Book Review: Fussell on Class

I read this book on assignment in a college interpersonal communications class as part of an engineering undergrad curriculum in the late 90s. It really blew my mind as someone who came from a solidly working class background from a tiny, rural town and was for the first time immersed in a world of people whose parents went to college or were academics or were my age but already had money. The fact that class wasn’t just about money but also about privilege, expectations, ability & willingness to take chances, but also anxiety and fear and insecurities really resonated with me. I started to see the world in a different way and to a large extent was able to empathize (both for non-self-interest as well as for my own practical code-switching reasons which I was able to subtly incorporate into my interactions). Today, there is a bit of friction at times between my family and I because of how I view art or food or many other aspects of daily living (as well as what things I consider _part_ of daily living). I’ve never felt that it’s because I was trying to put on any airs or be anything other than myself, but I sense a distinct class conflict in a variety of areas of my life and I think a college education at a diverse school, and in no small part this book, are a lot of the reason. Perhaps the biggest impact was to think earlier in my life about what I actually wanted out of life, instead of assuming that college was a way to “level up” my income, and to not fall into a trap of thinking that money == class ascendancy == problems going away.

i had that eye-opening experience in college around class and privilege, but i came away thinking it shallow and boring. i guess that puts me in fussell's class x, whatever that is.

i didn't read the book or read scott's article (because his writing tends to be affliatively biased, ironically similar to the middle class signaling fussell critiques). but based on some quick reviews/summaries found via search, the simplest critique of fussell is that he's trying to will his class system into being, attracting acolytes through its writing so as to coalesce sociopolitical power for himself. in short, it's self-serving and that makes it unlikely to be enlighteningly representative. people are constantly trying to segregate and one-up each other (around things like taste, a primary marker of class for fussell), and a static class system like his is just not flexible or fluid enough to represent a highly chaotic and idiosyncratic dynamic.

we have entirely too much of this kind of bullshit to wade through already, obscuring and dispersing the entirely-too-few real pearls of wisdom. sure, it can provide fodder for further, genuine consideration, but that seems to be largely eclipsed for most by identitarian cheering/booing.

I've been meaning to reread it for a long time — I'm curious how it will appeal to me now and what weaknesses I will find. I will also admit to, at that age when I first read it, not being a very good critical thinker.