Brett McNeill

Professor Bown
English 1050-su14
August 6, 2014
Modern Clss !iscri"intion
!iscri"intion tod# hs "n# fces$ A %erson cn &e treted un'ustl# for nu"&er of
resons, nd while none of the" re 'ustifi&le, ll see" co""on%lce$ (ne)uit&le tret"ent cn
co"e in the for" of hiring, 'o& nd wge discri"intion, housing o%%ortunities, une)ul
tret"ent under the lw, nd "n# others$ *hile the w#s in which discri"intion is "nifest
re trou&ling, the "ore %ressing concern nd i"%ortnt issue to identif#, is wh#$ *ht &out
%ersons rce, ethnicit#, clss or gender "+es the" susce%ti&le to discri"intion, -ow do
current socil structures nd discourses see"ingl# .lidte this tret"ent, /hese )uestions nd
others will &e discussed nd ddressed with the hel% of writings &# uthors fro" ll wl+s of life
nd &c+grounds in "n# different cultures, with focus on clss discri"intion$ !o slu" tours
rell# offer rele.nt .iew into the life of n i"%o.erished co""unit#, or do the# ro&
inh&itnts of their dignit#, s 0enned# 1dede would s#, !oes *l"rt do "ore d"ge thn
good &# e"%lo#ing "illions of low wge wor+ers, !oes the des%ertion of "illions of
i""igrnts necessitte &ndoning lnguge nd heritge to )ulif# the" for the A"ericn
dre" nd fir e"%lo#"ent,
Clss discri"intion is no si"%le to%ic, nd those who feel its he.iest &urden h.e
dis%ro%ortionll# high rtio of "inorities, thus diluting the con.erstion with rcis"$ M#&e the
two re inse%r&le &ut for the s+e of this ess#, ( will tr#$ /o the e2tent this is %ossi&le ( will
rgue tht clss discri"intion is the "ost %er.si.e t#%e of discri"intion$ /he rhetoric of
current clss discri"intion nd %olic# will &e e2"ined &# tl+ing &out &ig &usiness nd
di"inishing "iddle nd growing lower clsses$ E2"%les of clss discri"intion will discuss the
%ower nd control clss cn h.e o.er nother long with the control culturl lnguge cn
h.e on clss dilogue$ /his will &e followed &# "# %ersonl thoughts nd new understnding of
the socil issue$
Rhetoric of Class Discrimination
(n order to understnd the effect tht clss discri"intion hs, we h.e to nl#3e the
lnguge surrounding the structure of clss discri"intion$ /he lnguge cn either stnd to
ins%ire or to "ore full# crete &oundries tht onl# %er%etute the %ro&le"$ (n 4*or+ed 1.er nd
1.erwor+ed5, 6te.en 7reenhouse discusses wht he clls the 4s)uee3e5 on the A"ericn
wor+er$ /he 4s)uee3e5 refers to the di"inishing wges nd &enefits e"%lo#ees re seeing during
ti"e 4while the econo"#, cor%orte %rofits nd wor+er %roducti.it# h.e ll &een growing
ro&ustl#5 87reenhouse, 4059$ -e uses stories of trgic firings nd e"%lo#ee &use to highlight
cor%orte 4"&i.lence5$ -is use of stories, while ll %ossi&l# true, highlight world tht "n#
%eo%le ren:t f"ilir with$ (n this w#, his wor+ stnds to &e .iewed s so"ewht untrustworth#$
-e generli3es ll ;$4 "illion <$6$ &usinesses s seeing 4ro&ust5 %rofits nd growth nd ll 145
"illion wor+ers s seeing reduced &enefits$ All the while, CE1s re seeing n e.er incresing
%iece of the %ie, thus .illini3ing the u%%er clss$
Mi+e !.is s#s it ll in the title of his %iece 4=ortress >os Angeles? /he Militri3tion of
<r&n 6%ce5$ /he ide of clss wrfre ne.er see"ed so rele.nt, nd tht is e2ctl# wht he
wnts to %ortr#$ -is %iece descri&es the growing use of %u&lic funds nd %ro%ert# to liente the
lowest cste in >os Angeles$ -is wor+ would see" "uch less urgent without the use of words
li+e 4co"%ound5, 4co""nd-%ost5, 4h#%erstructure5 nd 4"eglo"nicl co"%le2es5$ -is
words %# tri&ute to the fer of s%rwling nd cold go.ern"ent o&'ecti.es nd ctions$ /he ide
tht "one# nd %ower go hnd-in-hnd suggests tht the isoltion of lower clsses &# the
go.ern"ent is t the de"nd of the elite who %refer not to see the dis%rities of clss$ Both !.is
nd 7reenhouse %ortr# n u%%er clss tht hs little s#"%th# nd understnding for n#one
different thn the"sel.es$ (t cn &e es# to identif# with the lnguge of their %ieces &ecuse of
the lc+ of interction "n# %eo%le h.e with the su%er-rich$ /hese uthors differ in the w# tht
!.is is deling with societl clss issues nd 7reenhouse focuses "ore on econo"icl clss
issues, though the# re not "utull# e2clusi.e$
@et nother e2"%le of the rhetoric surrounding clss is gi.en in 7eorge 1rwell:s ess#
46hooting n Ele%hnt5$ At the ti"e of the ess#, he ws n i"%eril %olice officer in British-
controlled Bur"$ /he .er# first sentence of his wor+ sttes, 4( ws hted &# lrge nu"&ers of
