Social Stratification

A cruise ship is the perfect example of social stratification.

According to sociologists, social stratification is defined as a system by which society ranks categories of people in a hierarchy. And depending upon the source of the inequality and the degree to which it exists, social stratification may vary from society to society (Society : the basics / Macionis, Jansson, and Benoit - 4th Cdn. ed.).

But when it comes to life on-board a cruise ship, the inequality that exists spans both prestige as well as power and wealth.

Photo credit: wordtravelsblog.blogspot.com

And just so we’re clear, I am referring to the crew – not the passengers.

Anyone who has ever been on a cruise ship will be able to differentiate between a fellow passenger and a crew member by the unmistakable presence of a uniform. But in addition to serving a practical role, these uniforms also segregate the crew according to the positions they hold on the ship.

Photo credit: Maritime-Connector.com

At the top of the hierarchy are the officers. These men and women can be seen wearing white uniforms with epaulettes (stripes) that denote not only their rank, but their power and prestige amongst the crew.

Photo credit: cruiseshipjob.com

The officers generally hold managerial positions within the administrative and operational departments, or front line positions such as Pursers and Cruise Staff.

Photo credit: princess.com

Since many of these positions require formal training and previous experience (especially for those who work on the bridge), the expectation is that we give these crew members more respect and thus, consider their work more important than that of a waiter or a cabin steward.

Photo credit: rexthesurfdog.com

This ideology is reinforced through the issuance of special officer-only privileges such as access to passenger amenities, separate dining areas stocked with a greater variety of food and beverages (healthier?) and larger cabins.

Photo credit: YouTube User - papanikolau182

At the bottom of the hierarchy are the crew members who perform duties that can generally be done by anyone: working in the galley, cleaning, serving passengers, etc. These positions are generally filled by visible-minorities from low to middle-income countries and these crew members typically work the longest hours with little to no privileges.

Video credit: YouTube User - papanikolau182

Despite the alienation that some of these crew members experience, their income provides them (and their families) with more purchasing power than the officers and staff; therefore, some of them do experience upward social mobility both intragenerationally (within a person’s lifetime) and intergenerationally (in relation to their parents).

Photo credit: YouTube User - papanikolau182

But like a house of cards, this upward social mobility is both fragile and precarious. Minor fluctuations in forex coupled with the risk of work-related injuries and lack of educational opportunities means that these crew members are forever at risk of losing their purchasing power, jobs and even to some extent, their lives.

Photo credit: YouTube User - papanikolau182

Despite all this, proponents of Karl Marx would be pleased to know that there is one place on the cruise ship where all crew are considered equals and that is:

WARNING: Adjust your volume BEFORE viewing!

Video credit: YouTube User - ladystorme

The crew bar.

Occupy Vancouver.

Photo credit: Jason Payne, PNG

As I stepped-off the bus and made my way towards the corner of Howe and West Georgia, I felt the cold air etching into my bones. Having under-dressed for the weather, I quickened my pace towards my destination, navigating around the usual throng of weekend pedestrians, silently cursing myself for leaving those extra layers at home.

Photo credit: ctv.ca

Crossing Howe Street, I could see various posters coming into view, hanging from a piece of rope along the perimeter of the tents. Their hand-written messages were as varied as the multi-coloured paper they were written on. While each message was unique, they all had a common theme:

Conflict.

Whether it was the need for greater love in the world or a call for action against corporate greed, the conflict between the expectations of the authors versus what society had to offer was very evident as I walked towards to centre of the encampment.

One of the first things that I noticed was the fountain. Drained of its water, I could clearly see the chunk of missing tiles broken-away from its core. It was like seeing a handsome face but with broken teeth. As my mind conjured up the imaginary circumstances that could have preceded this attack, I could hear the distinctive sound of the didgeridoo emanating from the steps of the art gallery.

The indigenous sounds mixed with rhythmic beats were fuelling a small group of revellers on the dance floor in front of me. As their bodies twirled around and around, I could see two women completely absorbed in the moment. The grins on their faces reminded me of the images that I once saw of Woodstock in a TIME-Life Magazine. The only thing that was missing were the dandelions in their hair.

