‘œMoney is related to class only in the minds of people who have too much of the former, too little of the latter or none of either.’ ‘“ Doug Robarchek

A couple of week’s ago, the New York Times published an article about the survivors of the notorious nightclub fire in Rhode Island that took the lives of 100 people. It records how they feel forgotten:

At first, all kinds of help poured in for the roughly 200 injured survivors and families of 100 others who died in the disaster, one of the worst nightclub fires in the nation’s history. But that help has all but disappeared, even though many of the injured face more surgeries, cannot resume full-time work, and struggle to afford heating oil and other basics.

Why has the help disappeared? Some argue it has to do with class:

Many believe the circumstances of their misfortune ‘” that they were blue-collar folks gathered in a scruffy club to hear Great White, a has-been ‘œhair metal’ band from the ’80s ‘” also help explain the lack of interest. The fire ignited when the band’s tour manager lit pyrotechnics on a small stage surrounded by highly flammable foam used as soundproofing.

‘œWe were waitresses, house painters, contractors, strippers,’ said Victoria Eagan, who escaped the fire with minor injuries but whose two best friends were badly burned. ‘œIf it had been people at the opera that night, there would have been a big difference.’

Class is a complex topic. Paula previously covered the subject by exploring the assumptions people have in determining who is or is not lower class or upper class or in between. In her post, she notes the Class Matters series from The New York Times last year. Paula concludes:

What is very clear from the reader profiles and forums is that the American dream consists of earning a comfortable living, spending quality time with people/things you love, and moving up in income class. Problem is that while people are working longer and harder these ideals are even more elusive than ever. For many who are earning a good living the balance and ‘œfree time’ factor seem unattainable. Moving up in this giant chasms of class is like rowing a boat upstream on a flood stage river. While moving up in class may be a stated goal, the reality is that so many people are one paycheck, layoff, illness, injury, or weather disaster away from financial ruin. Emergency funds while common sense are not common practice. And, at the lower end of the class scales just plain unattainable.

The writer at The Digerati Life put together a two-part post on the same series and deconstructs the ‘œHow Class Works‘ tool from the New York Times:

Finally, where do queers fit in this discussion about wealth and class? Much has been written about the gay affluence or at least the myth of it. Awhile back, Rich asked similar questions:

But what does this mean for us? As gays and lesbians, to whom do we compare ourselves? I’m not sure who the Joneses are’¦ In many ways we’re just like anyone else: we work, we save, we spend. But in significant ways we live differently, plan differently, and probably prioritize and spend differently. I’ve been single most of my adult life, so when I was saving to buy a house, it took a long time: I only had one income, and I had to make rent while saving for a downpayment. I couldn’t afford the vacations my peers were taking.

So while occupation, education, income and net worth determine our social class, I’m curious how other notions influence it. What about sexuality, race, gender? Or as this post pointed out at the top ‘“ the type of folks gathered in a club to hear a has-been band. Your thoughts are welcomed below.