M03 Cultural Conflict 1 CC
Summary
TLDRThis video explores the concept of social class in America, delving into how it manifests through sports and the role of middle-class women in late 19th-century cultural conflicts. It discusses the markers of social status, such as income and sports like sailing and polo, and contrasts them with more accessible sports like basketball. The video then focuses on middle-class culture, emphasizing Victorian morality, the cult of domesticity, thrifty consumerism, and the rise of higher education and college football as reflections of societal values and class distinctions.
Takeaways
- 🌐 The video discusses the concept of social class in America, highlighting that while it's a topic often avoided, it's deeply ingrained in societal perceptions and fascinations.
- 🏛️ It contrasts the American discomfort with discussing social class with the fascination for British class structures, as depicted in shows like 'Downton Abbey'.
- 💼 The video suggests that indicators such as income, place of residence, and car ownership can be markers of social class in America.
- 🏊♂️ Sports are proposed as a lens to examine social class, with certain sports like sailing and polo being associated with the wealthy, while basketball is seen as more accessible to lower social classes.
- 🏈 Historically, baseball was considered a working-class sport in the late 19th century, while football was associated with the middle class.
- 👩🏫 The video focuses on the role of middle-class women in late 19th century America, particularly those from wealthy backgrounds.
- 📚 Victorian morality heavily influenced middle-class culture, emphasizing self-improvement, good manners, and the 'gospel of wealth', which suggested that hard work and righteousness would be rewarded with wealth.
- 🍽️ Catherine Beecher's 'The American Woman's Home' is highlighted as a guide to middle-class domesticity, advocating for women's natural talent in areas like table manners, posture, and speech.
- 💰 Thrift consumerism was a characteristic of the middle class, advocating for buying high-quality items at great deals, often justified by the need for such items in the home.
- 🛍️ Department stores became a hub for middle-class women, serving a similar purpose to men's clubs but focused on finding good deals and quality items.
- 🎓 The late 19th century saw a boom in higher education with over 100 new colleges, influenced by the Morrill Land Grant Act and a shift in focus from theology to science and engineering.
Q & A
What is the significance of discussing social class in America?
-The discussion of social class in America is significant because it highlights the societal structures and hierarchies that are often overlooked or unaddressed in contemporary conversations. It provides insight into how people's social status can influence their lives and perceptions within society.
How does the speaker suggest we can identify someone's social class?
-The speaker suggests that we can identify someone's social class through various markers such as their income, place of residence, the type of car they drive, and their involvement in certain sports.
Which sports are associated with the upper class according to the speaker?
-The speaker associates sports like sailing, polo, and lacrosse with the upper class, indicating that these sports are often seen as 'uber wealthy' or 'boutique' sports.
What sports are considered accessible to lower social classes?
-The speaker considers sports like basketball and baseball to be accessible to lower social classes, noting that they require less financial investment and are more commonly played in public spaces.
How has the cost of playing baseball changed over time according to the speaker?
-The speaker notes that baseball, which was once affordable and popular among children from various economic backgrounds, has become more expensive, making it less accessible to children from lower-income families.
What was the sport associated with the middle class in the late 19th century?
-In the late 19th century, football was the sport associated with the middle class, which at that time was considered wealthy but not as wealthy as industrialists or aristocrats.
What is Victorian morality and how does it relate to the middle class culture?
-Victorian morality refers to the social and moral values that were popular during the reign of Queen Victoria. It relates to middle class culture as it emphasized self-improvement, good manners, and the belief in the 'gospel of wealth,' which held that hard work and righteousness would be rewarded with wealth.
What is the 'gospel of wealth' mentioned in the script?
-The 'gospel of wealth' is a term used to describe the belief that God rewards hard work and righteousness with wealth. It was a justification for the wealth accumulation among the middle and upper classes during the 19th century.
How did the cult of domesticity influence middle class women's roles?
-The cult of domesticity reinforced the idea that women had a natural talent for managing the home, which included skills like table manners, posture, and speech. It emphasized the importance of women's roles within the domestic sphere and contributed to the perception of women as homemakers and caretakers.
What was the impact of thrifty consumerism on middle class culture?
