In the beginning of this course, my initial definition of class was merely based on social status and wealth, however, after reading the course material and listening to my peers my definition has greatly changed. I now understand how the concept of class is greatly affected by the intersectionalities between so many more aspects beyond wealth/money. Growing up in Singapore, I felt as though I was in a bubble. I was surrounded by people of similar social status to me, and the international school I attended had little to none racial discrimination.
After moving to the United States for college last semester, I have witnessed the significations of class far more than I did in Singapore. I see how people are getting treated differently due to gender, religion, and so on, but something that stood out to me, in particular, was their skin colors. Following the shootings in Atlanta last week, which were targeted towards Asians, I now view my own identity differently. Being Asian, I now feel a sense of vulnerability and inferiority to males and whites, which is the demographic of the shooter. Another way in which I have become more aware of class in my personal life more recently is in the academic field. As a business major who intends to pursue finance in the future, I have noticed that the classes I take are filled with predominantly males, much like many of the well-known finance firms I hope to someday work in. This impacts my own identity and my view of class as I question my academic abilities because I am part of the minority, and second-guess my abilities to become successful in the finance sector in the future purely based on my own gender. Only recently have I realized that my gender and race could have such a strong impact on how I view my class and identity in comparison to the social world.