Social Classes and Class Systems

Social Classes and Struggle

• Popular culture covers the disparity between social classes
• A social class refers to a group within a society sharing the same socioeconomic status
• Social classes have been studied by philosophers such as Thomas Hobbes, Karl Marx, John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and Max Weber

General Social Classes

• The lower class lacks the means to meet basic needs
• The lower class is sympathetic but prone to anxiety and desperation
• The middle class is the working class; they are diverse, and their income is enough for necessities
• The middle class is the backbone of the economy in most countries
• The upper class can invest more in their lives and live luxuriously
• Many people aspire to be like the upper class
• Most upper-class people are apathetic and self-centered

Class Systems

• The three classes (lower, middle, upper) are remnants of earlier social classes
• Each country has its class system
• The Indian caste system is an example

Indian Caste System

• The Indian caste is divided into two groups, one subdivided into four sections
• The first group serves nobility and the divine, while the second serves common folk
• The system emerged from Islamic rule in the 13th century and was reinforced during British occupation

Filipino Caste System

• In pre-colonial times, men and women shared equal opportunity
• The datu and the babaylan held the highest positions
• The babaylan holds the highest religious position, filled by Filipino women or homosexual men
• The datu leads the barangay and is elected from the next caste
• The maharlika comprised feudal lords in an unbreakable alliance, who became vassals when one was elected datu
• The maginoo served as vassals to the maharlika
• The timawa lived freely and served the land, including ordinary folk, scholars, and merchants
• The alipin caste subdivides into aliping namamahay, similar to Western peasants
• Aliping namamahay are not necessarily poor and work the land for the community, eventually owning it if produce goes well
• The aliping saguiguilid are actual slaves, working tirelessly to earn freedom and join the timawa

Spanish Colonization

• When the Spanish came, the Filipino caste was overhauled to put the colonizers on top
• The Casta system is an incentivized system that taxes each casta based on their racial heritage
• Muslims who were fighting the Spanish were not classified
• Indians did not become prolific until the British Occupation; but their mixed-race descendants were classified

Philippine Casta

• The Insulares were the first natural-born Filipinos with pure Spanish blood

• Americanos were Spaniards born from American colonies, holding power next to Peninsulares

• Peninsulares were Spaniards from the Iberian Peninsula and had the most power and influence

• The Mestizajes were a varied casta with four mixed heritages and their own hierarchy

• Indios (Filipinos) and Aetas had the basic taxes and minimum amount of tax.

• Sangleys paid quadruple the base tax because they were Chinese deemed outcasts then

• Blancos which included the top three (3) classifications, were exempted from paying taxes

Social Class Disparity

• The fall of aristocracy in Russia led to the Soviet Union
• Ernesto “Che” Guevara, who became radicalized from the poverty that riddled South America is an icon of counterculture
• During the Marcos period, cronyism and nepotism rose
• Political opponents, critics, and activists were detained, tortured, and executed
• The Mendiola Massacre, the cancellation of Voltes V, the novel Dekada '70, and figures like Benigno "Ninoy Aquino are historical events during this period

Cultural References to Social Class Struggle

• Class struggle is evident in music like "Upuan" (GLOC-9) and films like "Parasite."

Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Expression

• The puberty stage is the period of self-discovery, which also includes sexual orientation, gender identity and expression
• Sex refers to the biological trait that determines reproduction based on gametes and two sexes: male(sperm) and female(ovum)
• Intersex individuals have sex organs that differ from the normative ones and are also know as hermaphrodites
• Gender is a spectrum of characteristics (norms, behaviors, roles) of women, men, boys, and girls that are socially constructed
• Sex refers to what one is born with, while gender is determined by upbringing, environment, and self-introspection

Defining Gender

• Sexual orientation describes inclination to another person in terms of romance, emotions, and/or sexual urges
• Androphilia is attraction to men or masculinity
• Gynephilia is attraction to women or femininity
• Bisexuals experience both androphilia and gynephilia, termed as ambiphilia
• Pansexual people are attracted to all people regardless of sexual orientation
• Asexual people do not experience sexual attraction to any sexual orientations or genders

Gender Identity

• Gender identity describes the aspect of one's self-evaluation regarding their gender
• Cisgender individuals identify with the sex they were born with
• Cis-males identify as male; cis-females identify as female
• Transgender individuals identify with the notion that they were born the wrong sex
• Transwomen identify as female, and transmen identify as male
• Genderqueer individuals identify because their gender does not fall into either cis or trans categories categories
• Agender individuals do not conform to previously cited categories or choose to be agender because there is no one gender to describe them

