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Classism in Everyday Life

The Nonprofit Inferiority Complex and Why We Need to Lose It Now

May 4, 2020 by Jonathan Spack Leave a Comment

Here’s a thought exercise you can use to test yourself for the dreaded Nonprofit Inferiority Complex, the internalized idea that nonprofit work is inherently less valuable than other forms of wage labor. How do you feel about the following statements with respect to community-based nonprofits?  1 = strongly disagree; 2 = disagree; 3 = maybe; […]

Filed Under: A World Without Classism, Classism, Classism in Diversity Work, Classism in Everyday Life, Classism in Progressive Movement Groups, Classism in social services, Classism in the Economy

Are You Asking the Right Questions?

April 13, 2020 by Jonathan Spack Leave a Comment

A crisis may not seem like the most convenient moment to take stock, but it can be an opportune one – if we take advantage of the opportunity.  U.S. society will be profoundly different post-pandemic. What that new order will look like is up for grabs. Nonprofits are positioned to lead the way to a […]

Filed Under: A World Without Classism, Class cultures, Classism, Classism in Everyday Life, Classism in Politics, Classism in the Economy, Politics and Class

College Amplifies Advantages & Disadvantages

March 30, 2020 by Betsy Leondar-Wright Leave a Comment

Here’s some bad news for all of us who strive to get more working-class first-generation students into and through college: college is not an effective leveller. Class inequalities persist even among graduates of ‘good’ colleges. Expanding opportunities for higher education is ineffective if advantaged students graduate with even greater advantages, and if disadvantaged graduates still […]

Filed Under: A World Without Classism, Class in Higher Education, Classism, Classism in Everyday Life, Classism in the Economy, First Generation College Students, Internalized classism

COVID-19 and Class Inequalities

March 23, 2020 by Shane Lloyd Leave a Comment

The national conversation about coronavirus highlights existing conversations about enduring class inequities in the United States. Elite colleges and universities, in line with the CDC’s preventive measures for institutions of higher education, have opted to move instruction online and reduce the numbers of students in their residential buildings. The decision has placed a tremendous burden […]

Filed Under: Class and health, Class in The News, Classism in Everyday Life, Classism in the Economy, Dismantlng Classism, Global class, Health care access

Noticing Inequalities: An Owning Class Student’s Journey to Class Awareness

January 31, 2020 by Class Action Leave a Comment

By Sophie Hatcher-Peters I grew up in North Carolina as a preacher’s kid. My maternal grandfather was a Presbyterian minister in the bible belt, and my mother is an ordained minister and religious studies professor. I was raised in a small, predominantly white Presbyterian church – I remember being a child, getting ready for church […]

Filed Under: A World Without Classism, Class cultures, Classism, Classism in Everyday Life

Celebrating Survival: The Experience of Being Working Class During the Holidays

January 31, 2020 by Class Action Leave a Comment

By Anastasia Lynge Anyone who knows me well knows that the two most difficult days of the year for me are holidays – specifically Thanksgiving and Christmas. I typically spend these days hiding away in bed, watching bad TV, and sleeping until I can rest assured that I’ve made it through another round of winter […]

Filed Under: A World Without Classism, Class cultures, Classism, Classism in Everyday Life

Happy Day Before Payday!

July 9, 2018 by Kari Fisher Leave a Comment

While summer 2018 has been a scorcher, the high for February 1st and 2nd made it to 11º in Kari Fisher’s hometown in Minnesota, and single digits reigned during both school days. I got the email from one of my son’s high school teachers while I was teaching and didn’t have a chance to read it […]

Filed Under: A World Without Classism, Classism in Everyday Life, Classism in K-12 Education, Clueless classism, Internalized classism, Poverty, Your Stories Tagged With: class cluelessness, kids, low-wage jobs, money, public school

Malnourishment: A Case Study on U.S. Food Insecurity

February 15, 2018 by Nicole Braun 2 Comments

The final report of the 1996 World Food Summit states that food security “exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.” The U.S. Department of Agriculture agrees – at least in theory. […]

Filed Under: Building Economic Alternatives, Class prejudice, Classism, Classism in Everyday Life, Classism in Politics, Classism in social services, Classism in the Economy, Poverty, Systemic Classism Tagged With: blaming the victim, budget cuts, low-wage jobs, poverty, public services, stereotypes

Environmental Classism/Racism and the Sides of Human Rights

December 6, 2017 by Sasha Adkins 3 Comments

On November 29th, Boston City Council unanimously passed a plastic bag ordinance that aims to reduce our reliance on disposable plastic bags. Stores will charge a 5-cent fee for each paper or sturdy plastic bag that they sell customers who come without a reusable bag. Despite eloquent statements by councilors Ayanna Pressley (at-large) and Tito […]

Filed Under: A World Without Classism, Class prejudice, Classism, Classism in Everyday Life, Classism in the Economy, Environmental classism, Poverty, Race and Class, Systemic Classism Tagged With: classism, corporations, environmentalists, low-wage jobs, poverty, race and class, racism, working class

No Retreat in Confusion: Classism in Germany

November 13, 2017 by Dirk Eilers Leave a Comment

When I talk about classism in Germany the common reactions range from an unknowing Never heard of it to a disbelieving and doubtful Do you really think classes still exist? to a search-engine-like Did you mean “classicism” to a pejoratively knowing I heard of it, but I think it lacks theory; it is too much about how you feel. […]