%eo%le A the onl# ti"e in "# life tht ( h.e &een i"%ortnt enough for this to h%%en to "e5
81rwell 5049$ -is use of the word 4i"%ortnt5 denotes tht h.ing %ower "+es one i"%ortnt$
Power, s with !.is, nd "one#, s with 7reenhouse, nd i"%ortnce, or t lest self-
i"%ortnce, re ll distinguishing fctors in clss nd discri"intion$ /hough 1rwell hted his
wor+ nd hted the i"%erilis" he ws %er%etuting, he still felt little s#"%th# for the Bur"ese
he too+ %rt in o%%ressing &ecuse the# hd little s#"%th# the"sel.es$ /his %iece is uni)uel#
suited to highlight clss discri"intion &ecuse it is told fro" the %ers%ecti.e of one 4loo+ing
down5 the clss ldder, so to s%e+$ 1rwell feels isolted nd discri"inted ginst des%ite his
disdin for the %osition he holds$ (n this w#, clss discri"intion is not one-w# street &ut
dilogue$
Examples of Class Discrimination
(n "n# w#s, clss discri"intion see"s isolted to countries or loclities$ A"ericns
don:t necessril# thin+ of the e2tre"e %o.ert# in other %rts of the world &ecuse of the lc+ of
conte2t the# "# h.e for it$ =or the s"e resons s %ointed out in !.is: ess#, "n# %eo%le
h.e to go out of their w# to see the li.es of those ffected &# e2tre"e %o.ert#$ Enter slu"
touris"$ /he tric+ with slu" touris", nd e2ctl# wht ll tour orgni3ers hide &ehind, is the ide
tht witnessing these circu"stnces cn &e source of s#"%th# or e.en enlighten tour-goers to
"ore si"%le nd e)ull# stisf#ing life, free fro" "teril &ondge$
0enned# 1dede li.ed slu" touris"$ Not s &usiness owner, not s curious tourist, &ut
s the s%ectcle or the 4entertin"ent5 81dede 51B9$ -e offers n interesting %ers%ecti.e on clss
discri"intion &ecuse he felt nd li.ed the discri"intion$ (n "n# instnces, s with
7reenhouse nd !.is: ess#s &o.e, the clss wr is fought on &ehlf of the lower clsses &#
others with sttion enough to &e herd$ (n the cse of slu" touris", it is so cce%t&le tht e.en
the nor"l critics of clss discri"intion see" )uiet$ (t is widel# cce%t&le, in %rt, due to the
disconnect %eo%le feel with the slu"s the# "# .isit$ /his isn:t their &c+#rd$ /his isn:t their
cit# or e.en their countr#$
Another w# in which %erson "ight &e or feel discri"inted ginst is in the clss of
culture the# %rt+e in$ (t is es# to identif# high-rt$ Picsso, Monet, Cn 7ogh nd others co"e
to "ind A the# re ssocited with welth nd e2clusi.it# nd %ro"inence$ (t cn "uch "ore
difficult to identit# low-rt due to the flood of rtists nd the growing nture of su&'ecti.e
rtistr#$ Bn+s#, Euro%en grffiti rtist, rgues tht rt is &out .oice, not &out e2clusi.it#,
s#ing tht grffiti is 4the "ost de"ocrtic rt-for" .il&le5 8Bn+s# D109$ -e feels grffiti
hs &een isolted nd loo+ed down u%on &# the rt world s .ndlis", not rt$ >i+e 1dede,
Bn+s# feels n ttc+ on his dignit#$ But unli+e 1dede, Bn+s#:s )uestion&le dignit# hs
nothing to do with his socioecono"ic circu"stnces nd e.er#thing to do with his %referred
"ethod of rtistic e2%ression nd o.ertl# rdicl .iews$ 1dede:s dignit# ws tied to the
e2%loittion of his hu"&le li.ing sitution nd Bn+s#:s his "instre" re'ection$
Conclusion
/he ide nd reli3tion tht discri"intion is incresingl# %re.lent nd ffects e.er#one
offers us uni)ue o%%ortunit# to e2"ine nd "odif# our &eh.ior$ /here re underl#ing clss
distinctions in 'ust &out e.er#thing we do nd our &ilit# to .oid isolting oursel.es fro" the
%ercei.edl# different clsses round us will sh%e clss interction going forwrd$ (t is i"%ortnt
tht 7reenhouse nd !.is s%o+e u% for the o.erloo+ed$ (t is e)ull# i"%ortnt tht 1dede too+
the con.erstion into his own hnds nd creted rel loo+ into lrgel# un+nown issue$ /he
fct tht Bn+s# shows %reference for n rtistic e2%ression tht re"ins n underground source
of culture is not "tter of right or wrong, &ut of %ersonl stisfction$
/he focus on clss discri"intion s si"%l# n econo"ic con.erstion o.erloo+s the
"#rid of w#s tht clss is defined nd %ro'ected$ M# own %reconce%tions &out clss denote
si"ilr shortco"ings$ Ess#s nd redings such s were used &o.e "+e e2"intion of "#
&eliefs necessr# nd rel &ecuse the culture of clss is d#n"ic nd e.ol.ing nd rele.nt$ /he
%ower of historicll# u%%er clss culture is di"inishing, nd s such, the socil %ower of the rest
is growing$ *ithout wor+ing +nowledge of the effects of discri"intion nd our %ro%ensit# to
isolte others, we onl# stnd to shift the res%onsi&ilit# for discri"intion insted of di"inish it$