The Relationship between Class and Culture - Essay Example

The Relationship between and Culture Introduction The cultural differences within ethnic communities has gained fame in the literature field especially in the revival of the different social structure perceived to originate different interests that results to diverse modes of behavior and attitudes. Such different interests would entail the apparent mind-set in the difference of political ideologies, the economic perception of capitalism and the broader evaluation of the social aspects of day-to-day life. As described by Waymer (2012), culture is the communal patterns of interactions and behaviors, cognitive constructs and the actual understanding that individuals learn through the socialization process (p. 1). The distinguishing factor between a member of one group and another is the shared patterns in conducting life processes. Thus culture is basically learned and passed from one generation to the other in the society. From another perspective culture can be viewed as simple but vast, and that vastness is specifically pertinent to the studying, practice and teaching of public relations. Culture plays the pivotal role in the inquiries of public relations by creating a deeper understanding of the cultures of public relations; further gain nuanced understanding of the public relations practice and finally explores organizational discourses that are untapped while pursuing new theoretical directions. On another aspect culture is regarded to be significant to public relations as it enable organizations practice better global communication, cross-cultural and transnational (Karush, 2012: 46). This paper explores the social class aspect with respect to the individuals’ perceived conduct of behavior and attitudes because of the defining role brought by social class status have on an individual’s life chances. Classism is noted as the differential treatment based on upon the social class or upon the perceived social class. Classism is the methodical oppression of subordinated groups of the social cadre to the advantage and build up the dominant class groups. It’s the organizational assignment of characteristics of ability and worth based on social class (Wolf & Seed, 1988: 67). Classism is pegged on a system of cultural attitudes and beliefs that ranks individuals according to level of education, economic status, job status, family lineage and other divisions. Further this essay paper reflects its arguments on the basis of the two crucial texts: William Shakespeare’s- Othello and the Hanif Kureishi’s “The Buddha of Suburbia.” The basing on these texts revolves on the point of pin-pointing beyond any reasonable doubt the framework at which the context of class and culture finds their missing link. Social Class as a New Frontier of Cultural Psychology The social class trims the social and material substance of people’s day-to-day lives and is revealed in a display of social signals, for instance, symbols of wealth, occupation, preferences, education and social behavior which we imagine, that shapes the person’s subjective social-class category vis-à-vis others. The logic of relative social-class rank is vital to the identity of the social class, besides objective social class, to distinctive patterns of contextual with respect to dispositional cognition among other factors Vis a Vis self-oriented behavior (Asimow & Mader, 2004:48). With respect to William Shakespeare’s Othello the theme of cultural and gender misperception. He is a military soldier who understands the politics and soldiering, but is easily confused in the way he is dealing with Desdemona and Iago. He is unclear about understanding the words and actions of women and of all people from diverse cultures. Cassio acted as a cultural interpreter as he has assisted Othello woo Desdemona. It is evident that there is clash of class and cultural values in civilian vs. military and the Moorish vs. Venetian It is of note that there is great utility to determining objective social class besides subjective assessments of the social construct. Conceptualization of the social class as a rank founded on construct has clarified how social class figures out health, empathic accuracy, social explanation, and pro-social behavior (Wark, 2012: 126). Such outcomes underscore the significance of social-class indicating processes for the formation of identity of class and for the understanding of the class-based differences in day-to day psychological experiences. There is overwhelming need for the future research to scrutinize how subjective social-class ranking impacts on other domains in social life. For instance, individuals from lower-class backgrounds can relatively fare worse in contexts entailing academic settings, predominantly consisting of upper-class persons (Johnson, Finkle & Richeson, 2011: 183). Issues such as objective resources independence and chronic perceptions of the lower rank undermines the achievement among individuals of the lower-class -for example, by attributing academic success to unmanageable contextual forces including school resources. Have Less, Give More: Social Class and Pro-social Behavior This research paper indicates that reduction in resources and the subjective social-class ranking in the midst of lower-class individuals results to rise in increased sensitivity towards the social context, enhanced empathic accuracy and greater interpersonal engagement. This suggests that lower-class individuals could be more pro-social more than their