As I walked around, I couldn’t help but to notice all of the people taking pictures. With their expensive-looking gear, these people seemed out of place amongst the weather-worn collection of tents, cardboard signs and dirt. I wanted to ask them why they were taking so many pictures? It made me feel as if I were at a zoo, and the occupants were nothing more than attractions - a photo opt just there for the taking.

I wanted to engage some of these residents in a dialogue to understand their motivations for participating in this encampment, but the only ones that I saw amongst the tents were a group of young people that looked like they wouldn’t be open to speaking with an “outsider” like me. Even dressed in modest clothing, I felt as if they would have viewed me as the “enemy”, as the 1%. I wish I had the courage to challenge my notions, but in the end, my own fears in addition to the damp chill won the upper-hand.

I decided to make my way towards the Pacific Centre across the street, a refuge from the cold and from the alien world that I just entered. As I left the heart of the encampment, I couldn’t help but to notice the towering symbols of opulence and material wealth that surrounded the tents. With their imposing structures looming over me, The Hotel Vancouver, The Hotel Georgia and the TD Bank Tower were vivid reminders of the fact that we live in a capitalist society that will always be comprised of the ‘haves and the have-nots”.

As I walked past the Hotel Georgia on my way to the mall, I saw a vastly different scene being played-out before me. Through the Gaussian blur of translucent curtains, I saw a dining room filled to capacity with hotel patrons engaged in various forms of conversation and consumption. Amid the glow of candlelight, a cast of handsome waiters performed their obligatory duties, fluttering around the patrons like a team of butterflies, each one helping to create a cocoon from the ugliness outside.

Photo credit: vancitybuzz.com

Walking past the front doors, I overheard the doorman expressing his views about the scene before him to a couple of hotel patrons standing nearby. The short snippets of commentary that I managed to catch indicated that he was not in favour of what he saw (Which didn’t come as much of a surprise to me given the fact that he was just “toeing the party line”).

But I wondered if he ever stopped to think about just how easy it would be for him to end up on the “wrong side” of the street.

The very same attitude that fuels our indifference towards individuals who are marginalized by society is the same attitude that we will need to rectify if there is to be any lasting change as a result of the occupy movement. The attitude that these people don’t matter to us and have no effect on our lives or the ones that we love should serve as a warning to us all that no one lives on an “island”.

Just ask anyone who has ever been victimized by crime. How easily we forget that a downturn in the economy, a bump to the head, a flick of a pen, or just simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time can land any of us on that “side of the street”.

After Monday, the tent city will be no more. A court injunction will make sure of that.

But once the clean-up is complete and the repairs have been made, will there be any lasting change as a result of Occupy Vancouver?

The need for money in order to survive will never change. And as long as we live in a capitalist society, there will always be those who possess more material wealth than others. But for those of us who are not part of that exclusive membership, we have to be willing to exercise our purchasing power in order to create any lasting, meaningful change.

After all, in a society where money "talks", it’s the only way for any of us to really be heard.

Bhangra

The Deep Fryer

ju·vie /'jo͞ovē/

Warning: Course Language.





$11, 084.75

I finally did it!

After nearly eight years of monthly payments, I finally paid-off my student loan.

And as I look back on my days as a college student, I wonder whether or not things would have turned-out differently had there not been a government student loan program made available to me? And I wonder if I would have even pursued post-secondary education had I been brought-up in a different socio-economic class?

It's a humbling experience when you realize that the decisions you make in life are actually shaped by not only the society you live in, but also by your ethnicity, your parents, and even the country you live in.

After taking a closer look, I've come to realize that attending college wasn't simply a matter of personal choice.

According to a Government of Canada report titled, Participation in Postsecondary Education: Graduates, Continuers and Drop Outs, Results from Youth In Transition Survey Cycle 4, factors such as age, gender, family structure, high school marks, geography and even race, can play a role in determining the likelihood of someone attending and completing, a post-secondary program.

The survey (conducted by Statistics Canada and HRSDC) collected information from a sample of Canadians aged 18 to 20 in 2000. They were then interviewed over a period of six years on education and employment experiences as well as on their personal characteristics and educational aspirations.

The results indicated that there are a wide variety of factors and characteristics that distinguished youth who pursued post-secondary education from those who didn't.

And one of them is age.

