Social Class Reflection Paper

This paper will be discussing the issues of Race, Class and Gender in relation to how these categories within society has helped shape my life experiences. To expand, I will briefly touch on my background. Also, go in depth explaining race as a social construct and how it seeks to promote a dominant hegemon. Another key point, introducing white privilege and its effects on social class habitus and explaining gender roles as a learned social experience through the use of sport. This is an autobiography that seeks to explain how society and many social agents affect our choices, perceptions and ideals.
I lived in an area that is predominately white, conservative and middle class, Carroll County Maryland. I have three brothers and one sister. My mother is a hair stylist and my father worked in construction as a stone mason. I would say that my family was lower-middle class. Living in an area that has little racial diversity I can argue that race and social class has affected my life and shaped my perceptions of the world around me. If I were to bring an ethnically different partner home, specifically of African descent my family would respond negatively. Living in an area with little diversity socialized me to view other races as …show more content…
For these reasons my family can most certainly be labeled as xenophobic, meaning they think negatively of those that look and act differently than themselves. Until my move into college I can honestly say these perceptions were pushed onto me as normal and I believed them. I have grown to form my own views on race, social class and gender, we are all humans after all and hatred of others is usually associated with ignorance. Education is empowering and will aid in breaking down of old, deeply rooted social constructs within our society. More specifically, subtle racism, social class divides and gender