I)
I never really thought about socioeconomic status until my experiences in u in my ECS 101 and ECS 102 class. A particular normative narrative for me is middle to upper class.
In Cassi’s story she talks about having friends over and they would mention her “big house”. I also experienced a familiar experience as her. I am from white city and so, when I would tell people that they would already assume I came from a place with money. Cassi also stated that she would take “The simple things for granted, such as having food on the table and not wondering about when my family and I would have our next meal”. This relates right to my story where I was in my ECS 101 internship and I talked to a boy that said he loved Christmas because he knew the school gave, they a meal. He knew he was going to be fed a full meal that night where as; Cassi and I have never had to worry about food.
In Michaela’s story she explains that she wouldn’t think that her family “…we’re rich…” because she would “…hear [her] parents complaining about money all the time.” I also still continue to hear my parents complain about money because they wanted more or they bought something they really did not want because they just wanted to fit in with the lifestyle of my neighbours. Also, in Michaela’s story she noted that her “parents work hard” for what they have. My parents work extremely hard for their money but I feel like they would work less if having money wasn’t a “social normative” in our community. They would not have to worry about having luxury cars and a big house as much.
II)
When I read Khol’s story it shares a lot about his life like how he would “couch hop, to sleeping in ally ways, to sleeping in weird guys houses doing “favours” for them, and ultimately starting down a path of drug addiction”. This story is completely different from the stories I have read regarding social statues. This in a way silences all the stories because most children do not have to grow up the way Khol did. The reality of a kid having to go through this is heart breaking but it is true and it happens. When I did my internship, I had many poor kids so I can not relate to Khol’s story but it is a normative narrative to lots of children and that needs to be recognized. This story gave insight on how the poverty are treated “They are over looked, talked down on, the last to receive a hand up”. Even though my socioeconomic status is different from Khols this changes normative narratives for me because at the end of the day “They’ll give a person the last bit of their change, a coat off their back. They have the most compassion in the world, because they have nothing and don’t want someone else to suffer that same fate” and they are still grateful of what they have and will help others out.
Sensoy and DiAngelo states, “thinking about class requires that we consider together issues of income and issues of power…Discourses of classism present upper-class people as naturally smarter and more articulate than lower-class people” (2017, pp 160). Going forward I will continue in my understandings and further my teaching on normative narratives, with hope to better understand other’s background for myself and people in the society.
Cited:
Sensoy, Ö, & DiAngelo, R.J. (2017). Is everyone really equal?: An Introduction to Key Concepts in Social Justice Education. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
