A relatively short post this week. About class.
Being on strike has me thinking about class politics .... unsurprisingly. I've just come across this recent study that seems to back up something i've heard in the mass media for several years: most Canadians identify as "middle class" despite that some are, arguably, rather more wealthy than "middle" implies, and some much less so. Now, "middle" is a pretty vague designation and "middle class" is bandied about without ever landing on one or another definition. The Canadian take on "middle" would seem to exclude only the most destitute and the most rich. According to the recent Great Canadian Class Study:
Most Canadians surveyed identified overall with the middle class — including 17 per cent with the lower middle class, another 17 per cent with the upper middle class and 42 per cent who identified as somewhere in the middle of the pack.
Six per cent saw themselves in the lower or poverty class, while only one per cent said they were in the upper class.
Social class identity was linked somewhat to income differences. Those in the poverty class reported an average after-tax household income of about $35,000. Average household income among working and lower-middle-class individuals was $67,000. For middle-class respondents, average household income came in at about $100,000, and for those in the upper middle class, about $140,000.
So, a couple of things. Looking at these numbers I can see that I have never even been close to "middle" (and that gives me lots to think about). And with only one per cent admitting they are "upper class: it would seem that someone isn't telling the truth.
So, what class do you think you belong to?
A tool I have developed from the work of J.K. Gibson-Graham (the authorial name for feminist economic geographers Julie Graham and Katherine Gibson) is the "economic autobiography chart." Julie and Katherine have developed a theory of "diverse economies" that challenges the capitalo-centric hegemony of mainstream economic thinking. I have used this chart to have participants consider the fullest range of economic relationships that they have experienced. I will share a more complete activity description of this in a future education of this newsletter and on my Patreon. For now, you can make some sense of the diagram by studying the detailed models which list the many types of economic practices that fall under each category. You could check off those with which you have experience and then list the specific example from your experience. Then ask yourself again, "what class are you?"
There's lots more to say about this. Until next time. Looks like we're doing puppets on the picket line today.
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