Canadian’s Middle Class-Media Analysis

Canadian’s Middle Class-Media Analysis

The plight of Kyra and Kelvin can be explained from the conflict perspective. The conflict perspective views society as consisting of different groups that have competing goals. Kyra and Kelvin belong to the working class. They have to keep working to earn a living or else they become bankrupt. On one hand, Kyra and Kelvin are struggling to meet their needs. However, there are players who are also interested in attaining their needs too. These players include the creditors extending short term loans to the couple. Many creditors are extending loans to Canadians at exorbitant rates as they are seeking to make huge profits at the expense of the latter. For instance, Kyra and Kelvin took a loan from Cash Store, which had an annual interest rate of almost 590% (Robin, 2019).  As such, the couple has interests that contradict with those of the creditors, financial companies, and employers, among other entities. Besides, Robin (2019) argues that Canadians fail to understand that bank’s primary goal is to make profits. While banks want to make profits, their clients’ main goal is to afford life. The conflict many Canadians are facing as a result of their financial struggles is exposing them to a myriad of challenges. According to Robin (2019), a study conducted in the United Kingdom revealed that a greater debt load is linked to an increased prevalence of anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues. Some of the persons reported by the article under review suffer from mental health conditions, such as panic attacks and depression.

On the other hand, the symbolic interactionist perspective argues that human behavior is shaped by meanings and definitions that are created and maintained through the interactions between individuals. A study conducted by Citizens Relations Canada revealed that 64% of those who were polled acknowledged that they feel envy and disappointments when they learn of other persons’ successes while 56% of individuals aged 18-30 years feel pressurized to “live large” if they want to keep up with their social networking sites peers (Robin, 2019). The results of this study revealed the extent to which people find the meaning of their lives from those they interact with. For instance, people aged between 19-30 years are forced to engage in spending sprees in a bid to be like their friends. These persons are forced to think that the behavior exhibited by their online peers is the right one for persons of their age. From the study by Citizens Relations Canada, people aged between 18-30 years talk about desiring to “Live large.”

This is a label for extravagance.  Looking glass self involves a person being concerned with how other persons think about him or her. People imagine the judgment that will be passed to them by others. They use these judgments to develop their sense of self. According to Robin (2019), the middle-class has become more of a state of mind as opposed to a demographic bracket. This means that many Canadians are not objectively assessing their financial status before making certain decisions such as buying a house, car, or going into a vacation.

Besides, Canadians are slowly adopting a culture of poverty. This is a way of life that emphasizes living for the moment as opposed to investing in the future. According to Alex Levine, who is a senior strategist, Canadians have a habit of buying tablets, smartphones, designer water bottles, laptops, after-school tutors, cottage retreats, summer camps, and organic fruits and vegetables (Robin, 2019). These items do not add any significant value to one’s life. However, they have symbolic meanings. They serve to divide people into different social classes. Culture comprises sets of traditions, symbols and rules that shape people’s behavior, feelings, and thought. Despite many Canadians being in debt and having to work more, they still afford to say, “I deserve a vacation” or “I deserve a nicer home.” This is because vacation and homes have symbolic values. They are symbols of prosperity.

In sociology, language is not only a tool of communication. Instead, it also shapes and structures people’s experiences of the world. In the advertising world, language is used to entice people into exhibiting certain behaviors. For instance, Robin (2019) talks about a long-standing slogan by Scotiabank, which states, “You’re richer than you think.” This message is aimed at triggering the audiences to exhibit a certain behavior, such as engage in spreading sprees. Through such slogans, Canadians have adopted a new perceptive towards debts where they see it as something desirable. People accord subjective meanings to objects, behaviors, and events. Instead of objectively assessing their situations, many Canadians end up taking more loans than they can handle as they seek to have the kind of lives they think they deserve based on the messages they are getting from financial institutions and other creditors and their peers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

Robin, R. (2019). Canada’s middle class is on the brink of ruin. Retrieved from https://thewalrus.ca/canadas-middle-class-is-on-the-brink-of-ruin/?src=longreads