Supernatural and the Underclass pt 4

[laespada]

Supernatural and Underclass 4- War

Part 1- Intro
Part 2- Dangers of Underclass
Part 3- Music

Supernatural, the Underclass, and War

Before I begin, I'm going to say something. As of now, most of the readers of this meta know  about my own socio-economic background. I'll divulge a little something else now: I'm also  one of the underclass heading into

Comments

[dayadhvam_triad]

... my god, I can't believe the commenter assumed it was because of obesity! jfc. BECAUSE THEY STOPPED EXERCISING??? Exercise is a freaking luxury if you've the time to go running or go to the gym.

This hits home, kind of. My roommate is from AR and she's mentioned to me before about how quite a few of her classmates and friends went into the military. I lived in AR for almost half my life (elementary into high school) and people I know went into the military too, or are single mothers. The place where I lived wasn't rural, but you could drive out a ways and you'd hit farm country. Now that I'm at college, which is predominantly lower-upper middle-class or upper-class, I'm not sure how many people really think about that class division. .__.

[laespada]

Yes. This is the kind of ignorance surrounding the working and underclasses by the higher classes. Like not bathing because you're lazy or stupid (rather than not having access to water, which yeah, does happen even here in the US. Getting your water from a well isn't unheard of here.)

Yeah, the lower southern states are pretty high on the list of where our enlisted guys come from. There's a huge military supporting culture down there.

Hey! Ask them! :D Be like, hey gaiz, you ever seen this show? What do you think about them being impoverished, smelly, and hungry? :D :D

[bowtrunckle]

This is a seriously impressive series of meta. IMHO, it's been a while since something so provocative and fresh has popped up on fandom's radar (it's 2am and up reading meta). Thanks so much for taking the time to write this. I'd try to contribute some insight into the discussion but I've lost my meta vibe and my brain is MIA.

All the best in the Army. And I mean that in the most sincerest of ways. :)

[laespada]

Thank you so much! I'm always really relieved that this is as informative that I hoped it would be, instead of seeming like an angry rant from a poor person, heh. It was really very cathartic to write, to be able to convey all of this stuff that I have knocking around inside my head that is so relevant to the show. I'm really glad it's been interesting.

I love discourse, so even if it's a totally random thought or observation, throw it out there, man. Go for it. :D

And thank you for the well wishes, it really does mean a lot to me that people care.

[ju4jen]

Reading this just makes me think of Dean's incredibly heart felt "Oh God Yes" when asked if he had ever gone hungry in the Ruguru episode.

The situation is similar here - the military is where those who come from backgrounds find some hope of getting out and making something of themselves. What made me really angry once was reading a newspaper story about the army deliberately setting up recruitment centres in areas with particular soci0-economic distress (this is in Britain).

But its true about the working class being tougher (connecting with your dicussion a couple of meta ago.) I am a boss now and I can see the patterns in the amount of sick leave people take. INvariably those members of staff coming from a lower class take less sick leave than those of middle class or above. It's not quite the same as the military (its a school) and no-one is putting themselves in danger to protect what they believe in, but it is just another example...

I wish you all the best in the military.

Ju

[laespada]

Hm, I missed that episode. I'll definitely have to hunt it down.

Yeah, a lot of the times it is indeed people trying to find a way out. However, there's also a very strong respect for the military as an institution, whether blindly or not, in the lower classes. It's part of being a volunteer army, and I guess America is lucky to have such a huge and willing portion of the populace willing to step up.

I'm glad to see that it translates to many different areas of life, and can still be seen and understood. And I'm glad that I managed to help make a few links for you!

Thanks, also!

[audreyava]

I just have to reiterate how incredibly well-written this series is. Like you wrote, it is shaped from a series of personal experiences as much as it is from the show and that is what I think makes this stand out. And specifically with this piece, the underclass does form a huge portion of the military in most countries, I would assume. In India, even the law enforcement officers as well as the soldiers hail from what we term as the lower-middle classes. (What you've termed underclass is what we tend to call lower-middle class.) And your reasoning behind that is just very well thought-out; there are villages in India where every single man is in the military, mainly because farming is not even an option and the army provides some measure of stability and employment. I wonder if apart from the reasons you mentioned, the stability offered by this kind of employment, however tenuous or difficult it may be, is also a factor.

[randomstasis]

most insightful..*nods*
there you go again.. and lj ate my comment again!
Hey, I'd like to friend you so I'll quit missing these, if that's ok?

[laespada]

Oh no! Did you have a comment for this piece? I would have loved to see it, since the comments are what drives my meta. I'm in a bit of a slump, so getting some discussion would perk up my meta appetite. I mean, I've done something like 18 pages of the stuff, so I'm a little burnt out.

Also I have this section going more in depth to the cars section, if you're interested.

http://laespada.livejournal.com/3110.html