1 of 20

Write now Article Tools

With regards to society, from a certain, completely logical point of view, class is everything. I developed this perspective after ten months of being homeless. I lived on the streets and in shelters, trying all the while to work my way out of the situation. This situation was a sharp contrast to all the childhood memories of my middle class father's house. And it made stark the reality that people can be pretty scummy, and that class, a cement byproduct of materialism, was a tool use for repression almost haphazardly.

During that stint homeless I though of the idea for a screenplay called Class. Don't worry, I won't ever release anything by such a title, but the point is that once I thought up the idea I was getting new scene ideas everyday. How much these things get through to you is of course entirely subjective. I do not expect any upper class citizens to be reading this and feeling the epiphany, but that is just the way it is. Let me give you a quick example of a scene that really happened. In fact to be honest with you examples are in my eyes the best and only way to truly illustrate the phenomenon.

I remember a time when a friend and I were sitting on a park bench next to the downtown library. Another friend comes up with a few beers in the mandatory paper sack, stops and does the audacious move of urinating on a tree, and gets arrested for it. My friend stared at those beer cans for about ten minutes after they hauled him off. "How could homeless people let cold beer go to waste?" he asked. Then he got the cans. Drank his quickly and left. I sat with mine, thinking. Not really much of a drinker, but I finally decided to go ahead and do it. The moment I popped the top the cop rushed me.

He literally drove into the middle of the park, onto the grass, to catch me taking that first sip. Arrested me and told me of how he had expected we would take the beer. Told me how he had told my friend he was going to circle back around and get us, how my friend thought we would be gone by then. Then he mentioned how he was ratcheting up his arrests of homeless people "because they are building some new condominiums in town and we need the money."

I remember going to my aunt's house on the rich side of town once I got out and noticing a lady walking her dog. She stopped it near me and it urinated on a tree, a cop car right next to them. and I had to think, why are dogs allowed to urinate in public but not humans?

One thing I really noticed while in this transitional period

• 1
• 2
• 3
• next page >>

Add your voice

Know something about Perspective on class in modern society?
We want to hear your view. Write now!