Postby zhenders » Wed Apr 05, 2017 4:50 pm
This thread is so strange. I feel like it's a case study gold mine for anyone studying implicit bias and trying to convey what it is, what it can look like, and how it matters.
It's very clear that nearly all of the comments in this thread are both well-intentioned and honest, which is wonderful. Yet at the same time, there's this thread of "but [insert class difference here ] is not s big deal, really" that is kind of apparent for anyone reading through this who has genuinely felt like a cultural outsider.
It's very difficult to appreciate how big the little things are. We discuss this all anecdotally (Europe trips, for instance) as though it's possible to consider any of this free from context. Sure, no one cultural dissimilarity may appear to be a big deal, and yes, they often can be overcome by taking on certain attitudes or contrivances, but the points are they (1) lots of small things, taken collectively, add up to big rifts that are simultaneously very difficult to identify precisely BECAUSE they are comprised of lots of small things, and (2) any energy expenditure (actual, emotional, intellectual, or all of the above) is an expenditure one person has to make that others don't, just to achieve baseline social dynamics.
Also, the cultural differences between being actually poor, and being middle class or what-have-you (whatever middle class means) are actually bigger and more numerous than people realize. There are a million examples of this. Europe trips are good examples: the idea of riding in a plane at all, let alone taking one to Europe, let alone doing so to vacation, is very commonplace for some folks, but literally completely outside of the realm of possibility for others. As another example, when I grew up, "going to college" meant "taking classes at the local community college." I didn't learn that some undergrads were better than others until 3 years into undergrad; the thought never crossed my mind: in my family, going to college at all meant you had achieved the height of life success: it meant you might get a salary job one day, instead of just an hourly job.
Anyways... I'm just saying, if you catch yourself thinking that it's not that hard to be _____ in America (or in Biglaw, or in the law, or anywhere), there's a good chance you don't quite know what you're talking about.