upper-class colleagues. Preliminary proof supports this prediction: For example, a large survey revealed that lower-income people donated a huge portion of their own income to charity as opposed to their upper income counterparts. Individuals with lower-income were also further charitable more than upper-income individuals (Fleishman, 2002: 291). These findings focus independent objective and the subjective class-inclined pathways to pro-social character and point to other areas of inquiry which includes sacrifice and forgiveness -that may produce converging results. The class aspect is noted emerging in Othello from the point of barbarism and civilization standards. We see that Turks have put on fleet to Cyprus. The senators want to send and direct Othello as the highly knowledgeable general to defend it. The Turks’ menace to Venetian civilization resonances Brabantio’s concerns on what he understands as Othello’s barbarian menace to his civilized daughter; his wish is that the powerful senators should condemn Othello for wooing Desdemona. However, Desdemona affirms that her love for the Moor is absolutely free of any form of external influence. Attending to the Context: Social Explanation and Social Class The exploration of how subjective social class rank impacts on the social-cognitive tendencies deduced that the life outcomes of lower-class individuals are often predisposed by forces beyond their control (for example, government policies, job supervisors). Thus, how lower-class individuals comprehend the social environment reflects on a contextual orientation, greater sensitivity towards the social context and the interdependence found within the individuals in it-relative to individuals of upper-class, whose lives are under individual influence and control. To support this hypothesis, it has been revealed in survey research that individuals with lower-income attribute wealth and poverty to contextual forces like the educational opportunity, whereas individuals with upper income explain inequality issues in terms of dispositions, for example talent. It is further acknowledged that individuals having lower subjective socioeconomic position experienced less personal control, consequently, explained various personal, social and political, outcomes in contextual perspective rather than dispositional terms (Irvine, 2003: 76). Class-related differences with respect to social explanation ought to encompass to various domains of social cognition-for example, punitive judgments and the essentialist theories about the behavior of human beings. That is, how objective social class ideologies and subjective social-class gauge individual’s orientations toward others-especially their pro-social behavior and emotions. Signals of Social Class: Cultural Symbols of Rank from Objective Resources Occupational prestige, wealth and education are the objective constituent of social class (Oakes & Rossi, 2003: 59). These social class objective elements give rise to the structured distinctions in the substantial lives of both lower and upper-class people living in separate neighborhoods, different educational institutions, attending different social clubs, difference in kinds of foods eaten, enjoying different recreational facilities and putting on of specific clothes. To the scope that these forms of behavior are observable and reliably attributed to individual’s wealth, education and occupational prestige, they become prospective signals to others of an individual’s social class. The Kureishi’s Buddha of Suburbia is partially a buoyant satire on the worldly desires of individuals who live by the culture – be it theatre or pop music. The acknowledgement of class is depicted as it is questioned whether one can take out the suburban world of Bromley from oneself. There further attempt of ranking oneself to a higher social cadre as Eva Kay shows interest to be metropolitan-and Karim notes that it all lies in the blood not the skin. Lifestyle The differences between poorer and richer people regarding their individual lifestyle are self-evident in the novel, the like Ted and Jean, Helen or Eleanor usually have "magnificent parties", -avenues through which they can talk and show to others their social status and the much cash they have (Krase, 2011: 71). They feel superior hence confidently invite people they do not like, but who are famous and popular to improve their influence and image. Education There is a big difference between education of wealthy and the poor people in England. Those who have quite good amount of money take their kids to boarding schools or at least to private school and consequently stand better chances of attaining university grades. While people take their children to don’t have money and thus they don’t get such good quality education. Social class is further signaled in particular repertoires of indirect nonverbal behavior that descend from the superior resources upper-class people enjoy vis-à-vis the lower-class counterparts. Many noticeable aspects of social life distinguish the lives of upper- and lower-class people and should signalize social class. Which signals are mostly diagnostic of social class and how the specific signals vary across sociopolitical and cultural contexts for example the capitalist, socialist are imperative areas of inquiry. And again they are considered important processes of self- and other-categorization which these class centered signals trigger. This social signaling practice separates people in form of different social-classes and is the