A Very Curious Potato Chip

            In America we seem to have this elusive idea of meritocracy and that anyone and everyone can pull themselves up by their bootstraps and become something in this world. This always seems to become more of an ideal stance because we will never be able to break away from our social class system. As Jurafsky and Freedman have pointed out, we have already developed different identities in the classes.

            Some of the research that Jurafsky and Freedman have found is that different brands of potato chips are already class specific in their identities. The lower socioeconomic classes are more focused on their identity of tradition and history, while the higher socioeconomic class is focused on things that are natural and have been processed correctly. Also, educational status is shown on the bags because higher, more complicated words are placed on the more expensive bags, while the inexpensive bags have less complicated words.

            The findings by these two researchers are very interesting because they have used their findings in order to classify food to different classes. The more expensive food will always be found with the wealthy and the inexpensive with the lower class. These findings can be spread to language that is spoken and how everything is annunciated in upper classes, and are shortened in lower classes. It can be used with social aspects and how different people act with each other with people in their class. It can also be used when people interact with people from different classes.

            I think that this study is really interesting. I have always been someone that prides myself on being a foodie and can appreciate good food. This also means that I have had more of the upper class upbringing because, while I will eat almost anything, I am very conscious of what I eat. I think a study like this could be used to try and expose people from each of the classes to a different class then their own and try new things. It can help to make people food conscious and be able to identify with who they are.