The “Wallpaper” of Middle-Class Distresses

I’ve noticed some unaware middle-class distress being rehearsed unchallenged in RC. This makes it harder for others to take up space and be at the center of our project. I’ve seen people of many class backgrounds rehearse it, which makes me think that people can pick up middle-class material even if they weren’t raised (or don’t feel) middle class.

Here’s what I’ve noticed, in both myself and others:

  • Looking uncomfortable around and being less able to think about someone who doesn’t assimilate easily or rehearses the “wrong” kind of distress
  • Referring to RC achievements (having titles, taking leadership, and so on) with a tone that implies that they confer status
  • Stating opinions as if there’s a need to defend them—as some of us have been trained to do in school—even if broad agreement has already been established; (as a counter example, I remember a working-class woman making a proposal without any combativeness or tone implying that if we didn’t follow it, we were wrong—just stating her position and letting others do the same)
  • Parents eagerly sharing stories of their children saying the “right” RC things or doing the “right” RC activities, while other parents keep quiet or leave the conversation
  • People being openly pleased with parents whose children are taking leadership or progressing in RC in the “right” way, and being harsh with or judgmental about parents whose children are not doing this

I am not suggesting that we never talk about our RC leadership, state our opinions, or be openly pleased with ourselves or each other. However, when the above patterns dominate, some people, especially People of the Global Majority and raised-poor and working-class people, get pushed to the edges.

I suspect that these patterns are part of the “wallpaper” in our minds that we don’t notice and so we don’t think to work on. Or perhaps many of us don’t “feel” middle class so we don’t work on middle-class material.

Leslie Kausch

Greensboro, North Carolina, USA

Reprinted from the e-mail discussion list for RC Community members

(Present Time 192, July 2018)

Last modified: 2022-12-25 10:17:04+00