Filed Under: A World Without Classism, Classism in Everyday Life, Doubting Class Exists Tagged With: class cultures, Class Theory, poverty, working class

Class Background and Life Choices

October 24, 2017 by Class Action Leave a Comment

For years, I defined class in the traditional way: Class is the relative social rank in terms of education, income, wealth, status/position and/or power. But more recently I have added the final phrase “life expectations/choices.” In the last two years I made a conscious decision to be, I hope temporarily, “downwardly mobile.” I have seen how […]

Filed Under: A World Without Classism, Classism, Classism in Everyday Life, Your Stories Tagged With: classism, downward mobility, middle class, privilege, stereotypes

Living “Relatively Visible”

May 4, 2017 by Rathi R 2 Comments

I am born to a Tamil, working class, OBC (Other Backward Caste) couple who immigrated to North India to earn their livelihood in the mid-1980s. My father had begun working with an American cultural agency, a full-time job that he would continue to do for the next three decades. My mother, by default, stayed at […]

Filed Under: A World Without Classism, Class prejudice, Classism, Classism in Everyday Life, Institutional racism, Race and Class Tagged With: classism, immigrants, low-wage jobs, middle class, snobs, stereotypes, working class

The Poverty Catch-22

May 4, 2017 by Hazel Garcia Leave a Comment

The High Costs of Destitution Cause a Vicious Cycle Nothing is more infuriating than the ill-informed critique that “the haves” like to lob at “the have-nots.” Here’s a classic: “If you’re so poor and can’t afford to eat, then why are you overweight?” If you have ever been poor, you know the answer to that question […]

Filed Under: Class prejudice, Classism, Classism in Everyday Life, Classism in the Economy, Money, Poverty Tagged With: blaming the victim, money, poverty, working class

The Gig Economy and The Creative

February 13, 2017 by Christopher Page 2 Comments

A Perfect Match, Right? People with power tend to view gigs as hobbies, or sometimes lucrative endeavors in the “sharing economy.” Everybody knows Uber drivers, indies and consultants make a killing while controlling their own destinies, right? Yeah, as if. For 26 years I’ve depended on project work, “gigs,” for my employment and income source. I didn’t […]

Filed Under: Building Economic Alternatives, Class prejudice, Classism in Everyday Life, Classism in the Economy Tagged With: classism, debt, gig economy, low-wage jobs, money, snobs

5 Class-Based Microaggressions

November 22, 2016 by S.E. Fleenor 9 Comments

Microaggressions* have been a highly debated topic, particularly on college campuses. Some have suggested that the discussion of microaggressions, essentially, is making people overly sensitive. Others value labeling this subtle, persistent, often latent form of bias, expanding the discussion from solely conversations of race to include other areas of microaggression such as gender or sexuality. […]

Filed Under: A World Without Classism, Class prejudice, Classism in Everyday Life Tagged With: classism, Rationalizing privilege, snobs

Vacationing Broke

August 25, 2016 by Mary Grace 2 Comments

Being poor can feel like you’re stuck, and when everyone you know disappears into the world when they have the chance, you realize how truly stuck you are. When you’re young, it’s simple stuff like not being able to go to day camp, anywhere on spring break, or to anything but the free stuff you […]

Filed Under: A World Without Classism, Class cultures, Classism in Everyday Life, Consumer culture Tagged With: blaming the victim, class cultures, classism, debt, low-wage jobs, poverty

When Skinny Isn’t So Cute

July 20, 2016 by Linda Stout 1 Comment

Growing up as the daughter of a farm worker, we often had dinners of biscuits and milk gravy. I always thought I was having a great meal! While we did grow a lot of vegetables and canned as many as possible, we often ran out before the next season. Sometime there would be a little […]

Filed Under: Class and health, Classism in Everyday Life, Corporate power, Environmental classism Tagged With: health care, low-wage jobs, poverty, speaking up

All Bodies Are Beach Bodies

July 20, 2016 by Taylor Chapman 3 Comments

Each year, as the chill of winter is thrown off by the warmth of spring and summer, we are inundated with advertisements on television or magazines, along with conversations in school or at work, all asking the same question: Do you have a beach body? The beach body is largely conceived of as a body […]

Filed Under: Class and health, Classism, Classism in Everyday Life, Consumer culture Tagged With: blaming the victim, classism, consumerism, health care, stereotypes

Too Afraid of Debt to Go to College

May 20, 2016 by Anonymous Leave a Comment

Recently, students in a class taught by Classism Exposed contributor L.A. Kurth responded to an essay in Yes! magazine about the student loan debt and the feasibility of a debt strike.1  Their responses illustrate the loss of opportunity and potential we ensure by offering loans with interest as high as 20% instead of grants or […]

Filed Under: A World Without Classism, Class in Higher Education, Classism in Everyday Life, Classism in the Economy, First Generation College Students Tagged With: academia, budget cuts, education

Work It, Girl

March 18, 2016 by Mensen 2 Comments

Sister, I see you. I see you, with your shitty paycheck I see you, with your kids, your bills, your debt, your dreams I see you young and bright cheeked, skipping rope Or playing hand clap games I see you silver and still bright remembering Girl, you know I see you. You have been here […]

Filed Under: Class prejudice, Classism, Classism in Everyday Life, Gender Class Intersections, Poverty Tagged With: classism, low-wage jobs, Minimum wage, poverty, snobs, working class

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