Response

Respond to two colleagues' posts by explaining how your own past experience with classism is similar to or different from your colleagues'. Also explain how issues might reveal themselves in your future social work practice in a manner similar to or different from that which your colleagues anticipate.

(Discussion 1)

There are a variety of disadvantages and gaps between various social classes in the United States, which drive classism in society (Adams et al., 2018). For many years, in my childhood, I would have been considered to belong in the upper middle class, thanks to the career my mother had. I became middle-class when I joined the Army, and started living off of my own income. Nowadays, I am in the lower middle-class, where my husband and I are self-employed, and I am going to school full time. Overall, it seems almost impossible to make it to the upper class without requiring a sudden flow of income, such as those who obtain sudden fame for any given reason. I find it more realistic to my life that I can fluctuate within the middle class, such as being in the upper middle class, then lower middle class, and later back to the upper middle class, or more attainable to reach the lower class, than it is to ever become a member of the upper class, due to limitations that exist within corporate America. Regardless of how many jobs open, or how much the unemployment rate drops, those in the top one percent will always take more for themselves than the rest of the nation (Adams et al., 2018). Therefore, unless one has a sudden moment of success, such as through fame, an inheritance, or a well-paying career, it is not likely for the 99% to become the 1% through the normal economic ladder.

As a social worker, I would try to address class and class differences on the lives of my clients by first understanding my own bias in regards to social class. Liu, Pickett, and Ivey (2007) state that by counselors acknowledging their own biases about social class, they can apply theories and therapy methods that are useful for each client’s needs, lifestyle, and behaviors, that are influenced by their SES background. When working with clients, one must be sensitive to social class issues that relate to the client (Liu, Pickett, & Ivey, 2007). For instance, if a client is poor, I should not impose on him or her the idea of being a middle-class individual simply because I see that to be the solution to his or her problem. It is easier said than done to overcome poverty, and as a social worker, I would focus on the client’s strengths and self-determination to then create a realistic plan to help the client achieve their goals.

Part of classism is the lack of access to education by the lower class, which becomes a generational issue, since the children do not have a role model to guide them in their academics, and most do not have social/moral support in the process (Adams et al., 2018). How can I help the client find these role models within their communities? If none exist, I would try to create support groups within the school system, or colleges in the area, that are for individuals that need free tutoring and overall social support throughout their academic journey when none exists at home. Overall, although I would personally want for every client to overcome poverty and hardship, as a professional I need to maintain focus on the client’s personal goals in their life without imposing my own ideas of what “should be” or “could be.”

Adams, M., Blumenfeld, W. J., Castaneda, C., Catalano, D. C. J., DeJong, K., Hackman, H. W., & Zuniga, X. (Eds.). (2018). Readings for diversity and social justice (4th ed.). New York, NY: Routledge Press.

Liu, W. M., Pickett Jr, T., & Ivey, A. E. (2007). White middle-class privilege: Social class bias and implications for training and practice. Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, 35(4), 194-206.

(Discussion 2)

According to Adams et al... 2018, class avoidance is a phenomenon in both upper and lower class as they tend to avoid the word class.  Class is something that I have tried to avoid most of my life, as my family has been very poor. Throughout my life I have noticed the there is a huge difference between my friends that where better off than my family and my family in almost every way. For example: I have been homeless a few times in my life practically when I was younger and have been working since, I was 14yeas old to help with bills. According to Adams et al... 2018, “all Americans do not have an equal opportunity to succeed and class mobility in the US is lower than the rest of the industrialized world” (Adams et al., 2018, p. 180).  This is true as it is harder to succeed, as jobs will take applicants from more affluent schools with less experiences or friends and family of upper management before they would hire someone like myself and of course sexism makes things worse. Another example is teeth if your family is lower class most likely they could not afford dental care, I know mine could not but if you come from middle to upper class family you most likely had dental care and braces. Education is another place that that lower-class people suffer with I can remember not having the money for book or project supplies and the professors did not care they just want the project turned in.

 A strategy I might use as a social worker to address the impact of class and class differences in the lives of my clients is advocacy. One could advocate for more people of lower classes to attend more prestige’s schools as “social workers should act to prevent and eliminate exploitation and discrimination against any person, group, or class” (National Association of Social Workers , 2019).

 References

Adams, M., Blumenfeld, W. J., Castaneda, C., Catalano, D. C. J., DeJong, K., Hackman, H. W., & Zuniga, X. (Eds.). (2018). Readings for diversity and social justice (4th ed.). New York, NY: Routledge Press.

National Association of Social Workers . (2019). Read the Code of Ethics. Retrieved from www.socialworkers.org: https://www.socialworkers.org/about/ethics/code-of-ethics/code-of-ethics-english

Respond to two colleagues by critiquing their analysis and providing alternative recommendations for how social workers might advocate for change and address classist policies in their agencies and society at large.

