Do You Want a Social Elevator or Social Mobility?
Unconscious Social Concepts in Political Discourse
Are you familiar with terms like “social elevator” (or “social elevation”) and “social mobility”? Such words are used by many researchers and international organizations.
These two ideas are more common in some languages than others, but they refer to two kinds of views that exist around the world about how individuals can move from one social class to another.
Before reading this post, I would like to ask you to think for a few seconds about which terms seem to be more familiar to your views on society. Are you more familiar with the idea of a “social elevator” or “social mobility”?
The Idea of a “Social Elevator”
The idea of a social elevator is metaphorical. It refers to someone’s ability or achievement to move from one social class to another.
While an elevator can go up and down, the stronger image are, of course, about going up. When we think about society with such an idea, it would suggest the possibility or the achievement for someone to go up. When the term “social elevator” is used, it almost always means going up (not down).
In other words, it refers to the possibility or achievement of becoming part of an upper social class. The message is clear: “If you are good enough, you will have your place among them.”