Writing the Self Analysis: Looking for Normative Narratives

Majority of us are aware of our economic class and the range of what we are able to do and no to do. However, it is not so easy to identify another person’s economic class. We normally associate being of a lower class with wearing dirty clothes or not having this, whereas with higher or middle class it is associated with having stuff and wearing brand-name clothes. However, we cannot determine someone’s economic class by the way someone is dressed or whether they have a job or not. There are so many stereotypes around what someone of a lower class is supposed to look and act like, it is easy to end up judging someone by what they wear or not have to consider them “poor”. By identifying some of these Narratives it allows to look at the privilege within our lives and debunk the ideas that these stereotypes are what identify someone as a lower class. It also allows us to gain an understanding that there are different levels of class and for everyone it looks different.

i)Normative Narratives

Within Brianna’s Self Story she discusses the idea of noticing a couple people of a lower economic class when preparing to go on a ski trip with her school: “I walk over to them, curious as to why they were not in their winter clothes, and ask them if they gave their permission forms to Mr. Billinger yet. They both begin telling me that they are not coming on the ski trip with the rest of the class”. Brianna then proceeds to ask one of her friends if she knew why these students were not coming on the ski trip as she is a little confused. Her friends then “coupled her hand next to my ear and whispered to me that they did not have enough money to pay for the trip”. The fact that her story took place within a classroom, where all of the other kids were lined up ready to go except for two students, we begin to see the comparisons of class right away. Before examining this, she explains how her mother had just given her an envelope that contain a cheque to cover all of her rentals and lift pass, as well as gave her extra money to buy a lunch along with all the goodies she already had packed. Brianna also takes not of how the boy staying behind has holes within his pants, implying that his family may not have the funds to replace them. This presents the idea that not only is she learning kids within her own class experience the effects of a lower class, but also is noticing just how privileged she is go be able to go on something as simple as a ski trip. She takes note of this new feeling of privilege that she has over someone, and that even though she may not have realized it before individuals within her class face economic struggles. Due to this realization, she begins to feel sad, which can be interpreted as guilty because of her family’s financial stability.

Meg’s Self-Story also demonstration a realization of her class and the privilege that comes with it compared to others around her. While Meg’s story does not take place in a school setting, it does include her classmates around her. Meg explains how her 3 sisters and her had each received their own iPad for Christmas that year, and one of the first things she does is download snapchat to see what all of her classmates had received for Christmas. She explains how most the kids had received some form of technology, but there was one boy within her class that posted something else that he received: “They had gotten some Pokémon cards, candies, socks, etc.” Meg then goes on to explain how what he had received for a gift is what she considered stocking stuffers, and she had always received some sort of expensive technology. This is the moment that she had realized that she had privilege over other around her. At that moment she notes how she was privileged enough to have a mother who stayed home to look after them, but they were still able to go on yearly luxuries trips. While the boy within her class was still fortunate enough to have some form of technology in order to post this, it was clear that Meg had a different economic class in comparisons to her fellow classmate. Due to this realization, it made her realize just how fortunate she was, and caused her to be more modest when asking for gifts around the holidays. She now notes the stuff she has to go along with her privilege and realizes that she may have all that she needs.

My own Self-Story is similar to both of these in a way where I also noticed my economic standing and those around me within a school setting.  While the other stories disused noticing other being left behind or how they received more expensive gifts, my story discussed receiving a less expensive gift and a conversation with my parents. During a Christmas gift exchange, I had received a little doll that was noticeably less expensive than the other gifts the other students had gotten, however, that did not bother me. It was my friend’s reaction to the present I received that confused me because I did not understand what their problem was. This led to a discussion with my parents where they explained to me a little more about the situation: “how her family does not have as much money as our family, just like how we did not have as much money as others, and this is why I did not get as much as the other kids or as expensive as a gift as some of the other”.  This conversation led to me understanding why this friend of mine was never been at any activities or events outside of school, and why she had only ever been to my birthday party. The conversation I had allowed me to learn just how fortunate I am to be able to have some of the things I do, and also note my family was still not as fortunate as other. This realization had caused me to gain a greater appreciation for the gifts I received from others, as little thanks can go a long way.

