Part 04 - Classism

Sections 19-25: Classism

These sections delved into the concepts of Social Class and the importance of Classism when you are interacting with people who are different from you.

Section 20: Self-Inventory and Definitions

  • SELF-INVENTORY > There actually wasn’t a self-inventory for this section. But I still want to reflect briefly on the privilege I hold, and I likely will expand on this at a later time:

    • I come from a family that, as I grew up, was able to secure a comfortable middle class status. My Father was a medical doctor, so he was a knowledge worker. When he retired, he shifted into studying the stock market, and investing money he had made into stocks and other investment vehicles so that the money he made would continue working for us, as he put it.

    • My Mother often supported my Dad so he could put his efforts into being the best medical doctor and physician that he could be. But she also worked in raising horses, and doing community service work by helping with the local Trail Riders Association and Stampede Grounds in the city I grew up in.

    • My parents also owned different properties in the town and surrounding areas where I grew up in and a few were rental properties, so my parents both worked together in managing those. When my Dad retired, we moved from our small town to Metro Vancouver, Canada. Before they moved, they sold off the different properties they had owned.

    • They also did this in part for me, so that I would have a wider range of post secondary institutions to chose from, as well as more diverse employment opportunities.

    • But, when we moved here, we moved to a new neighbourhood that had been built, one that many older residents had fought against. So, when I went to school, I was viewed as a kind of other, and was actually bullied for where I lived. Before starting grade 7, my Mom had gotten me a new pair of runners, which were brand name, and during a math lesson the teacher actually pointed out the cost of my shoes, which also became a source of inspiration for those who were bullying me. So I felt how there can be an imbalance, even if that’s rooted in just how people perceive wealth, as based on where people lived (it’s funny because today, the area my parents moved to, isn’t that “rich” of an area anymore - newer subdivisions have been constructed with much fancier homes for higher classes of people… so it’s funny how things can continue changing over time).

    • I want to reflect on my life since high school - but I’m going to do this later…

Definitions

  • Classism: A system of oppression which privileges the wealthy and the elite. PREJUDICE + POWER

    In a classist society, people who belong to a certain social class end up setting the norms for everyone else, where people in a higher social class have a better frame of life.

Sections 23-24: Class Systems / Wealth / The Illusion of Wealth / Wealth Inequality

  • There is a review of how the United States inherited its class system from the British Feudal system, where different levels owe something to the level above them (in America, you have owners, managers, and workers > but there is more mobility in the American system as opposed to the rigid class systems of the British feudal system).

  • WEALTH > The values of the wealthy tend to permeate the values that everyone else holds. When we think about wealth though, we think of it as something that is attainable. There are very few individuals who hold the majority of wealth and they are usually seen as better than others… And ultimately, the people at the top of the social ladder have historically been expected to take care of those below them.

  • THE ILLUSION OF WEALTH > Today there is a kind of worship of wealth - from THE REAL HOUSEWIVES, to even characters in novels (THE GREAT GATSBY) to comic books (BATMAN / IRON MAN) to soap operas (THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS) to those in music or those who just become celebrities through social media (THE KARDASHIANS, or even the top rated INSTAGRAM, TIK-TOK and YOUTUBE “influencers”) all help to bring the illusion of wealth closer to us… if you can get in front of the right camera, you too can join the world of the wealthy.

    • IS THIS TRUE?

  • WEALTH INEQUALITY > As wealth accumulates at the top of our social structures today (often referred to as the 1%), they tend to invest and save their money, not to spend it. It does not trickle down to lower levels in society. Finding ways to encourage money to “trickle down” are often resisted because of the illusion of wealth that we have in society, and about those who occupy lower levels of the economic scale.

  • Inequality is the biggest threat to people’s emotional, mental, and physical wellbeing.

  • Money rises to the top, but many people do not move up the social ladder with the money.

  • The video also looks at the disruption of “the gig economy,” which is a replication of the old British feudal class system.

Section 25: Theories and Solutions

It’s funny, as I watched these sections - I knew I wanted to reference Robert Reich, the Former US Secretary of Labour, as he’s crafted some amazing social media channels that discuss these very issues on a regular basis… and he’s featured in section 25!