Gender Expression

• Gender expression refers to how individuals express their gender through actions, mannerisms, and fashion

• Masculinity expresses qualities regarded as male

• Masculinity exemplifies strength, courage, independence, leadership, assertiveness

• Femininity expresses qualities regarded as female and exemplifies empathy, humility, gracefulness, gentleness, sensitivity

• Androgyny expresses both male and female qualities and expresses gender-neutral characteristics

• The proper use of pronouns should address someone, such as he/him for males, she/her for females, and they/them for people who want to be gender-neutral

• Equal opportunities and rights must be given to everyone

• Gender discrimination in various aspects should be reduced or eliminated

• The SOGIE Bill is written and deliberated in the Legislative branch to address gender

• Gender is discussed in various works, including the songs "Sirena" and "Freedom! '90" plus films "Markova: Comfort Gay", and "Pose"

Understanding Race

• Humans are the only species that define "race" as a social construct, not a biological one
• Race refers to the division of humans into distinct groups based on shared, inherited physical and behavioral differences
• The notion sprang from Western ideologies during the Age of Exploration
• Racism is defined as behaviors/attitudes reflecting the belief that race fundamentally determines human traits, where differences make one group superior

Development of Racism

• Since the Age of Exploration, European explorers noted differences in appearance among the populations they encountered
• To deter rebels, one such method employed was religious conversion
• Another method was racial science; the idea that there groups are separate and in unequal races
• Racial science is used in pseudoscientific research to propagate the concept that one race dominates.

Racial Science

• Carolus Linnaeus paved the way for species differentiation which sorted and classified humans into subspecies
• Petrus Camper theorized that ancient Greeks almost achieved human perfection and created facial angles based on a "ideal" appeal
• Johan Friedrich Blumenbach coined the term "Caucasian" and gave a racial to white people
• Samuel George Morton theorized that intelligence correlates to brain size and then concluded that whites have larger skulls

Racial and Cultural Appropriation of Indigenous People

• The ideology led Europeans to perceive indigenous people as savage
• Appropriation is taking something for one's own gain without expressed permission
• On the aspect of race, racial appropriation is subjugating one race for another
• One issue is the Black Lives Matter (BLM) Movement where African-Americans receive most oppression and history in America was rooted in slavery
• After the end of the Civil War, black people faced even more discrimination especially in education

Racial Views

Segregation was also fostered with the redlining of suburban homes, segregating people of color from white people, even further

• The past "Jim Crow policies" which enforced racial segregation was abolished
• Equality is not widespread in acceptance and recognition
• Hatred crimes against blacks are are on the rise especially after sexual orientation and religion

Racial Struggles in the Philippines

• Native racial concerns and rights were appropriated to the Spaniards
• Natives were driven out to mountainous lands and their religion oppressed
• The northern indigenous people are called "Igorot" (mountaineer)
• The indigenous people of the south are called “Lumad" (indigenous)
• The indigenous people were suppressed over their land
• Indigenous communities often face illegal deforestation, mining, and quarrying activities from companies, and some of those companies do not treat the natives properly
• The natives suffered a great deal of oppression; one instance was the "Lumad Killings"
• Whitewashing in visual entertainment where white people cast where their characters are people of color
• Another example: "Model minority myth" has hindered other successful minorities

Cultural Appropriation Forms

• Intellectual property of indigenous peoples is used without recognition or credit

• Artifacts, like American Indian feather headdresses, are worn in visual media without giving consent

• Certain dances are credited to the wrong cultures

• Clothing and Fashion, i.e. turbans

• "The proper way to speak English"

• Rock music: white people receiving credit

• Eat all you can ssamgyupsal with Filipinos

• Religious symbols used in harmful ways

• Ethnic decorations being sold anonymously

• Traditional medicine being mocked or ridiculed

• Makeup, like fox-eye makeup, etc

• Hairstyles like cornrows are made acceptable for whites, but are criticized against blacks

• Chinese being used as a tattoo but not understanding the meaning

• Wellness practices like the history of yoga can be appropriated

Peace Studies

• Due to high amounts of violence around the world, people study why war starts and how to resolve violence incidents
• Peace studies provide the understanding of how conflicts begin
• They present different methods to avoid tension and to build peaceful and just systems and societies
• In popular culture, peace studies express counter ideologies; peace studies include the hippie movement and the punk movement