What Matters More, Social Class Or Race?

When asking yourself “What matters more, Social class or Race?” there are multiple concepts that must be addressed in order to approach this complex question. These are more than just words. They are how an individual identifies themselves. An individual experiences life differently depending on whether one identifies as ethnically ‘Black’ or ‘White’. (Kirkham, 2015) However the subtype formed by the conjunction of race and social class is more meaningful than the separate categories should dictate. Because of this, class and ethnicity are closely intertwined. This conceptualization between these are focusing solely on the race dimension or the class dimension. Thus, meaning that the complexity of the issue is being forgotten. Society begins …show more content…
The social relations of a capitalist society is what continues to reproduce the inequalities that trail behind. According to Karl Marx, capitalism requires a highly motivated workforce and education serves as the reproduction of labour power. This power is created through the “hidden curriculum”; Lessons which are learned but not openly intended. These individuals whom are categorized into the ‘upper-class’ learn to value competition, materialism, work over play, obedience to authority, and attentiveness. These individuals will often be privileged with guidance and support from their parents. They can see that their future and goals in life are attainable due to the success of their role models. In addition, “middle-class” parents can afford to live in build up communities, and possibly help their children with tuition if they wish to further their education. The “working-class” children cannot have the same opportunities for advancement. They are guided through education that is free, which is often where their opportunity, along with their education, ends. They then, more often than not, choose to earn money. They are more focused on collectivism than their individual achievement. The overall perspective on race and ethnicity, begins with income. When compared to Whites, Blacks and Hispanics receive less income at the same education levels. Hence, causing them to have a degrading level of purchasing power due to the …show more content…
Racial prejudice is the belief that certain racial groups are inferior to others. The inequalities between races around the world not only affects their economic status, but their health status as well. It is a given that racial minorities have an elevated risk of exposure to stress, toxic environments and minimal opportunities, but what is often ignored is the health concerns that come along with it. The institutional discrimination and socioeconomic disadvantages lead to exposure to major hardships, conflicts and disruptions, such as crime and violence. Social class is not something that an individual gets to choose, it is something that we are born into. Health care is something that begins to be affected during an individual's childhood. The poverty level that one faces, being a part of a racial minority, is concurrent with a greater concentration of other negative risk factors. Some factors may include stressors that are faced throughout their lives, which accumulate to influence later health disparities. Although some stressors may be minor, they can begin to build up and affect an individual in different ways. These may range from mental disorders to physical diseases. In the study done by David R. Williams, it was proven that heart disease death rates in men were a ratio of 1.94, meaning that there are 94 men of colour who die each year