Nathanael: Hey, my name’s Nathanael!
Cambria: Hi! My name is Cambria.
Justin: Hi, my name is Justin and we are here to talk about classism in different regions in Ohio and across the United States. So, Nathanael and Cambria, what are your hometowns like?
Nathanael: I come from a small town in Southeast Ohio of around 10,000 people. My hometown is part of the rust belt, where the average per capita income is $25,000. Making it $9,000 below the national average of $34,000.
Cambria: I come from a very similar town in Northeast Ohio! Classism is very present where I am from, but before we talk more about it, Nathanael, do you want to talk about what classism is and how it starts?
Nathanael: Yeah! Classism is in its most basic a form of discrimination based on the class of an individual. Classism can be seen in cities, towns, and even places so small that they’re classified as villages. As many of us are aware of, the United States is in a time of great economic inequality, this economic inequality is the main component for classism to occur. Tensions tend to be created when a small amount of the population holds most of the money within a nation. A great example of this can be seen in my aforementioned hometown of Logan. Logan is a small town that was part of the booming rust belt and heavily relied on factories and their means of production. Ever since the decline of factories in the United States, starting in the mid seventies. Logan has experienced a similar and constant deprecation. With the well of jobs drying up, many were forced to leave Logan for new work, or create new work for themselves in Logan.
Cambria: Yeah, so we have heard about the decline in the rust belt, but how does it relate to classism?
Nathanael: Well, a pocket of people within Logan were able to keep their jobs, such as doctors, dentists, and company owners. They would do this by working at the small amount of local or offices, or take long commutes to jobs that paid a decent amount. This led to an environment where very few had a significant amount of money, and very many were at or below the poverty line and left wanting. This discrepancy in socio-economic class led to a divide throughout the entire town, ultimately dissolving the middle class and forming an environment where a select few had money and many simply did not. This has gradually grown ever since its inception, forming a tense community where the few elite hold almost all the power in the community.
Cambria: I also have what is to be considered ‘elites’ within my town. They have a lot of control over what goes on behind the scenes.
Nathanael: Yeah same here. These elites have control over the town on what local officials get elected, what areas are restored, and what businesses survive. These immense powers led to tension and a discriminatory treatment of those who belong to the lower class. This story is all too common in the rust belt area and with small towns across the U.S., helping us better understand the current socio economic division of our current nation. Too many families have been seen as less, just for being born into a family that does not possess generous amounts of wealth.
With all that being said, I believe that Justin can tell us more about classism and its effect on people?
Justin: Classism is the idea of discriminating against a group of people who are a part of another, usually lower, social status. It is a version of systematic oppression that weakens a social class while simultaneously strengthening another. This usually leads to significant wealth inequality. The wealthy are making money at the expense of the lower class. The lower class will sometimes give in and accept their place in society, which basically leads to a social status that they can never escape.
Cambria: Yes, this explains social class and status so well. Are there examples of this within society today, especially with the current state our country is in due to the pandemic?
Justin: Yeah! Recently, the economic downturn from the coronavirus has led to a “k” shape recovery. This means the wealthy became more wealthy, while the lower class suffered from closures and restrictions. Unemployment rose to one of the highest levels in history in April 2020 at 14.7%. The lower class lost the majority of these jobs as businesses shut down and production slowed. Meanwhile, the upper class were able to retain their work. So, wealth equality grew even further apart.
Cambria: This reminds me of Amazon and how much money they got during the pandemic since people did not leave their houses. It’s crazy they grew in the midst of COVID19.
Nathanael: Wow Justin, that is a staggeringly high percentage for unemployment in 2020. I’m sure the pandemic spiked those numbers exponentially. Returning to classism, can you tell us some more about classism in America?
Justin: Yeah, I can. Classism is arguably the worst it has ever been in America. However, there are some arguments against it. Wealth inequality is a result of the free market. America’s foundation was built strongly on capitalism and free markets. Currently, The United States boasts the largest GDP in the world while having more than a billion people less than China and India. So, capitalism and free markets have been a massive part of a growing economy in The United States. Unfortunately, this can lead to some negative effects like classism.
