I have several interviews which share similar aspects of work and key terms but my interests are quite general. I'm going to post some notes of my interests and my reflections on the interviews..
inequality in relation to emotions and appearance and it's influence on class in work environments
or
class in relation to inequality of emotions and appearance in work environments
?
For this essay I am mostly interested in writing about social status, culture in work environments/ethics, and gender. Now this does not mean I'm going to focus on a topic directly related to class, but more of an elaboration on our culture/society as these come into play, such as what is acceptable or not in different work environments and why. This relates back to social status due to the influence of bourgeois ideals or the "higher" class and the restrictions placed on mostly women, although men have restrictions as well; both physical appearance & emotions are represented. With emotions I can speak a bit about emotional labor and the variation of it and how it relates to our social status.
I am heavily interested in the interview with Roberta Victor, the prostitute, who brings up many issues as well as the idea of "reverse status", which I would want to relate back to my interests of gender, work environments and class. I am mostly interested in this interview due to the fact that it is demonized by society yet traditional work environments inhabit just as much inequality and abuse (emotional and gender issues mostly).
I'm also interested in the interview with Dolores Dante whose wise elaboration on her condition (work, work environment, boss & customers) also represent these issues i'm interested in. She seems also to have her own version of class, related to the "reverse status" hookers have in prison, where she questions the notion that her position is that of low ability and status. She uses the example of housework being demeaning to housewives and their hiring of others to do the demeaning work for them. This is quite spectacular of an analyzation because cleaning today is actually a form of low class. This aspect of it being symbolic of low class and therefore demeaning is ultimately an influence of class and what I want to touch upon in my essay. This is because of the idea that a form of class exists in work environments causing certain work ethics. What is seen as being a "higher"form of class because of a certain amount of education or skills and the work environments for these people compared to the work environments of those who work in jobs which are seen as demeaning (prostitute, waitress, housecleaner).
Perhaps,
Does a form of class exist in work environments and what affect does it have on work ethics/ideals?
Due to my general ideas I currently do not have any solid research question so any help or clarification on the essay would be great.
Also, do I have to use an interview from the archives? I want to make sure since none truly stand out to me as being what I am looking for in my third essay.
Johanny - These are great reflections. The question of why prostitution is looked down upon is a fascinating - is this work inherently more alienation than any other kind, or is it only this way because we stigmatize the work? And I agree that Delores has something very interesting to say about a different way of looking at her work - does 'serving' have to be demeaning? We like being served, so why not see the person whose doing it as doing something noble?
ReplyDeleteAs for your questions: I think you could bring these interests together with something like: How do gender roles and social class intersect in creating the status we assign to certain jobs?
And no, the archives are one option. As long as you use a combination of course texts and texts you either find (option 2) or create (option 1), you're good.