ii)Creating Counter-stories: Disrupting Normative Narratives

Leanne’s Self-Story disrupts the idea that in order for someone to be of lower financial state it has to be clear. Right from the get-go Leanne was straightforward; she is having financial struggles, as she explains “The well-designed spreadsheet highlights clearly the poignant fact; my income is less than my expenses”.  She comes to a realization that she needs to make a change in order to ensure some stability for her future. Despite the extremely stressful situation she was in, Leanne decided the best thing to do was focus on the positives and goods within her life. She began to list off the many things that she has control of within her life “I have a home and security within it. I am fed and dressed well. I have a clean supply of water and I am afforded several basic needs simply because I am Canadian. I am from a family of gardeners, so I am capable of feeding my body well and as a result I am in relatively good health. I have a large social network of supportive people and a small group of intimate friends”. At the end Leanne states that “I am capable, and faithful that I can lift myself up, again”. She is hopeful that even though times are rough that she will be able to overcome the situation she is in. Leanne’s situation is not one that she planned to be in; it was one that she could not control, and this is the reality of this. Many people find themselves in this situation on a day-to-day basis, where it is hard to move back up the latter. As stated within Debunking the “Pull Yourself Up By Your Bootstraps” Myth, “Poor people face public scrutiny and criticism for telling the truth about their lives all the time. They’re blamed for their own lack of wealth and shamed when they reach out for help. Their financial standing is held against them when they try to move up the economic ladder”. Leanne defies these myth’s as she worked hard to accomplish the things she did and is someone who works, it just did not happen to be enough. People also did not look at Leanne and see her as someone who was struggling; this is something that one would only be able to know if they were to ask her. Leanne’s story is different from those in i) because it disrupted the myth that it is noticeable when someone is of a lower economic class. Within Brianna, Meg, and my stories we associated being in a lower class by the gifts others or we received, by not being able to participate in an activity, or by the clothes others were wearing. Leanne’s is different because it identifies that even though she was struggling, she is someone who is well dressed and fed, her clothes were clean, and she had a job. Her economic class was something that we are not able to determine unless we are to ask her about it. Leanne’s story helps to put into perspective societies views on what different economic classes look like, and that they are not always what they seem. 

To society it is taught that someone of a lower class is meant to have dirty or holes in their clothing and not have nice or of expensive things, similarly to what was demonstrated within the many of the stories presented in this class. Other stories that are taught to us include stereotypes that poor people “Know how to physically fight and defend physically, or know how to live without electricity” (Could You Survive in Poverty Quiz). Where this is simple not the case. A person is able to have nice clothes, have a job, and be hard working, but it is just not enough to keep them in a financially stable state, like we saw with Leanne. Similarly, people who are financially stable can shop at places such as Goodwill or other thrift stores. People do not have to fit into these stereotypes. There were many other students within our class who identified that they were unable to afford going on a field trip or the same toys as others growing up, but you would never have been able to guess this by their appearance. There is so many different ideas of what different classes are supposed to look like within society, we can see some examples with Could You Survive in Poverty Quiz. For someone such as myself I may see someone such as Meg as a higher class or a different level of middle class, as I have never received big expensive gifts of technology or got to go on trips every year, but I was also able to go on field trips like Brianna was. In conclusion, class is not something that can be determined by the things we wear, or the work ethic we have; it is something that one cannot determine by what someone looks like.

References:

Boesch, Meg. (March ,2021). Writing the Self 3: What did you get? https://edusites.uregina.ca/ecs102meg/2021/03/08/writing-the-self-3-what-did-you-get/

Could You Srvive Poverty? https://www.ahaprocess.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Social-Class-Hidden-Rules-Quiz.pdf

Kutas, Brianna. (March ,2021). Writing the Self 3: The Two That Couldn’t Come https://edusites.uregina.ca/briannakutas/2021/03/08/writing-the-self-3-the-two-that-couldnt-come/

Martinook, Tadyn. (March 5, 2021) A Christmas Gift Exchange https://edusites.uregina.ca/tmartinook/2021/03/05/a-christmas-gift-exchange/

Matthes, Leanne. (March 4,2021) Writing the Self 3- Dancing with Dollarshttps://edusites.uregina.ca/leannematthes/2021/03/04/self-story-3-dancing-with-dollars/

Rios, Carmen. (May 17, 2015). “Debunking the ‘Pull Yourself Up By Your Bootstraps’ Myth” https://everydayfeminism.com/2015/05/debunking-bootstraps-myth/