Status Crazy!

Social groupings can be formed and seen by others through the most common of human activities and ways of life: Clothing, education, pastimes and even alcohol consumption. And while it is considered that we achieve status through work, it is true that we are ascribed, or given, our status.
While we may not see ourselves as judgemental, it is true that we often are. You can feel yourself stereotyping among your peers; the people who left school in 4th year or the people who stayed on to do advanced highers or baccalaureates, the people who are planning on going to university or the people who you can find lying on street corners with a bottle of buckfast in hand. Without even meeting the people in these outlined educational groups, you form an opinon. We see these stereotypes because that is what we assume is their status.
Although we, in our "higher" opinion, may assume that these are achieved statuses, and in fact it is "their fault that they never stuck in at school to achieve the same grades that we did", in actual fact, it is ascribed. You can see it from their upbringings. Their parents are working class, deemeed somewhat inferior by their peers, so their children struggle to break the mould. And while there is the odd case of someone from a lower social grouping achieving great success, these cases are few in number.
One young person may struggle to fit in with higher classes due to health or disposable income, and it affects their social stance. Housing is also a factor in this. If someone lives in a poor environment outside of school, the chances that they become accustomed to this environment and pick up on the ways of life entangled in it are vast. A success in this kind of area may be deemed unsuccesful in other classes.

For me, the ascribed status is that I will stay on at school to achieve highers and advanced highers, as I am attempting to do in order to go to university, as my mother, father and older brother all done so. And while my parents have given me this status, they did not have the same option, as my father came from a rough area in Glasgow where the ascribed status would be much lower than he achieved. For me, the ascribed status is quite high in comparison to other areas in my town, and it is because there is contrast and I can see both sides of the spectrum, it is easy to see where problems arise and where I am better off.

However, what the lower classes achieve may be much higher than what is expected from them, and it is always a good thing to hear when someone breaks the mould and achieves more than would be expected from them.

All in all, the 'norm' is what is expected and sets the bar. It can be a huge help and can make people fit in to their surroundings, or it can be a burden to people, but it is always good to see when it hinders someone as they achieve more than is expected.