Hidden Rules Among Classes

I thought this clip of "hidden rules among classes," posted by the Deseret News was really interesting. Just something to think about; something to be said about the simplicity of life. One of the greatest lesson I've learned in life, from my travels to developing countries. I remember sitting in a remote village in Ghana, after a day of Malaria testing, watching three girls that were about 15-17 years old. I remember thinking how simple their lives appeared to be, compared to what I pictured any teen of about the same age back home, in the US. These girls weren't worried about what car they got to drive when they turned 16; they weren't worried about make up, nail polish, their luscious locks of bleached-out hair; they sat in a circle playing a game, snickering at every young teenage boy that walked by. You could see their happiness radiating in their smiles and eyes. It was beautiful; honestly. I envied them as I sat and watched them. They really knew what life was about...family, friends, and finding happiness in such simple things. The "Poverty" rules here have such a great perspective, in my opinion! Yes, there are rules that are under each class that I like and dislike, thinking of myself personally. However, I think this chart is quite accurate in a lot of ways...makes me think that sometimes we, majority of which are middle to wealthy-classed people, have a skewed perspective. I don't know. Just something to think about, right?

	POVERTY	MIDDLE CLASS	WEALTH
POSSESSIONS	People.	Things.	One-of -a-kind objects, legacies, pedigrees.
MONEY	To be used, spent.	To be managed.	To be conserved, invested.
PERSONALITY	Is for entertainment. Sense of humor is highly valued.	Is for acquisition and stability. Achievement is highly valued.	Is for connections. Financial, political, social connections are highly valued.
SOCIAL EMPHASIS	Social inclusion of people he/she likes.	Emphasis is on self-governance and self-sufficiency.	Emphasis is on social exclusion.
FOOD	Key question: Did you have enough? Quantity important.	Key question: Did you like it? Quality Important.	Key question: Was it presented well? Presentation important.
CLOTHING	Clothing valued for individual style and expression of personality.	Clothing valued for its quality and acceptance into norm of middle class. Label important.	Clothing valued for its artistic sense and expression. Designer important.
TIME	Present most important. Decisions made for moment based on feelings or survival.	Future most important. Decisions made against future ramifications;	Traditions and history, most important. Decisions mode partially on basis of tradition and decorum.
EDUCATION	Valued and revered as abstract but not as reality.	Crucial for climbing success ladder and making money.	Necessary tradition for making and maintaining connections.
DESTINY	Believes in fate. Cannot do much to mitigate chance.	Believes in choice. Can change future with good choices now.	Noblesse oblige.
LANGUAGE	Casual register. Language is about survival.	Formal register. Language is about negotiation.	Formal register. Language is about networking.
FAMILY STRUCTURE	Tends to be matriarchal.	Tends to be patriarchal.	Depends on who has money.
WORLD VIEW	Sees world in terms of local setting	Sees world in terms of notional setting.	Sees world in terms of international view.
LOVE	Love and acceptance conditional based upon whether individual is liked.	Love and acceptance conditional and based largely upon achievement.	Love and acceptance conditional and related to social standing and connections.
DRIVING FORCES	Survival, relationships, entertainment.	Work, achievement.	Financial, political, social connections.
HUMOR	About people and sex.	About situations.	About social faux pas.

Source: Ruby Payne