Globalization, The Poetics of Identity and Social Hope. Richard Rorty

“we have witnessed increasing inability to believe that someday we shall ever have a classless global society: one in which there are no vast differences between the opportunities open to children in one nation and in another, much less between those open to children in one section of a city and those in another section of the same city”

Now this is a very interesting discussion that Rorty has started to lead into regarding the class differences that become apparent in our everyday society. Essentially what this all settles down to is a nation derived on consumerism with a goal to assume as much as possible in order to keep up with ‘the Jones’. Everyone is concerned with appearances and is dedicated to projecting a particular image of themselves for the rest of the world to witness. This is a topic that we’ve touched on previously, but is a direct connection to this weeks article regarding our next generation; children. With these types of categorizations out there I cannot help but relate children to their primal influence; their parents. Those who are more fortunate in terms of consumerism and assets, being the upper class, will have more capability and desire to provide their children with the same form of treatment. By this I am not only referring to designer clothes, jewelry and high end cars, but also the opportunities that are created for them such as education, careers and future networking and connections. Essentially in our society it is all about who you are, what you do or who you know. In fact a Dr Phil episode revealed that in our society it is extremely difficult for a lower class individual to move up the latter of social class; this basically restricts that you will most likely stay in the same class as your parents were before you.

I agree that this is extremely sad that in our world of high technology and booming economy that the one thing that we cannot attain is social equality. This reminds me of a saying “if everyone was the same life would be boring” and in a sense this is probably what would occur. People wouldn’t strive for the greater things in life, the rewards that have to be attained not just given, but rather would be content with whatever it was that they had. I guess you can say that inequality and differences in social class make life more of a challenge, an adventure and hopefully make people drive for what they want and to be passionate when they attain it.

People will never be viewed equally in terms of social classes, consumerism, materiality, education, careers, etc but what this all boils down to is money…if all the money was taken away than we are left with people of the same. I think this universal problem is one that is unsolvable regardless of the perspective you take on it. I think we all need to be happy with who you are, work hard, dream big and really anything could happen.