People Like Us
People Like Us was a fun movie to watch. I liked the fact that there was commentary from different people from all walks of life on the issue of class in America. I find it funny that for some reason people do not want to acknowledge the fact that there are classes in America. The segment on how everyone wants to be considered middle class illustrated this that fact. People with millions of dollars and people making twenty thousand dollars a year all want to consider them selves “middle class�. I can understand why someone who has a low income may not want to consider them selves lower class or less than the average American. However, I did not understand why the rich upper class people did not want to admit that they were upper class. There were some people like the “Wasp� who did take pride in being in the upper class. Then there were the upper class people who seemed to be in denial. Perhaps they do not really understand what middle class is. Or maybe they just don’t want to be put on a pedestal. Everyone wants to be a part of the mainstream, and right now the mainstream is middle class.
Another segment that I liked was the analogy between class and tribes. When you think about a tribe you think about a group of people who live together and have a certain way of life. In the film there was a list of different things that determine what tribe you fit into and ultimately the class you fit into. Money was not the only determining factor of class. Your tribe depends on what you do for a living, where you live, your education, how you were brought up, your personal style, your taste in material things, the possessions you have accumulated, and even what you eat. All these things create similarities between you and your tribe mates. Your tribe mates are the people you feel the most comfortable around because those are the people that you have things in common with. It’s always awkward being surrounded by people who you hardly have anything in common with. It’s natural to want to be around people that are like you, nobody wants to feel alone in a sea of people. If you try to mix in with another tribe and you don’t know how to blend in you will stick out like a sore thumb.