The War Between the Classes

Through a classroom demonstration known as "the armband game," American author Gloria D. Miklowitz’s young adult novel The War Between the Classes (1985) examines the challenges individuals and societies face in overcoming racial and socioeconomic prejudices. A year after its publication, the book was adapted into an Emmy Award-winning television special.

High school student Emiko Sumoto is the daughter of working-class Japanese immigrants. Much to their displeasure, Emiko goes by "Amy" at school, preferring to be called that by her peers. She further raises the ire of her parents when she begins to date Adam, a fellow student who comes from a wealthy white family. At the beginning of the book, Amy and Adam walk from Amy's house to a luau-themed school party. On display are the various divisions of race, gender, and socioeconomic status that divide the school, inciting prejudices directed at certain groups by other groups.

The next day at school, this dynamic is flipped when teacher Mr. Otero announces a class-wide game called "the armband game." In the armband game, there four different colors of armbands, each representing a different social class: blue represents the highest, richest class. Dark green represents the upper middle class or "semi-rich." Light green armbands signify lower middle class or "semi-poor." And finally, orange is the lowest class, signifying the "very poor." Mr. Otero also bisects the class into two gender groups. The superior gender is the "Teks" while the inferior gender is the "non-Teks." In a twist, each student is given a status distinction that runs counter to his or her actual level of putative privilege. For example, the richest students, such as Adam, are made to wear orange armbands, signifying the lowest class. Adam is also sorted into the inferior gender of non-Teks. Meanwhile, lower class women, such as Amy, receive the highest status signifiers. She is given a blue armband to wear, and she represents the superior gender of the Teks.



Certain school privileges afforded to the newly minted "upper classes" include sitting in the front row of class and sitting at segregated tables at lunch. At first, blue-armbander Amy thinks nothing of sitting down next to orange-armed Adam at lunch. However, Amy's fellow blue-arms call to her to abandon Adam at lunch because of his lower status. This section shows how peer pressure is a huge factor in causing otherwise well-intentioned people to participate in acts of prejudice. The game also involves fines for breaking the rules of the segregated sub-society created by Mr. Utero. For example, students who sit with students from other status distinctions at lunch will lose points on the assignment. This shows how broader policies also affect people's appetite and capacity for discriminating against their fellow Americans.

The game also allows for the possibility of promotion. For example, a student named Carol is a dark green, the second highest class. However, she desperately wants to move up to the blue class. When Amy suggests to Carol that they cheat at the game by hanging out with their friends from lower classes, Carol feels pressured to inform Mr. Otero of Amy's indiscretions in the hopes of moving up, in a socioeconomic sense. This shows how societies often set up incentives that drive divisions between their own people in order to preserve a certain social order.

Amy also learns about so-called "positive" stereotypes when Bettina, a Latino student asks her to tutor her in math. Bettina says she assumes that Amy is good at math because she is Asian. Amy says this is not true; anyone who is committed to practicing math is capable of excelling at it, regardless of their race. Of course, these meritocratic efforts are sabotaged by Mr. Otero who ensures the tests given to the blue armbanders are far easier than the tests given to the lower classes.



Finally, Mr. Otero looks to demonstrate the damage wrought by sexism by organizing a "beauty contest" in which all the women surround the men who are then asked to demonstrate their strongest physical attributes. Organized by Amy, the students decide to post "All Colors Unite" posters around the school in advance of a rally. They also create four-color armbands that include all the status colors. However, when Amy tries to pass them out, she finds they are missing from her locker. It turns out that there was a spy in their midst, Troy, who informed Mr. Otero of Amy's plans, causing the four-color armbands to be confiscated. Undeterred, Amy finds a number of red ribbons which she passes out to all of the students in the class.

In the end, Amy accomplished precisely what Mr. Otero had hoped: that someone would unite the students in spite of all the institutional and peer-based pressures dividing the students apart.