Daniel Workman

English 1050
Essay 2

Class Diversity
Social class is a weird phenomenon caused by our capitalistic society. Some people have

more than others can even dream, others are extremely poor, and the majority have just

enough to get by. Class discrimination occurs when someone is treated differently because of

their social standing. Class inequality effects how and where people live, their access to

healthcare, and how they eat. In the end, we really aren’t all that different.

The lower class is most effected by inequality of social class. Linda Tirado talks about her

struggles with class in “This Is Why Poor People’s Bad Decisions Make Perfect Sense”. She was

living off of peanut butter and frozen burritos for food simply because they were cheap. She

smoked because it is a stimulant to help her stay awake since she went to school full time and

worked 2 jobs. The nights Linda worked both jobs she only slept 3 hours a night. She didn’t visit

any doctors because they charged a co-pay that she couldn’t afford. The closest Planned

Parenthood was 3 hours away and she couldn’t afford the gas to travel that far (Tirado, 2017).

Linda’s writing and grammar shows a lower education level, which is common in the lower

class.

Class not only effects how much money you have, it can also affect your health. With

the less income the less money there is for food. For instance, in Linda’s case she ate frozen

burritos constantly because they were cheap. The motel she was living in didn’t supply a stove

or oven to make her own food, but she also explains that she wouldn’t be able to make

anything cheaper. Linda was buying what she could to survive. Food isn’t that only health issue

though, the lower class also avoids seeing doctors. Most don’t have medical insurance, but if
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English 1050
Essay 2

they do, there is a co-pay that most can’t afford. They deal with whatever issues they have until

it becomes an emergency. Often times its now too late.

Victoria Mitchell addresses the issue of affordable healthcare in her week 12 discussion.

“Economics very much play on a person's healthcare. I have seen it with my own eyes working

in healthcare over the years. More than once we have seen a person walk out with a death

sentence simply because they couldn't afford to come in earlier, or didn't think their symptoms

were worth the expense, until it was way too late to help. Those times are heart wrenching. I

can also see where eating healthy can seem, and usually is, more expensive than eating crap.

This is another subject that Tirado touched on in her article. The ability to get affordable

healthcare in our nation is a subject that is hard to approach, but really needs to be done.”

While the lower class as limited access to and funds for healthcare, the middle and

upper class have more access and funds to the point where they have a longer expected live

span. “Class is a potent force in health and longevity in the United States. The more education

and income people have, the less likely they are to have and die of heart disease, strokes,

diabetes and many types of cancer. Upper-middle-class Americans live longer and in better

health than middle-class Americans, who live longer and better than those at the bottom. And

the gaps are widening, say people who have researched social factors in health (Scott,

“DOCX”).” Janny’s paper uses a lot of sources and examples, which tells me it is well thought

out and she has a higher education level.

Healthcare is not the only thing that effects the lower class. In “My Nanny Was a

Dreadful Snob” by Christopher Buckley, Christopher talks about how his family was well off. He
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English 1050
Essay 2

had 2 good friends growing up, one was well off like him, and the other was middle-class.

Christopher’s nanny would welcome his upper-class friend and offer him a drink. When his

middle-class friend would come over, the nanny would always say Christopher was busy and he

couldn’t play (Buckley, 2005). Christopher’s middle-class friend was discriminated against by

the nanny simply because of where he lived and how much money his parents made.

Christopher’s word choice tells me he is highly educated and is upper class.

Class is defined differently among the different class levels. The lower class simply

describes class as how much money your have. The middle class think money is involved, but it

also includes education and work. The upper class see class as where you went to school, the

company you work for, and your tastes and values. The middle class gets angry and nervous

when the subject of class arises. They become defensive and try to portray to others that they

are more successful than they are in fear of dropping a class level. The upper-class love

discussing the subject of class because it gives them a chance to show off. In America, it is rude

to discuss how much money you make. If you ask someone ask how much they make, you can

expect outrage (Fussell, “DOCX”). Paul’s paper is well thought out as well and tells me he has an

educator’s level of education.

The different class levels have their major differences in standard of living, but we really

aren’t all that different. In “From the Bronx to Cornell” Richard Price describes what he saw

when he arrived at Cornell. He saw his fellow students in outfits that were thrown together.

They weren’t fancy or shiny like he expected them to be (Price, 2005). Even though Richard felt

out of place and made up stories about growing up to make it seem like he adverse more than
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English 1050
Essay 2

he had, we are all the same. When the social classes and the money are stripped away, we are

all humans that are not all that different trying to live in this world. Richard’s writing is over

complicated which tells me he is trying to compensate. He may not be happy with his current

class level and is trying to portray a higher-class level.

We as people are all different. We are raised in different countries, speak different

languages, belong to different religions, have different skin colors, are different genders, and

belong to different social classes. In the end we are not all that different and need to be more

understanding. Reading about people’s different situations and ways of thinking help me to

understand people’s different point of view. We shouldn’t judge an entire group of people just

because of one or two bad experiences. With understanding and compassion, we can all get

along.
 Daniel Workman
English 1050
Essay 2

Works Cited
Buckley, Christopher. “My Nanny Was a Dreadful Snob.” The New York Times, The New York
Times, 12 June 2005, https://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/12/national/class/my-nanny-
was-a-dreadful-snob.html.
Fussell, Paul. “DOCX.”
Price, Richard. “From the Bronx to Cornell.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 12
June 2005, https://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/12/national/class/from-the-bronx-to-
cornell.html.
Scott, Janny. “DOCX.” 16 May 2005.
Tirado, Linda. “Here's Why Poor People's Bad Decisions Make Perfect Sense.” HuffPost,
HuffPost, 7 Dec. 2017, https://www.huffpost.com/entry/why-poor-peoples-bad-
decisions-make-perfect-sense_b_4326233.