Question

Symbolic interactionists stress the way we make "snap judgments" about other people’s class statuses. We often pay close attention to what cues we display since we are aware that other people are judging us. Given this, why did Paul Fussell decide to measure class status with a "living room scale" rather than assessing some other part of the house?

Answer 1

Answer:

Because we tend to display our living room in the best possible way, because that room is most likely to be seen by strangers.

Explanation:

Paul Fussell is a sociologist and a social critic who lived in the 20th century. His most famous book is Class: A Guide Through the American Status System (1983). In this book he tried to depict social classes through the theory of symbolic interactionism. He constructed a living room scale which represented an ample theater display. Given the objects in the living room he stratified households in different social classes ranging from lower proletariat to upper class.