(Discussion 1) Camilla

Classism is demonstrated in the video of the Hernandez family is how the ACS worker judged them because they are low-class Hispanics (Laureate Education, 2013). The ACS worker had her opinion against the Hernandez family on how the parents discipline their kids. Yet, without learning the impact, it has on the Hernandez family-like trying to make up work hours to make a living. The barrier of cutting off meals or possibly any other essentials to the family. Another obstacle is having the risk of losing their children. The Hernandez family has much more on their plate as it is a migrated immigrant, working poor, and being Hispanic because even the ACS worker was quick to judge them based on their background. In Hernandez, life experience is stressful because in the position they are in, they have a hard time getting out of being the ‘working class.’ It means that no matter what the Hernandez do, they have to work much harder than someone who has a different background than them. It also means they have to be cautious and alert at all times being deported. One of the strengths that Hernandez has is a family connection, which makes them go to the required classes in order not to lose their children. Another advantage is how they have a worker staying by their side to help them get through the classes. Also, assist with how to manage a work schedule at the same time. I suggest a social worker should advocate and educate other colleagues to understand each family's limitations. For instance, if the ACS worker knew that the Puerto Rican family background discipline was considered a 'norm.' It is not like the parents wanted to hurt the child but to teach them a lesson. The United States Social Welfare System does not focus on the family's needs, which can impact the whole family dynamic (Furman et al., p. 5, 2009). It could have been best to give the parents suggestions without having the risk of losing their children. A social worker can address issues of classism to be empathetic and knowing other family cultures. These recommendations will address class issues so that people are not faced with professionals who are unintentionally hurting the clients to get better. Where the parents have a hard time with the work schedule, it could have been best to give food stamps to the family so that they do not have to worry about working to earn more to eat. Another one is to think about their work schedule and how to accommodate these issues.

References 

Furman, R., Negi, N. J., Iwamoto, D. K., Rowan, D., Shukraft, A., & Gragg, J. (2009). Social work practice with Latinos: key issues for social workers. Social work, 54(2), 167–174. doi:10.1093/sw/54.2.167

Laureate Education (Producer). (2013). Hernandez Family (Episode 26) [Video file]. In Sessions. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu

(Discussion 2) Tiara

In this case classism can be seen by how the Hernandez’s where initially treated by the ACS worker, being Mandated to take classes that they are unable to attend due to work schedules in order to keep their children and by how the ACW made a comment about them being Mexican in a derogatory way (Laureate Education, 2013). The ACS worker did not take into consideration their culture, financial status or anything else before making a snap decision about what the Hernandez’s where going to have to do in order to keep their children. The ACS worker was setting up the family for failure. According to Adams et al.. 2018 “a person in a lower class standing has more difficulty securing housing and more time is spent on routine tasks of everyday life along with a greater percent of their income going to food, housing and health care” (Adams et al., 2018, p 179). They are also at a greater risk of being victimized (Adams et al., 2018, p 179). There is less class movement in the United States then the rest of the developed world and all people in America do not have an equal chance to succeed, as  people do not choose to be poor or working class instead they are limited by the opportunities afforded or denied to them by social and economic systems (Adams et al., 2018, p 179-181).  

A specific barrier to social services that the Hernandez family experiences because of their class status is the Hernandez’s could not attend all their parenting classes the first time around because of their class as working poor they had to go to work in order to keep a roof over their head and provide food for their children and themselves (Plummer, Makris, & Brocksen, 2014, p 3). If the classes had maybe been at a different time or been offered on different days of the week it may have been a better fit for them but they were not thus leaving the family in a bad situation of having to choose whether to attend work or attend parenting classes.  Another issue with the Hernandez’s receiving services from social services as it can often overlook the needs of the whole family and only focus on the individual’s needs (Furman et al., 2009, p. 5). 

Strengths in the Hernandez family. One of the first strengths is that the parents care for each other and we're not intentionally meaning to harm the children they are also willing to learn a better way of correcting the children. Another, strength is that the family cares for each other and they all seem to love each other very much. Lastly, they have been at their current residence for about 7 years, so they have stability (Plummer, Makris, & Brocksen, 2014, p 3).

Social workers are taught cultural competency and how to remove personal biases when dealing with clients however the ACS worker in this case failed to do so. instead the ACS worker reinforced classism and cultural stereotypes by forcing the Hernandez family into a situation that made it quite difficult for them to keep their children and maintain their employment.  I would recommend that the ACS worker Receive cultural competency training and go through her current cases with her supervisor to make sure that the current plans are not harming the participants in any way.

A recommendation for addressing issues of classism is to educate more people on the issue social workers should not be the only ones who are aware of these issues. If more people were aware of the issues of classism instead of just blaming each other for the issues and then maybe, we could work towards a resolution instead of the constant blame.

 

 

References

Adams, M., Blumenfeld, W. J., Castaneda, C., Catalano, D. C. J., DeJong, K., Hackman, H. W., & Zuniga, X. (Eds.). (2018). Readings for diversity and social justice (4th ed.). New York, NY: Routledge Press.

Laureate Education (Producer). (2013). Hernandez Family (Episode 26) [Video file]. In Sessions. Retrieved from  https://class.waldenu.edu

Furman, R., Negi, N. J.., Iwamoto, D. K., Rowan, D., Shukraft, A., & Gragg, J. (2009). Social work practice with Latinos: Key issues for   social workers. Social Work, 54(2), 167-174. Retrieved from  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2861823/pdf/nihms194082.pdf

Plummer, S. B., Makris, S., & Brocksen S. M. (Eds.). (2014). Sessions: Case histories. Baltimore, MD: Laureate International Universities Publishi