Marquise Watson

12/12/14
LCS-357
Prof. Jeff Cabuaso
Social Construction of Difference

Why is that its so hard to change economic classes? Why does the
LGBTQ community never feel a sense of belonging? What do we have to do
to change the social construction of difference and close the economic and
social gap in society? Social construction of difference is one of the biggest
problems in the U.S today. Social construction leads to different tax brackets,
racism, and a theory I believe of the rich getting rich and the poor staying
poor. The questions purposed is if you are black, Mexican or some other
form of minority can change you social and economic status, if you are not
an athlete, rapper/singer, or a drug dealer? The difference in each other the
social classes leads to this stigma that minorities cannot move or change
class, and the differences lead them to believe that they are stuck in the
same place with no chance of moving up. The unequal distribution of wealth
comes from the taxes on the rich being very little to the taxes on the middle
class and the poor being higher. Social construction of difference has shaped
America and told people how to act and what friends to have. Rarely do we

see rich hanging with poor or poor hanging with rich. Do we as a society only
have charity where the rich is interacting with people in America thats
considered to be beneath of them based off the differences they have.
Money, power and more resources come with a social class and usually a lot
of these opportunities are not presented to people that are different or not in
the same class as other individuals. Is it fair that Bill Gates will always be
more powerful than the next man why that is simply because of his economic
status. Social construction forms America because it leads to modern day
segregation. Modern day segregation come when, someone is on welfare or
collecting and unemployment check against the person whose father handed
the company business down to him or her. Once segregation starts that
leads to prejudice and racism, and these two things are societys biggest
fears. We as a population tend to shy away from these topic because we
have been formed to accept what America and society has placed in front of
us and to not question why is this that way, why are we cannot I be like him
someday. Most kids are taught that they can be anything they want when
they grow up.
Is this really true? Do you think that a kid from a family of crime,
poverty and drugs has the same shot as a kid with no crime, wealth, and no
drugs? No those kids do not. Families that have resources usually have more
connections to get their kid to where that heart desires and it sucks but it is
how the world works. Now there are some families that are black, Latino,
Asian that have great families and are in the upper class but that ties into

them still have better chances to succeed in life than kids that are not as
resourceful. The social construct of difference is a problem that creates a
huge difference between kids.
The novel The Necessary Hunger by Nina Revoyr we see these same
issues being addressed. The book itself was about a star basketball player in
her senior year of high school, Nancy Takahiro's. Then she finds out her life is
about to change forever. Faced with the college recruitment process and
unsure where her skill will take her, Nancy is not prepared for meeting Raina
Webber, an All-State shooting guard whose passion for basketball is matched
only by her talent for it. When Nancy's father and Raina's mother fall in love
and decide to move in together, the girls are faced with the challenge of
negotiating their already intense rivalry and friendshipand of living with
the scrutiny of neighbors who react with varying degrees of comfort to their
Japanese-American and African-American household.
The Necessary Hunger follows Nancy, Raina, and several of their friends
through their last year of high school. For some of them, their senior year will
be full of glory, and the anticipation of college. For others, however, stranded
in an inner-city Los Angeles neighborhood that promises little in the way of
opportunity, it will mark not only the end of their time in school but also the
end of their hope. Nancy and Raina both prepare to leave the urban
neighborhood that has nurtured them, they find themselves looking toward a
future that is no longer easily defined. The Necessary Hunger is about

families, friendship, racial identity, and young people who are nearing
adulthood in a dangerous and challenging world. It is about sports as a
means of salvation, about the nature of competition, and ultimately about
the various kinds of love.
Private and public schools creates another issue. The public school
education does not even compare to the private school education in some
communities. If you cannot afford to send your kids to a private school and
you send them to his corresponding public school, he will be a step behind all
the kids that attend a private school. This being said, there are many kids
who go through the public school system who academically develop better
than kids who attended private schools. This separation begins in school and
continues through generations. This cycle can be described as poverty
recreating poverty. Poverty recreating poverty is when the poor is having
children while still being poor .It starts by a lower class that does not have
sufficient funds to support a child bring a child into the world. Once the child
is in the world he or she is already behind the curve because their resources
are limited and money is not a given. These things I believe, lead to
differences that create a social class in which its hard to move up all
because of the wealth is so unequally distributed unless you acquire a great
amount of wealth then your chances of getting power is slim. Then it
becomes extremely hard to get power without any resources or money. This
is exactly what I am talking about Nancy was not fortunate enough to go to
private school and being from the inner city she was already faced with the