base for the individual’s subjective consideration of his/ her social-class rank (Markus & Kitayama, 2010: 137). Experiencing Hierarchy: Subjective Social-Class Rank Human beings array themselves into the hierarchies on various dimensions, comprising of physical stature, capacity for power and the respect in individual’s important social groups. Hierarchies are naturally vertical and relational: They determine one’s privileged access to resources and the influence he has towards others (Keltner, Chen, & Kraus, 2008: 268). An individual’s sense of social class in the view of his/her subjective rank of the social-class-is partially formulated by the social-class signaling processes. Research works have conventionally evaluated subjective social class rank on the measure of subjective socio-economic status, in which individuals rank themselves relative to others with respect to occupation status, education and income on a 10-rung ladder signifying the society (Adler et al., 2000: 214). The subjective social-class rank in most angles is statistically related to objective resources but adds into the well-being and health of individuals self-reliantly of their objective resources. It is acknowledged that relative to objective resource-centered measures of social class, for instance education and income; subjective social-class is ranking more strongly predicting self-rated health and physiological health effects including resting heart rate and body-fat distribution (Adler et al., 2000: 122). These outcomes underscore the significance of the perceptions of social-class rank vis a vis the broader signaling processes of the social class per se. A further argument states that the ranking of the subjective social-class exerts broad impacts on social thought, behavior and emotion independently of the element of the objective social class. Perceptions of individual’s own lower-class rank generate heightened vigilance towards the social context and various focused social orientation, which are well-documented and strategies of adaptation by the lower-rank individuals to navigate more challenging and unstable environments (Keltner, 2008: 37). In contrary, the upper-class rank perceptions initiate a focus away from the essential context in the direction of oneself. In this respective, subjective social-class rank has influence on social behavior. The post-modern view on class and class identity The post-modern perception is that class no longer really matters in modern life. Post modernists reason that since leisure is relatively important than work to a good number of people. The argument is that leisure is viewed as more important source of identity as compared to work, and people do not anymore identify themselves with reference to their class background. They further put it that ethnicity, sexuality and gender are far more essential as sources of identity more than class background. Post modernists further reason that since the occupational structure in the modern life has become more complex, so the links between classes have largely died out. Moreover the argument posed by post-modernists is that there is no distinctive relationship between leisure pursuits and class. Karl Marx’s Conception of Class Karl Marx (1818-1882) reasoned that the industrial revolution caused the advent of two new classes: The ruling class who are also called the Bourgeoisie- the wealthy owners of the new industries versus the impoverished working class, or the Proletariat who were at work in these factories for hours so that they could earn their money. The distinctive difference between these two classes is that the Bourgeois derive their power and wealth from the ownership of industries, whereas the proletariat don’t have property and get their income from providing labor services which they render to the Bourgeoisie. The Proletariat have to survive by working, hence why they are known as the working class. Karl Marx put forth an argument that these two classes occurred in conflict and mutual common interests. The Ruling Class bestows an interest in exploiting the working class so that they can increase their profits, whereas it was in the interests of the Proletariat to come collectively and overthrow Bourgeoisie who are their exploiters by undertaking violent revolution. While Marx acknowledged that there existed a middle class, he reasoned that this would gradually be subsumed into the categories of proletariat, and hence he argued that this class is of little significance. Marx, Class and Class Consciousness Marx was well aware that a number of proletariat didn’t understand their shared interests, but he reasoned that because of the antagonist, the exploitative relationship that is between them and the ruling class, they would ultimately come to recognize their shared interest in conquering this exploiter class. The point of Marxism is to encourage the working class to recognize their shared interests and to encourage them to get off the power from the ruling class. References List Adler, N.E., Epel, E.S., Castellazzo, G., & Ickovics, J.R. (2000). Relationship of subjective and Objective social status with psychological and physiological functioning: Preliminary data in healthy White women. Health Psychology, 19, 586–592. ASIMOW, M., & MADER, S. (2004). Law and popular culture: a course book. New York, Peter Lang. FLEISHMAN, A. (2002). New class culture: how an emergent class is transforming Americas culture. Westport, Conn, Praeger. IRVINE, J. J. 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