Class and Social Standing

Minimum wage is the lowest wage an employer legally has to pay an employee; a living wage is less precisely defined and is highly contingent on outside factors, including the cost of living in a particular area. The MIT Living Wage Calculator is one well-known method for understanding an area’s living wage. The term can be used in direct quotes, but it can also be helpful to note that there is no universal living wage and that it is highly contingent on cost of living factors in different areas.

Low-skilled labor is associated with a lack of specialized training or educational attainment, requiring only a minimal skill set. The term “manual labor” is also used; some government departments and organizations refer to unskilled work or unskilled labor, though clarifying the criteria is helpful.

Manufactured home can refer to a factory-constructed home transported to a home site. Modular homes are governed by state guidelines and are more likely to be transportable between locations. Mobile homes refer to constructions made prior to changes in federal construction codes from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, when the agency adopted the term “manufactured home” for any new movable housing. “Manufactured home” may carry less negative connotations than something like “trailer,” which may reinforce classist stereotypes. Similarly, when it comes to areas where numerous homes are located, using “mobile home encampment” or “park” is an alternative to the historically negative catchall “trailer park.”

A neighborhood refers to a localized district or section within a town, city, rural, or suburban area. Being specific about the demographics of a neighborhood can be helpful to avoid outdated or stereotypical ideas about neighborhoods’ demographics. In addition, being specific about a neighborhood’s location and the mean income level of residents can be useful in conversations about topics like gentrification. Historically racist connotations around terms like “hood” or “ghetto” may make them fraught to use outside of direct quotations. If including, some context of their loaded history is helpful for clarity.

NIMBY is an acronym (“not in my backyard”) for an individual known for opposition to local development, often housing development but also other projects such as renewable energy, while generally supporting such measures in the abstract. When discussing NIMBYism, it’s helpful to specify the policies in question and the influence racism and classism may have in objections to those policies.

Avoid stereotyping who may have this type of lifestyle; while some may be unhoused or houseless, it also became popular among a subset of Silicon Valley tech workers. It also may be useful to note the risks associated with travel and living outside of a “standard home,” particularly for people of color, women, and LGBTQ+ individuals who are more likely to have their presence questioned when, for example, sleeping in parking lots or gas stations.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines obesity as “a common, serious, and costly chronic disease of adults and children” characterized by the presence of excess weight, as defined by the body mass index standard and the presence of excess fat. The BMI dates to nearly 200-year-old investigations into the height and weight of “average” European men, and groups of scientists have sought in recent years to revise its cut-points for health risks to account for racial and sex variations. Some researchers have suggested moving away from using BMI as a measurement altogether. People who carry extra weight experience pervasive stigmatization and discrimination, and negative bias toward obese people has only increased as their numbers have. The blame and shame directed at those with obesity acts to undermine their health care and workforce opportunities, and further compounds the negative health effects of the weight itself. If necessary to discuss body size or weight in coverage, it’s important to be clear about how obesity is being defined, and to recognize the differing societal expectations and implications of body size based on factors like race, gender, and socioeconomic status.

“Old money” refers to established and inherited wealth, generally spanning generations. “New money” (or nouveau riche) refers to money gained during one’s own generation. Both are colloquial terms and benefit from explanation/interrogation.

Older adults may be a preferable term over “elderly” or “aging,” as not all those who could be described that way may identify with those terms. Specifying ages or ranges is clearer than more euphemistic terms like “aging,” “elder,” and “senior” or “senior citizen.”