Social Categorization

While reading the Great Gatsby I have come across many parallels between the 1920’s, when the book takes place, and today.  One that I found particularly interesting is the way in which the higher class treat the lower class, or how those whom feel superior treat those whom they feel are inferior.  Tom Buchanan a very wealthy prestigious man is consistently seeking to categorize those whom he feels superior too or threatened by.  One of the first things Tom asks Nick a man of less wealth, is what he does for a living (10).  And this carries thought out the book while at Gatsby’s party Tom tells Daisy, "I'd like to know who he (Gatsby) is and what he does" (108).  I believe that Tom is so desperate to determine what these people do because he wants to categorize them.  

This is known as social categorization today.  Which is defined by: "any classification that can serve to separate a member of a society into subgroups".  We do this categorizing to put people in there "place".  The "place" in which we put people determines how we interact with them.  It is proven that victims of bullying are different in some way "children with learning disorders often report that they are bullied as a result of their disorder", children whom are bisexual, gay, lesbian, overweight, underweight, unusually tall, unusually short etc. are also victims.  Therefore these children are put in categories and then associated with the category. Which leads to discrimination and stigmas, which are dangerous weapons of bullying.