This book is very interesting. Yes, the book is quite dated being written in 1983, but it many topics talked about are still very true. I cannot help but wonder if my colleagues were thinking the same thing as myself. I’d rather not be a “prole”, I don’t really want to be “upper class”, and I really do not want to be middle class. Upper class are all about themselves and the way they present themselves. Proles are hanging on by a thread.
The middle class are never really satisfied with their lives and are always looking at ways to improve themselves. Class is such an uncomfortable topic, especially when talking about it in the United States. It’s so bizarre to me because I have always said that I am in the middle-class. Solely middle class. But never have I been one to admire what my life could be like if I was just one class rank higher. I don’t really care if people see me as the lowest of classes or an upper-class.
But this could be because I am older now and have self-confidence. Occasionally I think it could just be because I think no one else’s opinion really matters in the slightest amount.
That section of the book (Page 95-96) about Rousseau and talking about dogs and cats is more or less how I see dogs and cats. Dogs always seem to me that they are always ready to please. They’re in the way a lot and don’t really have an existence outside of a group.
Comparing this thought with humans, I dislike people who do not obtain an identity for themselves and simply fade away without another person authorizing their existence and unstable ego. Cats come and go whenever they feel like it. That is how I prefer my relationships. If we’re both feeling like it, we’ll come together and hang out. There’s a confirmation that we are both aware of this and are on the same page. On page 115, the paragraph starts out, “But it’s the middle-class quest for grandeur and gentility that produces the most interesting effects. As we’ve seen, imported words especially are its downfall…..”. My thoughts on this paragraph are that I bet any person that is classified as middle-class would raise their hand if you asked, “Who has dressed up to look more sophisticated than you actually are.” It really shows how a person actually feels about themselves when that someone is doing such an act. I have personally been both before and I much would rather be on the side where I’m not looking all around me and in my head, anxious about whether or not I’ve been caught.