Comments on: Thoughts On Quakers & Class — Part II

By: A Young Quaker

A Young Quaker — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 07:23:56 +0000

I am the product of a certain amount of privilege, and a hell of a lot of luck. I have a disability, I am the survivor of sexual assault, I have had multiple surgeries in my life. You can base everything on class and race and come up very short on anything close to an answer about a person.

By: Marena Groll

Marena Groll — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 20:14:49 +0000

Ruh roh. I’m leaning with Liz on the general I bent as I see it. It seems like a good thing to examine classism and push back however we can. Even just talking about how our own institutions struggle with it. Reminds me of the story about the man commanded by God to push against a boulder that was in a garden taking about prime planting space. After faithfully pushing for several weeks, an hour daily, the boulder hadn’t budged. He complained to the Lord who said - “I didn’t ask YOU to move it, I asked you to push. Others see your witness to obeying my commands. Let ME deal with the boulder in my time.”

By word and deed you are far from elitist all though you do fall into the traditional category as a more empowered member of socierty via your white male status. I also hold a marker as a citizen who was able to receive higher education.

By: Liz Opp

Liz Opp — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 22:37:00 +0000

Chuck, please look for an email from me. Young Quaker, What I am doing is learning about my own internalized classism, about social class differences, and about how those differences impact our institutions as well as the different social class groups. Blessings, Liz Opp, The Good Raised Up

By: A Young Quaker

A Young Quaker — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 22:14:32 +0000

So what is the alternative does Liz offer? From what I read of her initial comment, none. I didn’t read any alternative. More scholarships might be a start, but let’s face it, there will always be poor and there will always be rich and there will always be people in between. The best thing we can do is create space that welcomes everyone and pursue actions that assist those without means in attaining education, job skills or what-have-you.
I do think it is the duty of those who have to empower those who do not, and to support efforts to lift the poor up through education and job training and financial support (WIC, Welfare, etc). What I cannot do is be a martyr simply because of my social class.