Unit One Assignment One Revision
Question: How does someones culture or socio-economic status affect what people believe their identity should be ?
Agree: Society forms a certain bias towards people of specific cultures and or socio-economic status. If an individual does not fit the description that society believes they should reflect, then they are seen as an outsider. However, individuals of different cultures and socio-economic status do not believe themselves to be any different just because they do not fit the societal “norm”. People across the world should be able to decide how they identify themselves, not listen to what society has to say. Also those individuals that do come from multiple backgrounds and cultures should not feel the need to only identify under one culture, no matter how unusual it may seem to society.
Disagree: Society describes the human identity under very restrictive and basic standards. The different factors that exist when it comes to an individuals identity vary for each person. There is not a certain way to label an individual.
Personal Additional Question: Why does society allow for there to be a division between various socio-economical statuses when defining their own, or another, identity?
I believe society allows for socio-economic status to define a persons identity as much as it does because of the idea of fair competition. We have this idea that there is fair competition in society, and that we are all equally likely to rise to the top most position. Also, people have become power obsessed and believe money defines their power. Money has become a symbol of a good, successful life. We gave become convinced everyone is equally likely as their neighbor to rise up in power rankings; we all are millionaires in the making. Society has a grown a capitalist mentality and grown to believe in class mobility, which doesn’t exist. Therefore, individuals of low socioeconomic-status are seen as lazy or “lesser than” and those individuals of high socioeconomic-status are hardworking and deserving.