Reflection On Mantsios, Chapter 25: Class In America

I really enjoyed the readings this week, while there were several, they were shorter readings and I was able to focus my attention on each individual one. I thought the reading on classism, Mantsios, Chapter 25: Class in America—2006, pp. 150-156, was especially interesting and not something we have talked much about in class. I work with children and families in the educational realm, but there eligibility for participation is based on income. While I superficially understand the oppression by race and ethnicity, I am far more aware of oppression based on class because it is something my clients face daily. The reading mentions 5 myths of class in America and one that stood out to me the most was that, Myth 1: “The United States is fundamentally …show more content…
Hmmm. I get that it can’t really be a thing and that in order to feel the effects of racism I have to come from a non-dominant race but then why when I am a victim of what I feel could look like racism, do I feel put down and less than. I think that by large, yes the world in which we live is entirely racists and minorities everywhere have faced and continue to face racism on a systematic level. However, for me I feel like this is personalized to individuals and I am left with this uneasy feeling that I will never be looked at as anything more than a racist because I am white. A few weeks ago I mentioned in my log that if I wasn’t a racist than I should be an activist, and I still believe this to be true but I think the white race is being unfairly placed in this category of bigots and racists because of actions of others of the same race. I feel like the material we have read and viewed in this class fails to outline the positive strides we have made in the fight against racism and oppression. I am not a minority race but I am of the minority gender and I am so proud of all of the movements, changes, and opportunities women have strived for and achieved. I feel like we should celebrate this without always needing to say “well if we weren’t oppressed, we wouldn’t have to strive for them”. And that may be true, but I can’t help but feel like the struggle and the fight is what makes it that much more …show more content…
I have a teenage son and many friends with children in their tweens and early teens, and thought this was a really good topic to share and discuss with a few of them. Over dinner this week, my best friend I began discussing this and reminiscing about our preteen/teen days. We brought up a specific time when we were about 13 and had snuck out of the house in the middle of the night and vandalized some cars with silly string. As our luck would have it, her mom was waiting on the back porch for us and we were caught red handed with the silly string in our pocket. We got punished for 2 weeks and were forced to apologize to the neighbors in the morning and wash their cars. In hindsight, a good idea? No, clearly not. But to what degree was it criminal or just some naughty childhood mischief? We both kind of laughed and talked about how mad we would be if that happened to us or if our children did it but in reality we still do not see it as a huge