I'm glad
(e:Paul) brought it up. Classism is something that I think permeates our society far more than racism, although people bark about that more than just about anything. Classism is one of those dirty, ugly little things that lives inside all of us to some extent. People deny it, people get mad, but that's only because they don't have it inside of themselves to admit they have this ugliness inside them.
Let's take
(e:Paul)'s example of the educational system. Without a doubt it is set up so that certain schools are priced out of the range of the poor and middle class on purpose so there is a certain homogenous aspect to the student population. I've you've ever visited Cornell you know what I'm talking about. You don't exactly see too many poor minorities mixing in with the rich white population. The Ivy Leagues and other elites are set up in such a way that it promotes classism and the perpetuation of the upper class having superior learning and career opportunities. Anybody who isn't fortunate enough to have an upper class upbringing is saddled with debt that cripples them for the first 10 or so years of their post-educational life, again giving the upper class kids an advantage when it comes to living out some kind of comfortable existence.
Another way classism manifests itself is in the dating world. I'm about to say some things that are going to make people upset, but I'm willing to live with it. It is an indisputable fact that having plenty of money to throw around will bring in the ladies like a moth to flame. The more money you have, the hotter women you can attract. The sweet car, sweet clothes and the idea of a high class lifestyle are irresistable to women. If you don't have these things, you might as well be a leper. You are going to have a very hard time attracting (and more importantly, keeping) a good woman. There is the 20/80 rule - 20% of guys attract 80% of women, and women would rather be single than be with someone who wasn't a high roller. Yeah yeah, I know there is the ODD exception, and I know that it is something people don't want to admit to, but I know better. Classism is prevalent in the dating game, and I would rather be alone than be with a chick who was with me for more or less what I can provide for her. That's one of the reasons why the girl who won't take no for an answer from me doesn't have a chance in hell of being with me.
I think the most ugly and horrible way classism manifests itself is in how we treat people who don't look or act like what we are used to. More or less everyone who can read this is guilty. People who look poor, who don't wear certain clothes, or who are perceived a certain way are treated like social outcasts. I do have to say that Buffalo is much better about this than most places I've visited. Regardless of whether you are rich or poor, white or black or yellow or purple, we are all deserving of basic respect and dignity and we are exceedingly poor at making this play out the way it should.
Is there hope? I would say that classism is so ingrained in our social fabric that there is no turning back. We likely will never get over our classism unless something extraordinary happens, like some kind of cataclysmic event that unites us in a way that hasn't happened before. We won't get over it until we are FORCED to get over it somehow. All we can do is individually do the best we can to make ourselves clean of this evil.
Jason
Wow you sounded like Micheal Moore there for a second. There is a part in his most recent movie that kinda touchs on what you are saying. These Marine Recruiters go to the poor mall in town, not the upper class mall. It is interesting to watch how they even offer to come pick the kids up. Or in the words of SOAD "why do they allways send the poor, they allways send the poor, they always send the poor." it goes something like that. There are a lot of things in this country that divide the classes.
Me a liberal? Hell no! Heeellll no!! I just think that there's no reason why schools should price people out like they do. And I hate gold diggers. Then again who doesn't? Education is one of those things that is mandated - I think Canada has it right in that respect.
Hey Jason! One would think that you of all the people would be for such a "classist" society... ;-) What happened, Elmwood turning you into a liberal? :-D
We can make education cheaper (or free, like some European countries), but then that would be the commie way, wouldn't it? :-)