For as long as I can remember, I've always had an expectation that I would pursue post-secondary studies. But it wasn't until I was 25 years old, that I became a college student. Up until then, I had worked full-time supporting myself while volunteering at the local TV station. Thinking back, I don't think I would have made-it through college had I enrolled right after high school. There was too much "drama" in my life at the time, and even though I had taken courses at a local post-secondary institution, being a full-time student was the furthest thing from my mind back then.

While I was attending college, I felt like an "old man" because I grew-up with the belief that one ought to pursue post-secondary education immediately after high school. But surprisingly in the survey, the proportion of youth who participated in post-secondary education increased as they got older.

Credit: pisa.gc.ca



According to the survey, in December 1999 when the participants were 18 to 20 years old, many of them were still attending high school. 54% of the youth had already attended post-secondary education, and over the next six years, the participation rate increased steadily to reach almost 80% in December 2005.

Recalling the faces of my fellow classmates, I remember that very few of them had entered the program directly from high school. The majority had either completed a post-secondary program and decided to switch career paths or like me, had decided to gain some life experiences prior to enrolling.

Whatever the reason, it was nice to know that I wasn't the only "mature" student enrolled in the program.

While the survey doesn't go into the reasons behinds the results, it does summarize a number of interesting findings such as:

Student loans were a popular method of financing post-secondary education for students. Nearly six-out-of-ten of those with completed post-secondary education or those studying reported student loans.

And

Visible minority youth were more likely to participate in post-secondary education, especially in university.

Being a Canadian of Korean descent, I can remember as a child, my grandmother telling me constantly, "Do lots of homework! Do well in school!". Scholastic achievement is part and parcel of the Korean culture and maybe that's the reason why I've always had this expectation that I would pursue a post-secondary education.

Looking back on my decision to attend college, I can't really say that it was based on any one particular reason. The desire to pursue a career and to fulfill an important life goal were definitely key motivators behind my decision.

But if it weren't for the availability of student loans, and the fact that I was living in a large urban centre with multiple post-secondary institutions, I know that I wouldn't have been able to pursue a post-secondary education.

And so many of those experiences that I've had since my graduation, that I can tie either directly or indirectly to my post-secondary education, would have never come to pass.

A most humbling thought indeed.

Hunter/Gatherer

It's hard to imagine that in the 21st century, there are still hunter/gatherer societies that exist in the world.

Indigenous tribes that have never been in contact with "the outside world", let alone the technology, symbols, mores and folkways that govern our lives.


Photo credits: Brazil National Indian Foundation (Funai)

So when I first saw these aerial photographs on the BBC News website of an uncontacted indigenous tribe in Brazil, I was mesmerized by their stark outward appearance and their reaction towards the plane circling above them.

According to Survival International (a worldwide advocacy group for the rights of tribal people), more than half the world's 100 uncontacted tribes live in Brazil or Peru. And they're under constant treat of extinction from disease and land loss due to illegal logging and lack of immunity against viruses such as the common cold. 

Photo credits: Brazil National Indian Foundation (Funai)


With our powerful technology coupled with our never-ending demand for land, it may be inevitable that these few remaining hunter/gatherer societies will encounter members of our society.

And then what?

Proponents of integration will argue that their way of life is best left in the "stone age" and that they would be better off living in a society that can offer a higher standard of living thanks to our technological "perks".

Ethnocentrism aside, is there anything to learn from studying these technologically simple societies? What do we stand to gain from researching a society that some would consider "inferior" to our own?

According to Sociology / John J. Macionis, Linda M. Gerber. - 6th Canadian ed. hunters and gatherers spend much of their time in search of game and plants to eat. And since they are at the mercy of uncontrollable events such as storms, droughts, accidents and illnesses, everyone must work together to raise everyone's chances of survival (85).


Photo credits: Brazil National Indian Foundation (Funai)

Which means everyone's work is equally important, regardless of gender. And while men and women perform different tasks, for the most part, they view each other as equals when it comes to socioeconomic importance (85).

And given their close ties to the natural world, they may hold the knowledge in unlocking the mysteries of homeopathic medicine and perhaps the cure for many of our pathogenic challenges.

We can stand to learn a lot from these hunters and gatherers by thinking more in terms of cultural relativism instead of ethnocentrism. But regardless of the level of technology, we all rely on the resources of the earth to sustain us. And unless we take the necessary steps to nurture and preserve our natural resources, the hunters and gatherers won't be the only ones facing extinction.