Editing Class discrimination (section)

== Media representation ==
Class discrimination can be seen in many different forms of media such as television shows, films and social media.

Classism is also systemic,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Gamble |first1=Matt |title=Classism: America's Overlooked Problem |url=https://www.therutgersreview.com/2018/02/10/classism-americas-overlooked-problem/ |website=The Rutgers Review |date=10 February 2018 |access-date=21 March 2019}}</ref> and its implications can go unnoticed in the media that is consumed by society. Class discrimination in the media displays the knowledge of what people feel and think about classism. When seeing class discrimination in films and television shows, people are influenced and believe that is how things are in real life, for whatever class is being displayed. Children can be exposed to class discrimination through movies, with a large pool of high-grossing G-rated movies portraying classism in various contexts.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Streib |first1=Jessi |title=Class Inequality in Children's Movies |url=https://classism.org/class-inequality-in-childrens-movies/ |website=Class Action |date=18 April 2016 |access-date=21 March 2019 |archive-date=21 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190321213408/https://classism.org/class-inequality-in-childrens-movies/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> Children may develop biases at a young age that shape their beliefs throughout their lifetime, which would demonstrate the issues with class discrimination being prevalent in the media.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Suttie |first1=Jill |title=How Adults Communicate Bias to Children |url=https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_adults_communicate_bias_to_children |access-date=21 March 2019}}</ref>

Media has a big influence on the world today, with that something such as classism is can be seen in many different lights. Media plays an important role in how certain groups of people are perceived, which can make certain biases stronger.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Burke |first1=Krista |title=Media Portrayal of Individuals in the Lower Class |url=https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=1162&context=comssp |website=Digital Commons |access-date=21 March 2019}}</ref> Usually, the lower income people are displayed in the media as dirty, lacking education and manners, and homeless.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://web.stanford.edu/class/e297c/poverty_prejudice/mediarace/portrayal.htm|title=Portrayal of Minorities in the Film, Media and Entertainment Industries|website=web.stanford.edu|access-date=18 March 2018|archive-date=13 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191213084511/https://web.stanford.edu/class/e297c/poverty_prejudice/mediarace/portrayal.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> People can use the media to learn more about different social classes<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.criticalmediaproject.org/cml/topicbackground/race-ethnicity/|title=Race & Ethnicity|website=criticalmediaproject.org|access-date=18 March 2018}}</ref> or to influence others on what they believe, through social media.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://blogs.harvard.edu/andresmh/2013/04/classism-accountability-and-social-media/|title=Classism, Accountability, and Social Media|website=blogs.harvard.edu|access-date=18 March 2018}}</ref> In some cases, people who are in a social class that is portrayed negatively by the media are affected in school and social life since "teenagers who grew up in poverty reported higher levels of discrimination, and the poorer the teens were, the more they experienced discrimination".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.med.wisc.edu/news-events/social-class-discrimination-contributes-to-poorer-health/38020|title=Social-class discrimination contributes to poorer health|website=wisc.edu|access-date=18 March 2018}}</ref>

However, within media analysis, class as a specific variable is often less emphasized than race or gender.<ref name=":4">{{Cite journal |last=Moller |first=S. |date=2008-03-01 |title=Framing Class: Media Representations of Wealth and Poverty in America By Diana Kendall Rowman &amp; Littlefield, 2005. 288 pages. $75 (cloth), $24.95 (paper) |url=https://doi.org/10.1353/sof.0.0016 |journal=Social Forces |volume=86 |issue=3 |pages=1347–1349 |doi=10.1353/sof.0.0016 |issn=0037-7732}}</ref> Media itself frequently lacks clear definitions for class categories, sometimes conflating the working class with the broader middle class.<ref name=":4" /> Complex issues pertinent to the working class tend to be underreported unless linked to specific news beats like crime or major crises.<ref name=":4" /> The poor often experience "benign neglect" in media, frequently being represented as impersonal statistics rather than individuals.<ref name=":4" /> When depicted individually, portrayals can be negative, emphasizing stereotypes related to deviance (alcoholism, drug abuse, crime, mental illness) or dependency, often without addressing underlying structural issues. More sympathetic framing tends to be reserved for specific demographics (children, elderly, physically ill) or situations (holidays, disasters).<ref name=":4" /> Research cited indicates a tendency to overrepresent African Americans in negative poverty narratives.<ref name=":4" />

When not ignored, the working class is often subjected to stereotypical and caricatured representations.<ref name=":4" /> Common tropes include the working-class man as a buffoon (incompetent, immature, needing guidance from a more sensible wife) or a bigot, prevalent in many television sitcoms (e.g., The Honeymooners, All in the Family, The Simpsons).<ref name=":4" /> Derogatory labels associated with lower-class status, such as "white trash," are sometimes used or amplified by media coverage.<ref name=":4" /> Working-class women might be depicted as lacking refinement or violating middle-class standards of femininity.<ref name=":4" />