-Thrifty consumerism in middle class culture led to a focus on purchasing high-quality items at a great deal, often justifying the acquisition of more than what was needed. This was spurred by advertisements and the rise of department stores, which became a hub for middle class women to seek out good deals.
How did higher education evolve in the late 19th century America?
-Higher education in late 19th century America saw the establishment of over 100 new colleges, influenced by the Morrill Land Grant Act of 1862, which allowed states to sell public lands to fund educational institutions. There was also a shift from a focus on theology to the sciences, reflecting the needs of the growing industrial economy.
Outlines
🏛 Social Class and Sports in America
The video discusses the concept of social class in America and how it is often a topic that society is fascinated by but reluctant to talk about openly. It contrasts the American discomfort with discussing social class with the willingness to discuss it in the context of British society, as seen in shows like 'Downton Abbey.' The video suggests that sports can be an indicator of social class, with certain sports like sailing and polo being associated with the wealthy, while basketball and baseball are more accessible to a wider range of social classes. The discussion also touches on how sports like baseball have become more expensive over time, potentially affecting their association with certain social classes. The video ends with a prompt to evaluate the role of middle-class women in late 19th-century America, setting the stage for a deeper exploration of social class dynamics.
👩🏫 The Influence of Middle-Class Women in Late 19th Century America
This section delves into the role of middle-class women in the cultural conflicts of late 19th century America. It starts by defining middle-class culture, which is associated with wealth and Victorian morality. The video explains how Victorian morality, influenced by Queen Victoria, emphasized self-improvement and the belief in the 'gospel of wealth,' which suggested that hard work and righteousness would be rewarded by God with wealth. The summary also discusses the importance of good manners, posture, and speech as indicators of self-improvement, with a focus on the 'cult of domesticity,' which revered women's roles in the home. The video mentions Catherine Beecher's 'The American Woman's Home,' a guidebook that instructed women on these aspects of middle-class culture. The discussion also touches on thrifty consumerism, the rise of department stores, and the significant growth in higher education, including the establishment of new colleges and a shift in focus from theology to science, reflecting the industrial economy of the time.
🎓 Higher Education and College Football in 19th Century America
The final paragraph focuses on the elements of middle-class culture related to higher education and the emergence of college football in the late 19th century. It highlights the establishment of over 100 new colleges after the Civil War, driven by the Morrill Land Grant Act of 1862, which allowed states to sell public lands to fund educational institutions. This period also saw the rise of private colleges like Stanford and the University of Chicago, funded by wealthy individuals. The video discusses the shift in educational focus from theology to scientific disciplines such as chemistry, physics, and engineering, which were more relevant to the industrial economy. Additionally, it explores the beginnings of college football, with Walter Camp at Yale being a key figure. Camp believed that football provided a new frontier experience for young men, replacing the physical challenges and camaraderie of the American West with the team spirit and competition of the sports field.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Social Class
💡Victorian Morality
💡Gospel of Wealth
💡Cult of Domesticity
💡Thrift Consumerism
💡Higher Education
💡Morrill Land Grant Act
💡College Football
💡Self-Improvement
💡Cultural Conflicts
💡Department Stores
Highlights
Introduction to the concept of social class in America and its societal implications.
Discussion on the reluctance of American society to discuss social classes despite their fascination with social status.
Comparison of American social classes with British social classes as portrayed in media like 'Downton Abbey'.
Proposal of using sports as a lens to examine social class in America.
Association of sports like sailing and polo with the uber-wealthy social class.
Lacrosse and squash being considered boutique sports linked to wealthier social classes.
Basketball and baseball as sports accessible to a wider range of social classes.
The rising cost of baseball and its impact on accessibility for lower social classes.
NASCAR as a spectator sport associated with a different demographic.
Historical perspective on baseball as the sport of the working class in the late 19th century.
Football as the sport associated with the middle class in the 19th century America.
Introduction to the prompt for discussion: evaluating the role of middle-class women in late 19th century America.
Exploration of Victorian morality as a cornerstone of middle-class culture.
The belief in self-improvement and its religious undertones within Victorian morality.
The 'gospel of wealth' and its influence on the perception of wealth and righteousness.
Catherine Beecher's influence on middle-class culture through 'The American Woman's Home'.
