[Patricia]

One of my favorite books – an excellent and hilarious (if not sometimes painful if you are class-sensitive) take on this subject – is Class: A Guide Through the American Status System, by Paul Fussell. As an American, I know very well how touchy this subject is. I believe Fussell is correct when he explains that one’s class is revealed by everything we do, say and own, and that one’s class is not entirely dependent on how much money one earns. For example, every time you open your mouth and speak, you unwillingly proclaim the class to which you belong. Also, such distinguishing traits as the type of dwelling you live in, your car, your job, how your front yard appears and is maintained, what you eat, what you drink, your leisure activities, weight, how many televisions you own and how much you watch them, what you wear, what you read, where you travel, your posture, how much you worry about what others think of you, your education, attitudes and beliefs, even where you live in the United States, etc. – these all clue others into where you fit in the complicated American class system. So it’s not entirely a matter of how much money you make, and you cannot simply earn yourself up or down into another class, because class is mainly a system of learned behaviors, speech and thoughts that are not easily shed. Attempting to move into another class is especially difficult because the classes do not mix well and often seem as though they are from different planets. Many people (especially the middle class, which is very afraid of slipping down from its tightly held perch but secretly yearns to climb higher) are upset by the notion of class in America because the United States is supposed to be a ‘free country’ open to the advancement (social climbing?) of all, but let’s face it, the class distinctions and barriers are there, whether we like it or not. And there is not just a lower, middle and upper class – there is a complex spectrum of class levels ranging from bottom-out-of-sight to top-out-of-sight, with many intervals in between. Fussell does offer a suggestion for relief from the anxiety of social classes, however: to join the alternative ‘X Class’ way out – a class for anyone who has the intelligence and courage to learn to think for himself or herself.

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Name : Patricia, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 27, City : Antalya, State : NA, Country : Turkey, Occupation : tour operator, Education level : 4 Years of College, 

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