REICH argues that we now have SYMBOLIC ANALYSTS (managers and knowledge workers), PRODUCTION WORKERS (Blue Collar Workers), and ROUTINE PERSONAL SERVICE WORKERS (restaurant workers, service workers, etc).

The following are some good videos on the topic of classism…

— End of Part 05 —

Part 02 - Sexism

Sections 7-12: Sexism

This section delved into the history of women and the feminist movement, which is over 400 years old.

Section 8: Self Inventory & Definitions

  1. Do you think it is better to be a boy (man) or a girl (woman)? Our western society, with its deeply engrained Eurocentric roots, is built to favour men. Some factors for this include:

    • the idea that men are biologically stronger than women;

    • the idea that men are the protector of and provider for the family;

    • the fact that most men are paid more money for the work that they do than women are;

    • the idea that men can go about their day without facing sexual harassment (see the video about Emily Ratajkowski and her new memoir, MY BODY, linked to below);

    • the idea that men can go for walks at night, as well as to bars, nightclubs, and pubs without the fear of ending up in a situation where they could be assaulted and raped;

    • the idea that men can go on dates without the fear of ending up in a situation where they could be assaulted and raped;

    • the idea that men who are confident in their sexuality can be known as a “stud” by sleeping with many partners, and also be revered for it (whereas a woman who is confident and sleeps around is denigrated, and called a “slut,” or “whore”);

    • the idea that men can chose not to have children and not have their masculinity questioned;

    • the fact that religion usually favours males over females, by controlling what women can do and wear, while also having male God(s); and

    • the fact that language used in society is constructed to favour the identification of males in society (ombudsMAN, fireMAN, mailMAN, MAN in the moon).

    After constructing this list, I was saddened to find online a checklist of 100 different ways that men can be privileged in society, by Julian Real, and re-published by the Project Humanities at Arizona State University. A similar checklist called 30+ examples of male privilege was published by Sam Killermann on the It’s Pronounced Metrosexual website. Sarah Poet also notes, in her TEDx Talk, Consciously Reclaiming the Feminine and Masculine Within Each of Us, how the inception of this patriarchy that I’ve just described (which Poet defines as a “…social system that defaults power and authority to men”), happened around 10,000 years ago. She also notes that at this same time, how:

    • “…the Sacred Feminine, the archetype, was systematically suppressed… wasn’t valued, and… was even seen as a threat, and what happened is, you and I have all been defaulting to the masculine first ever since.”

    Another issue that often arises is the fact that many men simply don’t see or understand that they are in a position of privilege in society, an idea which was explored by Fiona Smith for The Guardian in her June 2016 article called, ‘Privilege is invisible to those who have it’: engaging men in workplace equality’, where she notes how:

    • “When it comes to advancing women in the workplace, one of the biggest hurdles is men’s lack of interest. According to American sociologist, Prof Michael Kimmel, men can’t see what the issue is. They don’t see the advantages conferred by their Y chromosome.”

    Finally, I was saddened to listen to Scott Miller, a Batterer Intervention Specialist, in his 2016 video on Male Privilege: Understanding the Power and Control Wheel, describe how some men justify abusive behaviours against women from a position of privilege, which has them believe they are superior to women. Specifically, Miller states how: western society, with its deeply engrained Eurocentric roots, is built to favour men. Some factors for this include:

    • “…it’s the notion that, as a man in a relationship with a woman, I believe that I get to dominate you, control you, and use physical violence if necessary to get you to submit to me because literally the privilege goes right to the core of that man’s identity, and he will fight for that to hold on to that, as if he’s literally fighting it to hold onto himself.”

  1. Do you think it is better to be a boy (man) or a girl (woman)? (Continued..) I listed a lot above concerning the fact that societies have traditionally been patriarchal ones, but I haven’t addressed eastern cultures (which can have their own problematic assumptions and rules), nor have I addressed the question of whether it is better to be a boy / man or a girl / woman. I’ve wanted to avoid this in part because it feels like such a very problematic question, as if trying to make a claim that one is better than the other might get me into hot water or something.

