I have to clarify a few things. When I use the phrases "working class," "middle class," and "upper class," I do not mean what most people mean when they use these phrases.
To me, these distinctions have very little to do with money. I make these demarcations along the basis of psychology. There is quite a bit of background information that I am trying to convey when I utilize these descriptives. A world of pathos and ethos are packed into those little innocuous words.
The social class differences are about behavior. This is about how one conducts oneself in public, how one regards himself or herself, how one perceives others, how one interacts with others. it is education and attitude that determine these designations, not money.
Perhaps this is a reflection of how I was raised. My family instilled certain values and priorities in me. I believe that education and cultural development, and contributing something useful and positive to the world, are far more important than only worrying about money.
Don't get me wrong. Money is essential and always will be -- to a certain extent. People have to be able to afford mortgages and bills. People also have to be able to support their families. But beyond the basic necessities, possession of extra money on top of that does not automatically qualify one as being "upper class."
I feel that this distinction should be reserved only for the truly worthy. I truly feel that if people are to be placed in these categories, it should be in terms of education as well as degree of difficulty of their chosen profession.
Here is an example. I very much regard teachers as being upper class. Yes, I know teachers are some of the most overworked, underpaid employees around. Anyone over age twelve that had ever picked up a newspaper is acutely aware of this distressing fact.
However, they are obviously highly educated. That is the foremost job requirement!
They have devoted their lives to the quest for knowledge. They are selflessly, tirelessly guiding and coaching the future generations, OUR future generations. Teachers impart to their students the abilities of literacy, deductive reasoning,
They are ushering a new generation into adulthood by bestowing qualities of critical thinking and analytical abilities.
So perhaps they are not socio-<economic> class, as in "show me the bucks." But most certainly in social class. They are educated, they have morals, they uphold their values. As opposed to actors and singers and pro athletes -- they all belong to the highest economic class in this country. But that does that automatically mean they conduct themselves with dignity or self-respect.
One little note: not all teachers are automatically what I regard as upper-class. This distinction depends on the ability, skill, talent, and dedication of the teacher. A crappy teacher that misses more than a month's worth of class days throughout the school year, due to "sick days" or whatever else, is pretty low. A teacher that just mumbles passages out loud from the textbook, or does not go through step-by-step instructions for math courses, or just sits at the desk and read magazines while telling the kids to read the chapter and figure it out themselves, is pretty low. But again, this depends on the ability, skill talent of the teacher.
To me, these distinctions have very little to do with money. I make these demarcations along the basis of psychology. There is quite a bit of background information that I am trying to convey when I utilize these descriptives. A world of pathos and ethos are packed into those little innocuous words.
The social class differences are about behavior. This is about how one conducts oneself in public, how one regards himself or herself, how one perceives others, how one interacts with others. it is education and attitude that determine these designations, not money.
Perhaps this is a reflection of how I was raised. My family instilled certain values and priorities in me. I believe that education and cultural development, and contributing something useful and positive to the world, are far more important than only worrying about money.
Don't get me wrong. Money is essential and always will be -- to a certain extent. People have to be able to afford mortgages and bills. People also have to be able to support their families. But beyond the basic necessities, possession of extra money on top of that does not automatically qualify one as being "upper class."
I feel that this distinction should be reserved only for the truly worthy. I truly feel that if people are to be placed in these categories, it should be in terms of education as well as degree of difficulty of their chosen profession.
Here is an example. I very much regard teachers as being upper class. Yes, I know teachers are some of the most overworked, underpaid employees around. Anyone over age twelve that had ever picked up a newspaper is acutely aware of this distressing fact.
However, they are obviously highly educated. That is the foremost job requirement!
They have devoted their lives to the quest for knowledge. They are selflessly, tirelessly guiding and coaching the future generations, OUR future generations. Teachers impart to their students the abilities of literacy, deductive reasoning,
They are ushering a new generation into adulthood by bestowing qualities of critical thinking and analytical abilities.
So perhaps they are not socio-<economic> class, as in "show me the bucks." But most certainly in social class. They are educated, they have morals, they uphold their values. As opposed to actors and singers and pro athletes -- they all belong to the highest economic class in this country. But that does that automatically mean they conduct themselves with dignity or self-respect.
One little note: not all teachers are automatically what I regard as upper-class. This distinction depends on the ability, skill, talent, and dedication of the teacher. A crappy teacher that misses more than a month's worth of class days throughout the school year, due to "sick days" or whatever else, is pretty low. A teacher that just mumbles passages out loud from the textbook, or does not go through step-by-step instructions for math courses, or just sits at the desk and read magazines while telling the kids to read the chapter and figure it out themselves, is pretty low. But again, this depends on the ability, skill talent of the teacher.
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