery there, and practicing. All my life, I feel as though I have lead to lives, one which is limited and non-abstract, this is that of the bonds which i held with my working-class friends, the other was with my fathers` and his brothers son/daughters, who were of higher social standing, but were lacking what the realist/working class held.
Trends/Culture
I feel that the main variation in class is realism. The working class children of whom i knew. Were suffering economic worries most of the time i knew them, thus their transgressions during any intelligable argument was pointed towas, 'the posh bastards' and comments made displayed extreme hatred and distaste for anything the other class were doing, when these friends came around, and my father had prokofiev in the background the fround, suggesting how 'crap' it was, conversely when my cousins came around, and anything resembling hip-hop or dance was one, the frownd, suggesting the lack of taste on my behalf, in listening to such vile music.
Clothing/Fashion
Coming to clothing, which you stated, again taste, and perspicacity of the momment in which one is caught within. I found myself 'wanting' addidas, tracksuits and the latest 'AirMax' this was due to wanting an inter-group lead over the group I was in. This microcosmic political stance of owning the 'newest' pair of trainers was desired amid those who I knew. On retrospect and analysis such post-modern identities came through group dynamics i was apart of.
Comparing this to my other firends, relations, their clothing was selected by their parents, a fetching tweed jacket, with a plush shirt, was what their mothers wanted them to fashion.
Goals/Desideratum
I found the aquisitional aspirations between both groups to be the biggest variable between them. The W/C group wanted a career in music or sports, which are the most accecible and proven forms of aquiring wealth in their eyes. One of the guys made me laugh, when he stated his soul aim was to operate a digger. I am trying very hard not be elitist here, as these people have been very important in grounding my feet, to where it should be.
The M/C crowd, also had high apirations, but goals, they have seen been proven by their older ciblings, the popluar choice, if i can recall correctly were, Actuaries, Accountants, Barristers, Vetnarians, Doctors, Architects, and the more ambitious amid them wanted to be authors and meuseum curators.
The academia is the most lacking in the w/c group, non of them did any reading of any sort after school, when i vistied their houses, many hours were spent playing on games or watching cartoons on televison. I have since a young age been very curious, and my fathers initial push into me reading books was the drink to my unquenchable thirst for knowledge i still have today. I think the quest for knowledge should be a personal choice, as I could have easily gone down the other path and become a placid indolent being. My environment though, could have been a factor, my fathers knowledge of so many things spurred me to study more and more. His disdain with issues medicine related or other wise was high, thus me following in that line of wanting to know more.
Television is an evil that consumes allot of time today, I think that selective viewing should be imposed on children at a young age. It may not seem the obvious choice, but I feel that the Simpsons provides a nice platform for children to learn satire etc. It can be learning without the 'uncool' factor. Like the issues raised with time and space, race relations the infrances to litrature etc, are all usefull in my eyes.
I feel that reality TV and modern pop music will be the death of intelligent thought as we know it. Media plays a huge part in sociliaising our children, and by placing more and more reality TV, such as the unforgiveably heinous waste of time that is the 'salon' Grrrr!! sorry i am getting off topic, but otiose programming can do nothing but further sublimate the group bounds. There is no tangiable programming, which in any sense is abstract on TV, which is accessible by the mass.
Abstract reasoning is the key to intellect, and learning. Assimilated learning teaching past ideals and doctrines only help the mechanisation I see. There is no asking the student as to what they think, this lack of communication means that allot of abstract reasoning is being unheard, as they are being elayed through education. Consolidating and approving a thought, can in one word be the soul factor, in making a child think in an abstract sense.
In my conclusion, I feel there is a vast gap between classes, this i feel is caused through on one hand the media and on the other the ignorant individuals, who feel that complacent existance is the best way of coping with the dire circumstances in which they live..
/CR |
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