    Ultimately, I don’t think it is better to be a boy or a girl. Both are needed. Like the description given in the graphic on this page for the Yin-Yang, symbol: “…neither is superior, and one cannot exist without the other.” Simon Brown, on an article called “Yin Yang Explained”, posted on his website, Chi Energy, notes how, “When Yang is the strongest, it contains Yin.” And, “When Yin is the strongest, it contains Yang.”

  2. Have you ever thought about being a boy or a girl? I have thought a lot about what it means to be a boy, or a man. I’ve thought a lot about the privileges I have, especially in light of the “me too” movement. As an emerging artist, I’ve also learned about the concept of the male gaze, a term first coined by art critic John Berger in his BBC television series and companion book, Ways of Seeing, and later expanded upon by film critic Laura Mulvey. Essentially, the male gaze argues how men serve as the watcher, with women serving as the objects that are looked at (or consumed, if you look at how imagery of women is bought and sold, be it in any number of magazines to content that exists on the internet).

  3. What would be the benefits? I think each person needs to find balance within themselves, to walk a middle way between the traits that make both men and a women strong. To find balance between what is known as the divine feminine and masculine as archetypes in order to achieve wholeness. These archetypes aren’t gendered, but as Sarah Poet reminds us, in her TEDx Talk, Consciously Reclaiming the Feminine and Masculine Within Each of Us, these archetypes exist as potentials that compliment each other, they are energies that exist within each of us.

Section 8 (Continued): Definitions Related to the Topic of Sexism…

  • Sexism: PREJUDICE + POWER… A system of oppression which privileges men and discriminates against women.

  • Oppression: Pressing down, holding down so we can take power above - a prolonged cruel or unjust treatment or control.

  • Patriarchy: A system of society in which men hold the power. A patriarchal system is a male dominated system, that favours men, where men control more things, and things are harder for women.

  • Privilege: An advantage granted to a particular person or group.

  • Feminism: The political theory and practice to free all women. Where everyone is entitled to their human rights, and are treated fairly, and equally.

Sections 9-11: US Herstory / Early Feminists / the 19th Amendment

The next three sections delved into the history of feminism in the United States of America.

I don’t want to reference everything in the course in these blog posts. They’re mainly for me to work through the self inventory questions the course poses in each topic of discussion. So, if you’re reading this, you should take the course, and do the self inventory questions and watch the rest of the videos related to each section for yourself (and you don’t have to post anything online, as I’m doing here).

To compliment this section though, I’m posting a cool video below that I found and watched, about Rosie the Riveter, who was discussed in this herstorical summary section of this workshop.

Section 13: Sexism - Closing Thoughts

I think it’s very important for people to acknowledge and explore their privilege in society. It’s a part of being more mindful and emotionally aware. That’s why I’m doing this workshop, as it offered me the opportunity to think about and explore these important topics which represent issues that many in society face everyday.

It’s so important to know our place, and how it impacts the world around us - be it other people, animals, plants, the planet itself, and even the universe our planet exists in. By doing this, and by slowing down, and embracing mindfulness, we can become individuals who are more able to cultivate unconditional compassion, excitement, curiosity, gratitude, forgiveness, love and reverence for all life, starting with ourselves.

#TooManyMen

In March 2021, I contributed to a TOO MANY MEN social media photo challenge on Instagram. You can also find the post on my journal.

“Too Many Men” was a hashtag response to a trending hashtag in March 2021, “Not All Men.” Kayleigh Dray, writing for Stylist! Magazine, discussed the response to the “Not All Men” excuse, in her article called “Jameela Jamil just underlined the big problem with that “not all men” argument”.

Anna Matheson, in her March 2021 article for OK! Magazine, explains the TOO MANY MEN hashtag which had popped up at that time, in her article called “What is the #TooManyMen hashtag and why do women not feel safe?”

Bekah Legg, also spoke to the TOO MANY MEN response, for the Sorted Magazine, in her article called “#TOOMANYMEN”.

— End of Part 02 —

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