The cult of domesticity and its emphasis on women's roles within the home.
Thrift consumerism as a characteristic of middle-class culture and its justification for material possessions.
The emergence of department stores as a hub for middle-class women's consumer activities.
Higher education's role in middle-class culture, with a focus on the establishment of new colleges.
The Morrill Land Grant Act of 1862 and its contribution to the establishment of public colleges.
The shift in higher education from a theology focus to sciences, driven by the industrial economy.
The advent of college football and its significance in late 19th century American culture.
Walter Camp's influence on American football and its role in replacing the frontier experience.
Transcripts
hello and welcome to
hidden gems notes cultural conflict
video one
now to start with i want you to think
about class in america as in social
class
what are the social classes in america
today
how can you tell what social class a
person is in
now we don't really like to talk about
this as a society but we're fascinated
by it
we're very much aware of social status
we like to talk about british
social classes
in things like downton abbey right how
oh look at these aristocrats and then
the servants and all of the
interaction that's so
awful
but we don't like to talk about our own
social classes
but we have them
could you say
maybe there are
upper middle and lower class
maybe there's
upper middle class lower middle class
however you want to break this down are
there markers that you can tell
what social class a person is in
okay so
maybe their income if you had their w-2
that would help a lot
maybe where they live right
their address tells you a lot about
social class in america
how about
cars does that work here in california
it doesn't work in new york city
but here in california i'll bet some of
you could actually rattle off
the
social status attached with whatever car
from
bentley all the way down to my beader
corolla
so
i want to suggest that one of the ways
that we can look at class in america
today
is
sports
are there sports associated with certain
social classes
yeah i think there are
i mean there are some sports like
sailing right one of my friends from
college
his grandfather was the largest slum
lord in new york city this kid had
hundreds of millions of dollars
and what does he do now that he's got
his degree and then went to law school
and no he doesn't have a job he races
yachts that's what he does with his time
uh so sailing i think is one of these
uber wealthy sports or maybe polo do
people actually play polo
all right
what other sports are associated with
class
lacrosse
is one of these sports it's become a
boutique sport
like squash is another one
that
you have to have money to play squash or
lacrosse it would seem or at least
that's what
was true 20 years ago now i think it's
kind of moving down
what about
sports with the lower social classes
i think basketball is accessible to just
about anyone that there is a public
basketball court
what about baseball we just talked about
baseball
baseball
i think baseball has actually become a
lot more expensive than it was when i
was a kid i didn't grow up with money
and i played baseball it seemed like
everybody played baseball in the 70s and
80s but
uh now my kids don't play baseball
that's too much time and money
okay so are there other sports that oh
man i can't talk to you about this
because you're not here in front of me
but
how about nascar who
is nascar a sport
i mean as a spectator sport it is
i don't i guess nascar drivers are far
okay anyway
um in the late 19th century there was an
answer
baseball was the working-class sport it
was popular
among
the the poor of america's cities that
were the working poor
and there was a sport
associated with the middle class and
middle class let's get this clear right
now middle class in the 19th century
meant
you had a live in servant okay so middle
class meant wealthy it didn't mean upper
class as in crazy wealthy industrialists
or aristocrats that never even left
europe and came to the united states so
middle class meant wealthy and their
sport was
football
yeah all right cool so our prompt
for
the discussion
is going to be evaluate the role of
middle class women so again that means
wealthy women
evaluate the world middle class women in
the cultural conflicts
in late 19th century america
evaluate the role of middle class women
in the cultural conflicts
in late 19th century america
all right roman numeral one let's start
with middle class culture let's talk
about this middle class culture
and again that means wealthy right
big a
victorian morality
victorian morality
as in queen victoria was queen of
england for goodness
almost the entire 19th century so
she was seen as proper she was kind of
the role model for elites in europe and
in the united states
so victorian morality and what what it
meant was point number one they believed
people can
improve themselves
this has religious
undertones
they believed people can improve
themselves
and the reason it has a religious
connection is little a
it proved
predestination
and you're thinking wait a second
predestination means you can't change
right but
if you are predestined to go to heaven
if you are one of the chosen then you're
going to improve your life and you're
going to have a good life
