1. Theme 2 - Fashion & Social Class
1.1. This theme is meaningful to me and my everyday life because I like fashion and I consider myself to be in the a working/medium social class.
1.2. This theme connects to my chosen cultural object, because the fashion industry uses "expensive taste" and usually fashion icons are part of the higher social class.
1.3. These three parts of the set readings help me connect money to both my own life and the work of Griswold because money is considered to be a cultural object in the Griswold reading as he argues that objects only become cultural when they become public. It also links back to my own life because in order to be considered part of a working class is to have a job and earn my own income and also in order for me to be part of the fashion world I need to have expensive taste.
1.3.1. Part 1: money can allow you to gain power in society
1.3.1.1. McGregor quotes "to educate children of upper class and upper middle class parents to take up careers of power and influence in the society"(McGregor, 2001).
1.3.2. Part 2: Higher class people often have more expensive taste.
1.3.2.1. Ting, Liu, Scott, and Palmer quote “The strongest drivers in taste are occupation and education" (Ting, Liu, Scott, & Palmer, 2018).
1.3.3. Part. 3: The cycle of advantage
1.3.3.1. Ting, Liu, Scott and Palmer quote "people from upper and middle-class backgrounds, who are rich in cultural capital, are more likely to go university" (Ting, Liu, Scott, & Palmer, 2018).
2. The connection between money and the Griswold reading is that cultural objects are expressed throughout the reading and explained how they become cultural objects.
2.1. Money is important to me because it allows me to access resources needed in my everyday life.
2.2. Money is considered to be a cultural object in the Griswold reading as he argues that objects only become cultural when they become public.
2.2.1. Griswold states “Only when such objects become public, when they enter the circuit of human discourse, do they enter the culture and become cultural objects” (Griswold, 2013), meaning only when an object becomes meaningful or useful to humans, is when it becomes a cultural object. Hence, meaning money is a cultural object, as it is highly useful to humans.
2.3. Money is connected to everyday life in the context of culture as it can be seen as a ‘socially meaningful expression’ of culture, in the context of everyday life, which is mainly expressed in the Griswold reading. This is highly important and beneficial in everyday life.
2.3.1. "Culture refers to the expressive side of human life—in other words, to behavior, objects, and ideas that appear to express, or to stand for, something else" (Griswold, 2013).
3. Theme 1 - Careers & Everyday work
3.1. This theme is meaningful to me and my everyday life because I am currently a full time student waiting to finish my degree so that I can get a career and everyday work.
3.2. This theme connects to my chosen cultural object, money because people get careers and everyday work
3.3. These three parts of the set readings help me connect money to both my own life and the work of Griswold as money is considered to be an object that is public and is used in our everyday life which links to the Griswold reading as he argues objects only become cultural when they become public. This connects to me because in order for me to have a stable income and earn money I need to work everyday in a career.
3.3.1. Part 1: What is work?
3.3.1.1. Noble quotes "gaining income is the central feature of the world of work" (Noble, 2003).
3.3.2. Part 2: People often work too much in order to gain wealth.
3.3.2.1. Trincas and Fox quote "to work long hours is almost a badge of honour in a society that reveres achievement and success" (Trincas & Fox, 2004).
3.3.3. Part 3: Money is a key factor in helping one survive.
3.3.3.1. Trincas and Fox quote "forced to reach quotas of 'billable hours' everyday if they want to survive and succeed"(Trincas & Fox, 2004).