Cambria: Did you guys know social class is also linked to anxiety and depression? According to a study posted by the National library of Medicine, not only does the lower class acknowledge classism more often, but they experience the poor health due to the inferiority they feel.
Nathanael: No, I did not know that. I read an article about this phenomenon occurring with race, but I wasn’t aware it occurred with the lower class too. It really seems like discrimination has a heavy toll on people, not just in an emotional sense, but also in a mental and physical way as well.
Cambria: Yes! I also read an article that focused on single mothers and how they have increased stress levels compared to those in a higher class.
Cambria: A small town, such as my hometown, can easily be affected by classism too. Corruption within the school system and local government can occur due to the large impact those in the upper class have on the town. For example, after I graduated from my high school, the head football coach was fired due to a disagreement he had with a parent on the team. This parent, though not on the school board, has many connections on the board and was able to get this coach fired even though he did nothing wrong. This only happened because of the socioeconomic status of the father, it makes me think of the people we learned about in U.S. history class called ‘fat cats’, similar to what Nathanael was referring to before as the elites. Fat cats are considered rich political donors and they are very present in my town. What is worrisome to me is how strong their voice is within our community. They overshadow minorities and or lower income families! These are people that need the most help from their community and yet their voice/vote can be overturned by the ‘fat cats’. This creates a divide within the town which I believe is a catalyst for the creation of ‘self’ and ‘other’. Do you guys believe the idea of ‘self’ and ‘other’ can be a result of classism?
Nathanael: Absolutely, so many people I know are eager to categorize themselves as this or that, and the profoundness of classism lets this be an easy way to do that. Classism cannot even be escaped by those who do not like being categorized themselves, I often find that if you don’t do it someone else will do it for you. There is no doubt in my mind that this difference in socioeconomic class leads to a community where the elites view themselves as one group and the lower class as the others. I’m sure this can be applied in the reverse manner as well, these attitudes only lead to polarized communities that exert a great amount of discrimination. Leading to the previously mentioned stress, anxiety, and depression experienced by the oppressed population, in this case the lower class.
Justin: Adding to that point, people are becoming more and more judgmental as social media takes over our lives. A lot of young people look up to their favorite celebrities and influencers. They have unreasonable expectations on how they should live. This leads to people spending money on unnecessary items to try to fit in with others. I think people should worry more about themselves and not so much about others.
Cambria: That is a good point Justin, social media impacts so many. I also agree that social class is just one more way to categorize yourself in this country and cause divides. The ‘self’ and ‘other’ roles can be reversed based on perspective, but it is so common to relate yourself to those who you share common ground with, like that of social class. Therefore, ‘self’ and ‘other’ impact social class and in retrospect, human relationships.
Nathanael: I really enjoyed discussing this topic with you all! It was interesting to hear about your hometown and the effects of classism. I hope that you the reader do as well, I think it is an important subject to understand in the world we live in.
Cambria: I really enjoyed discussing this tool! Honestly, I learned a lot about classism and how it causes social injustice.
Justin: I also enjoyed discussing this topic. I hope you all learned something about classism and how it relates to our class’s readings.
Works Cited
Eaton, William W., et al. “Socioeconomic Stratification and Mental Disorder (Chapter 12) – A Handbook for the Study of Mental Health.” Cambridge Core, Cambridge University Press, www.cambridge.org/core/books/handbook-for-the-study-of-mental-health/socioeconomic-stratification-and-mental-disorder/489F45A7827D9D30FE2CE8432BAF2B76.
“Logan, OH.” Data USA, datausa.io/profile/geo/logan-oh/#about.
Simons, Audrey M W, et al. “Perceived Classism and Its Relation with Socioeconomic Status, Health, Health Behaviours and Perceived Inferiority: the Dutch Longitudinal Internet Studies for the Social Sciences (LISS) Panel.” International Journal of Public Health, Springer International Publishing, May 2017, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5397436/.
Woods, Hiatt. “How Billionaires Saw Their Net Worth Increase by Half a Trillion Dollars during the Pandemic.” Business Insider, Business Insider, 30 Oct. 2020, www.businessinsider.com/billionaires-net-worth-increases-coronavirus-pandemic-2020-7.