Friday, October 12, 2012


I recently finished the novel Love and Shame and Love by Peter Orner. I love the way he writes. The book takes place over multiple family generations and is set in Chicago. One of the chapters is titled, Class.  The chapter starts this way:

"The Rosencrantzes were classier than the Poppers.  At least the Poppers thought so.  The Rosencrantzes were more educated, more cultures, more sophisticated conversationally. It wasn't about money. This may be because class is so often defined not by thos who have it but by the people who are worried sick they don't. How can you buy it if the whole point is you can't buy it?"

I was struck by this paragraph as here we are in a time where the word class has become everyday nomenclature and people are being segmented and stratified by others and then speaking and acting out into the class they are placed.  Maybe we all need to spend more time concerned about the definitions and slotting of classes and instead focus on ensuring that all can get ahead and that all are doing their fair share to provide that the rest of those around them have an equal opportunity to improve.