People Like Us - Part 1 Class Matters; Class influence and interaction

People Like Us Part 1:  Beginning to 33:09

Class Matters

In part 1, the authors make the case that class matter in our everyday lives.  First, it matters because it shapes us in more ways than simply income.  Here's one example of how we are shaped:
Why would someone pay $100 for wooden utensils that you can get much cheaper?
From William and Sonoma:

It is a set of wooden utensils - but not just any wooden utensils, "Canadian inventor and designer Tom Littledeer is known for his beautifully carved kitchen tools with fluid shapes inspired by canoe paddles. Each of the tools in this set is handcrafted from a single piece of North American maple..." $99.99 for a set of 5.

1.  What are all the ways that the documentary shows that people are influenced by social class?


Second, a few of the interviewees say that people from different social classes do not interact much on a daily basis. One person says that the last time he saw people from a different class was in high school and they didn’t get along much because the working class people felt that the upper middle class people were always looking down on them. He also said that the lower classes feel “invisible.” David Brooks said that people from different classes might interact at a baseball game, but they don’t really understand each other.  Visit the following marketing website to see what kind of people live near you.  The following website provides evidence for one small way that classes tend to separate themselves. What do you think of it? Click on the link below and then visit the visitors section:  Ivy League Dating
2.  On a daily basis, when do you get to interact with people from different classes? Why do lower class people feel “invisible?” Do you think this is true?  How are we encouraged to not let others into our class? Do you think that our parents encourage us to mix with people from a certain class?


If there is time, here is a game called Chintz or Shag where you pick decorations for your living room and based on the choices, they will tell you what class your preferences line up with.