Freedman and Jurafsky reading

Freedman and Jurafsky take an interesting approach to studying the cultural distinctions in America by choosing to study potato chip bags. While I can't say that I find it the most effective way I could think of to look at the separation between economic classes, the linguistic analysis that they performed on the bags certainly appears to have garnered results. I find it interesting to note that even in a (supposedly) classless society, the researchers make an assumption on what their findings will look like right away in the way that they divide their subjects. Instead of simply highlighting a correlation between specific types of language and a price per ounce increase where appropriate, they also immediately take the bags in question and split them down the middle based on cost. In doing so, they assume that if there is a distinct difference, it will be found between "upper class" chips and the "lower class" chips. For the most part, they would appear to have been correct in this assumption.

As for the results of the analysis, I found it quite interesting that the "upper class" potato chips were so focused on what they were not. This concentration on avoiding being like the "lower class" chips in any way possible amuses me. I am reminded of a paper I once read about how it was once considered fashionable and attractive for the wealthy to be overweight, to show that they had the means to keep themselves healthily fed. This persisted until just about the time that said abundance of food became available to the lower classes, at which point it became more fashionable to be thin, to demonstrate the quality and healthiness (in other words, cost) of the food you ate. I believe the author of said paper referred to this as the "star bellied sneetch" phenomenon, if you've ever read that particular Dr. Seuss story. It is an interesting, if unfortunate aspect of human nature that our happiness appears to be more determined by relative wealth than by actual progress.