i know it's kind of backwards
all right so little a it proved destiny
predestination and little b
we've got a
religious term for this the gospel of
wealth yeah the gospel of wealth and
what that meant was gospel means the
good news right and it's a religious
term so the gospel of wealth meant that
god rewards
hard work
god rewards hard work if and this is a
big if if you are righteous
okay if you are righteous if you're
living right and you're working hard god
will reward you with wealth well the
millions of americans working in the
cities obviously did not
prove this to be true
and hopefully did not believe it but the
wealthy people like
john d rockefeller was very much into
the gospel of love point number two
you demonstrate self-improvement if
that's what victorian morality is about
point number two you demonstrate self
self improvement through
good manners
what yeah good manners
what does that mean
like literally little a
table manners
right do you know where the fork and the
knife and the spoon go yeah i don't
really i worked uh first summer in
switzerland in a restaurant so i do know
that we called the spoon or fork that
goes at the top of your plate
d profane
meaning the profit because it's
prophesying that you're getting dessert
that one's good all right so table
manners
posture
as in walking with your back straight
and
speech
okay so you demonstrate self-improvement
through good manners little a table
manners posture and speech well they
have a book for this believe it or not
little b
catherine beecher c-a-t-h-a-r-i-n-e
catherine
beecher and that would be the sister
of harriet beecher stowe and the sister
of
henry ward beecher they're all the
children of lyman beecher
who was
one of the early leaders of the
temperance movement
so katherine beecher wrote the american
woman's home
the american woman's home
1860
she wrote this
and it's basically a guidebook to table
matters posture and speech
the american woman's home
and little c
they believed women had a natural talent
in these areas women are naturally
talented at table manners and posture
and speech
okay sexism runs deep they believed
women had a natural talent in these
areas and it was called and this will be
our hidden gem
the cult
cult
as in worship the cult of domesticity
d-o-m-e-s-t
i-c-i-t-y the cult of domesticity yeah
they worship women as in women have to
stay in the home where table manners and
speech and posture are important
big b another aspect to middle class
culture is
thrifty
consumerism i know that's an oxymoron
isn't it thrifty means you don't spend a
lot of money consumerism means you do
all right big b thrifty consumerism
well
it meant point number one
buy high quality at a great deal
yeah my stepmom i would go see my dad
and my stepmom and she would have a a
new couch like every time i ever visited
and i'd be like um what's this about and
she was like oh it's this great couch
and it was so cheap at this garage sale
okay but where's the old cat okay anyway
so point number one buy high quality at
a great deal
little a but it's simply justifying more
than they need
right thrifty consumerism was just a way
to justify
more than they actually needed
now in their defense there in the late
19th century this was
spurred
by
advertisement that we talked about
before
spurred by advertisement
and all of this thrifty consumerism was
centered on point number two something
new in the late 19th century
department stores
department stores so they were kind of
like middle class women's clubs men had
actual men's clubs they would go to the
women would go to department stores and
look for good deals
big c
is higher education higher education is
our last element of
middle class culture
and that would be point number one over
100
new colleges
over 100 new colleges in the late 19th
century
okay so up to this point it was the ib
league schools and
rutgers and that's about it right but
all of a sudden after the civil war
there's over a hundred new colleges in
america and why little a the morel
land grant act morel m-o-r-r-i-l-l
the morel land grant act 1862
so this allowed states to sell public
lands
to set up schools this is where the
university of california came from
this is where
agricultural and mechanical schools like
texas a m
okay so the moral land grant act 1862
allowed states to sell public lands to
build colleges and little b
there were also private colleges and
this is really important private
colleges like stanford
set up by
uh railroad magnate and the university
of chicago
which was established by john d
rockefeller
so private colleges also like stanford
and university of chicago
and little c
another element to these new schools is
there was a shift from theology they're
no longer studying just religion
a shift from theology to the sciences
chemistry physics engineering those are
what are driving this this new
industrial economy so shift from
theology to the sciences
and point number two
a really important element uh for
understanding higher education in the
19th century is college football
college football
and college football began little a with
walter camp
w-a-l-t-e-r walter camp c-a-m-p who was
the coach at yale
and walter camp here's his quote
uh or this is what he says he says that
football replaced the frontier
experience
um we'll talk about that in a minute
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