possibility of failure. Whereas if she was at a private school her chances of

succeeding would have went up tremendously. Nancy and Raina used
basketball as a gateway to get them where they want to go.
Another issue we have where social differences lead to separations and
segregations is the LGBTQ community. Those people have a say in America
too because at the end of the day they are human. Society tries too hard to
exclude them from participating in Americas everyday activities. Society
tries to take away their power make which then in turns pushes resources
away from them because of the social differences. Bosses discriminate
against people of that nature which takes away from jobs and then creates a
gap between rich and poor and then we have a domino effect where they try
to hide their sexual nature just so people inside the LGBTQ will not be
outspoken in order to not be judged. These are all because of the social
differences we have and they create these social classes in which everyone
wants to have the best jobs so they could have the most money, and have
resources which lead to respect.
In the novel The Necessary Hunger there were characters like Nancy
and Raina who were gay. This ties back to what I was saying before because
the LGBTQ are seen as so powerless because they are different. Nancy and
Raina were living together and Raina had a female girlfriend, but they did not
let it get between their sports. Like most woman they used their sport to
unite them and it was seen as a common bond. Nancy wanted Raina but
never told her but Nancy always had feelings for her. In todays society

people are scared to express how they feel because the since of being
different. Being, different is a social change that we have not accepted so in
the novel you see basketball being a vehicle and a driving force to allow it to
be acceptable.
Throughout class the texts that we read that have stood out to me and apply
to my theoretical approach is Richard Schaefer Understanding Race and
Ethnicity. In Richard Schaefer we see that race is not biologically
determined. Another few articles that we read that related to social
construction and difference is W.E.B the souls of black folk and Richard
Wright blueprint for negro Writing .
The blueprint for Negro writing was Richard Wright writing o what he
saw and how hard it was to get to and high power when you were different,
as the imperative role of black writing in the development of the status of
blacks in the United States. He argued that, historically, black writing had
spent too much energy arguing for the humanity of the black race and not
enough on articulating useful directions for the collective consciousness of
black masses. Openly critical of the works that defined the Harlem
Renaissance, Wright exclaimed Rarely was the best of this writing addressed
to the Negro himself, his needs, his sufferings, his aspirations. Through
misdirection, Negro writers have been far better to others than they have
been to themselves. And the mere recognition of this places the whole
question of Negro writing in a new light and raises a doubt as to the validity
of its present direction. Characterizing the history of Negro writing as one

which had created two distinct cultures, that of the unrecognized black
masses and that of an elite, DuBoisian talented tenth class, his primer
envisioned a literature that would take its cue from the black workers
movement and incorporate a Marxian attitude to serve black interests
beyond the limited ones of the black bourgeoisie. He specifies the
contending forces within black communities.
African American literature and an American classic. In this work Du
Bois proposes that "the problem of the Twentieth Century is the problem of
the color-line." His concepts of life behind the veil of race and the resulting
"double-consciousness, this sense of always looking at one's self through the
eyes of others," have become touchstones for thinking about race in
America. In addition to these enduring concepts, Souls offers an assessment
of the progress of the race, the obstacles to that progress, and the
possibilities for future progress as the nation entered the twentieth
century.Du Bois examines the years immediately following the Civil War and,
in particular, the Freedmen's Bureau's role in Reconstruction. The Bureau's
failures were due not only to southern opposition and "national neglect," but
also to mismanagement and courts that were biased "in favor of black
litigants." The Bureau did have successes as well, and its most important
contribution to progress was the founding of African American schools. Since
the end of Reconstruction in 1876, Du Bois claims that the most significant
event in African American history has been the rise of the educator, Booker T.
Washington, to the role of spokesman for the race. Du Bois argues that

Washington's approach to race relations is counterproductive to the longterm progress of the race. Washington's acceptance of segregation and his
emphasis on material progress represent an "old attitude of adjustment and
submission." Du Bois asserts that this policy has damaged African Americans
by contributing to the loss of the vote, the loss of civil status, and the loss of
aid for institutions of higher education. Du Bois insists that "the right to
vote," "civic equality," and "the education of youth according to ability" are
essential for African American progress.

In Understanding Race and Ethnicity Schaefer exclaimed that that it

operates within social systems organized around privileged and domination.
This ties into perfectly with what I said before that the privileged gets too
choose from the top while the poor has to get the scraps of what the rich
doesnt want and even though there are some breakthroughs it is not many.
In the text Schaefer exclaimed the issue of race and racial differences has
been an important one, not only in the United States but also throughout the
entire sphere of European influence (PG 7 Schaefer). Schaefer exclaimed in
his essay There are several consequences for a group with subordinate
status. These differ in their degree harshness, ranging from physical
annihilation to absorption into the dominant group. The six consequences
he say are extermination, explosion, secession, segregation, fusion and
assimilation. Extermination is today is very hard to do unless you take a
group of people resources away but before genocide could take place based

off race and social class. Explosion, is when a dominant group chooses to
make a force a certain group to leave and this goes back to the whole power
aspect of social differences power makes a big difference. Secession is
leaving from one group to another that is already socially and economically
sound. Segregation is literally separating groups of people based off
residence income and economic status. Fusion happens also which is like a
human melting pot its when humans from upper class join with lower classes
or majority groups join minority groups to work together for a common goal.
These situations are one of the few situations where economic status does
not necessarily matter. Assimilation is when and individual or group takes on
the characteristics of the dominant group and is eventually accepted as part
of that group.
Another book in class that had the themes of money and power
meaning so much to someone getting power was In the Heart of Aztlan by
Rudolfo A. Anaya. The story takes place in 1950, when the family moves from
the small rural community of Guadalupe to the barrio of the big city. There
they encounter many problems, and each faces these differently. The
familys eldest son manages to find work, but the youngest son becomes a
drug addict and is eventually killed. The middle son, like his father, reveres
the land they have left and cannot make the adjustment to new
surroundings. Because his father becomes an alcoholic, the middle son must
take over the leadership of the family. The women, who are portrayed
stereotypically, face equal hardships. Two daughters become prostitutes, and

