Money Buys Class

In society, many things tell people how to be “normal”. From television shows to movies to magazines to books, each of these sources tells people what is normal and abnormal. Whether people see it or not, they are being bombarded with persuasive messages that insinuate or just tell you upfront that this is how things ought to be or ought not to be. Some shows push back against this norm and make fun of what is supposed to be normal. Other shows play into this “American Dream”. And of course, money and class have everything to do with what is considered normal. People who have more money and more things or materials are considered to be normal and powerful. People who are poor seem to be considered the other or abnormal and almost powerless. In the hit Netflix series Orange Is the New Black, they try to demonstrate exactly what is portrayed as normal in society, while pushing the limits of normal as well. Piper is a wealthy white woman, who ends up going to prison for drug smuggling. While she is in prison she comes into contact with other women criminals. Many of these other women criminals are women of color, who are seemingly portrayed as belonging in prison, while Piper clearly sticks out like a sore thumb.

In prison, Piper encounters many different women from numerous backgrounds. Piper is the only main character that comes from a wealthy background. One character Piper encounter is Taystee. Taystee is a black woman who of course had a rough upbringing. She went from foster home to foster home and eventually got tied up in the wrong crowd and ended up in prison. The show portrays Piper as a misfit in prison. Upper class white women never end up in prison, so why would she fit in anyways? Taystee on the other hand fits in just fine. Everyone loves Taystee and Taystee loves to be in prison, which is quite odd I might add. This is a prime example of how society normalizes the rich and makes the poor the outcast and the criminals. Piper has no idea how to act in prison. She says things like “I shouldn't be in here” and “I don’t belong in here”. Even though Piper knowingly smuggled drugs into the country, she feels as though she should not be punished for her crimes because of how young she was. Piper also has an attorney that her fiancé provides for her. All the other women in the prison have lawyers that were provided to them by the state. Also, Piper is granted furlough when she learns that her grandmother is dying. Furlough is when you are allowed to leave the prison for a few days to be with a loved one who is dying. This time out of prison is unmonitored. You must return to prison after your furlough is over. No one in the prison has ever been granted furlough, but Piper. Class clearly buys Piper power and privilege.

Class is everything in today’s society. If you are upper class, then you are afforded much different opportunities than people in a lower class. If you are lower class then people tend to look down on you. Society puts people into boxes and expects everyone to mold to those standards. Many people do form to these molds. They let their class define them. They take their privilege and run with it. Others tend to fight what standards society places on them. Orange Is the New Black is a show that tries to show society the standards that it places on people and how people do not fit that mold.