This chapter is about consumption and it’s correlation to class. Consumption of good ih higher quantity/quality normally showed what class you belonged to. For example, back in the 19 century families would buy ostentatious clothes, furniture, and tableware. Tableware become more elaborate, increasing dining etiquette. The high status families had to know what utensil to use. If someone used the wrong utensil they would be seen as uncivil, and be ostracized. What creates a gap between the classes is upscale emulation or emulating social elites. Upscale emulation is when someone buys goods to emulate social elites like models, actors, musicians, etc. Normally people’ social class is predetermined by their parent’s: you can be an elite in three ways. There are three different kinds of capital, you can be wealthy in one capital, but be lacking in another. The three capitals are economic, social, and cultural capitals. Economic capital is having a considerable amount of wealth in the form of money. Social capital is the value that originated from social relationships/networks. Cultural capital is key skills and knowledge that is particularly valued in a specific cultural. The chapter further talks about the correlation between social class and consumption using coffee. Coffee is a drink that has become a normalized morning routine for most. Coffee is so much more, with the help of Starbucks, coffee expresses social class and cultural capital. When Starbucks first came out, it was a place for connoisseurs to buy coffee and people to learn about it. When Starbucks went for expansion in the late 80’s it specifically went in area where higher education and/or higher wages were. It further it’s express of social class and cultural capital; becoming a luxurious item that is cheap. More generally, coffee shows hierarchies in tastes, and how that don’t occur naturally or are universal. When it comes to taste and classes, it may depend on what social class you have. When I did the coffee shop Ethnography I saw multiple classes, and something set them apart. What set them apart was lower classes normally staying inside, while higher classes went in then out. While I was observing the customers in the coffee shop I chose I mostly saw what seemed to be working class to middle class costumers. There were 5-6 who seemed of a higher class, only one stayed inside. For the higher classes it was simply to get their order and leave to go back to their busy schedule. The drive m-thru was also busy, which could have been more higher class people ima rush. This chapter made me realize the majority and minority of classes I saw in that coffee shop. For me personally, I don’t see that as a place to socialize. I never been to a real coffee shop; I was very nervous. The coffee shop I went to was a local Starbucks. I felt like not knowing what to order was seen as socially unacceptable, so I looked up a menu online. I didn’t want to pay for an expensive coffee so I got a cheap short “small” green tea. What I see that expresses social class is entertainment devices, I.e electronic devices. A see someone as high class if they can afford high priced gaming console, phones, and computer parts. A price of a decent to good gaming pc could cost at least $1,000.00. I would saw that the relationship between social class and consumption is more individual perception. Some might see expensive Electronics as high class, some might see cultural richness as high class. It could be the opposite, some might see expensive electronics like today’s smart phones as kid toys. I know there are different capitals, but I still feel as if class is more perceptional if anything.
3/18/2019
Sociology Blog 