the mother must take orders from her middle son. This is the family situation
when Crispin enters. Crispins arrival brings changes, especially to the father,
Clemente, who has not been able to cope with the technology, religion, or
capitalism of the city. Crispin helps.
We see one of the main characters Clemente in a struggle to get
money. He needs money in order to support ones family which is the central
conflict of the novel. An example, is when he almost killed himself when he
felt that there was no way he could have the money to support his family. In
the book it was stated Clement tripped and fell into the gutter on a cold
night and he made and effort to raise his foot and could not,..he reviewed
his life and thought is it worth living (pg. 120-121) all because he did not
have any more for his family and he felt powerless. So money does bring
power and bring in more resources but does it actually solve problem?
Clemente transforms to see that while money may realistically put food on
the table it does not bring one honor and pride which is a direct correlation
to the social differences we have today in society.
In Bell Hooks video at the new school video she stated that now a days
kids want to be wealthy and with being wealthy allows you to sexualize and
visualize a better picture or image of the womans body. That ties into money
having so much power because the youth especially the females are seeing
females with money and it is portrayed that they to be wealthy so they can
do things to their bodies in order to be viewed as pretty. These things

continue to make society have dominance over the youth and how people
think money makes you pretty smart and healthy.
In the short essay by Ronald Takaki he said that the scholarship has
ruled America. What he meant by this that a person that went to Harvard or
some Ivy League school has a paper because of his or her social status we
see that material more powerful them somebody who is not from a third war
country. Now clearly America would be more advanced but what is the
changes of that person getting and actual shot at having a chance is slim
because he is not as powerful as the other person. Brown university had a
document about slavery and the slave trade and it speaks directly to the fact
that white people really wanted to show their dominance over black people.
The Rhode Island slave trade was one of these process we see the slave
trade being abolished and flourishing and people are being sold at and
extremely fast rate. This is just another example of how society always want
to show how it is dominate over another class or group of people.
The different literatures and cultures we have seen and experienced
through our short stories and novels and the multicultural working class
inside of all of them are a very relevant theme. The complex process of
developing a collective form of subjectivity which a sense of belonging is tied
in with that. Everybody and every group wants to have a sense of belonging.
Nobody wants to feel left out and money, power and resources lead to that.
Its sad to but money does have a big impact in trying to rule the world if you
look at every text it is some point in the text where there because a power

struggle of some sort all because of money. Power is hard to get without
resources and money and society has taught us that without those things
you are seriously behind the curve. Maybe one day social construction will
not lead to unequal distribution of wealth, resources and power within
society.
In both novels we see many different themes of social construction of
difference. In the necessary hunger we see kids from two different races and
two different backgrounds and have to live in the same house and play on
the same team. They use basketball as a gateway from their anger and their
problems. They are also homosexual and express it between each other
which gives them confidence because they do not have that much power in
society because of their race. In Heart of Aztlan they encounter many
problems as a family, and each faces these differently. The familys eldest
son manages to find work, but the youngest son becomes a drug addict and
is eventually killed. The middle son, like his father, reveres the land they
have left and cannot make the adjustment to new surroundings. Because his
father becomes an alcoholic, the middle son must take over the leadership of
the family.

Bibliography
Revoyr, Nina. The Necessary Hunger: A Novel. New York, NY: Simon &
Schuster, 1997. Print.

Schaefer, Richard. "Understanding Race and Ethnicity." (n.d.): n. pag. Print.

School, New. "Bell Hooks - Are You Still a Slave? Liberating the Black Female Body
| Eugene Lang College." YouTube. YouTube, 7 May 2014. Web. 26 Oct. 2014.

"A Different Mirror." Bryant. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2014.

University, Brown. "Slavery and Justice Report of the Brown University Steering
Committee on Slavery and Justice." Blackboard.bryant.edu. N.P., n.d. Web

Zirin, Dave. "Race ,Power, & American Sports Film." (

Anaya, Rudolfo A. Heart of Aztlan: A Novel. Albuquerque: U of New Mexico, 1988.

Print.

"Melba Moore - Lift Every Voice." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2014.

Wright, R., and Marcosarruda. "Blueprint for Negro Writing." Race & Class21.4
(1980): 403-19. Web.

Takaki, Ronald. "A Different Mirror." (n.d.): n. pag. Web.

Other videos that tie in with a great message

Lauryn hill doo wop http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBMO93GQ8B0 when
she talking about dudes having all the Benjamins trying to show their power
and winning. Well thinking they are winning