Top Ramen Discrimination
Its a staple for my kids college dorm friends, and for lots of other Americans. Ah, those tasty noodles with such an easy preparation process. Imagine my surprise when I was the object of Top Ramen Discrimination in my local grocery store. We needed some Ramen, you see, for a gag gift being given to my youngest, who graduated from high school last night. Imagine my surprise when I found myself feeling embarrassed for asking about where to find it. They didn’t know what it was, and also didn’t know where it was. I got really interesting looks from shoppers and store staff as a result of my quest for what I thought was a normal noodle purchase.
They made it clear that I was in the wrong store.
This Ramen experience reminded me about the way that our society is really divided into castes–economic barriers that keep people in their place. The store that I shop at is in a upper middle-class neighborhood complete with a sushi chef. The idea that someone of “my stature” would be looking for the staple of the masses, just didn’t fit the social image of my shopping environment. And while noodle choice cannot be placed in the top tier of demographic targeting, it does illustrate the importance of having a deep understanding of culture. We must realize how seriously these subtle social perspectives can influence behavior and responses to ministry.
Understanding the real social, economic and values groupings of the people around us is an important part of our community ministry and church planting preparation. One successful pastor told me that it took him nearly 10 years to really “get” the community in which he planted. We really can’t afford to take that long if we are going to grow healthy new churches. Needs Assessment is one simple way to accelerate the process, because you cannot learn about the Ramen Groups from any demographic survey.
You have to talk to people, listen for their values and cultural perspectives in person–and that’s just what needs assessment helps with.
I would be interested in hearing back (by blog comment) from those who have discovered other unusual social groupings, the ones that lie just beneath the surface. Have you discovered another shopping or Autophobic, or Sportsomatic social strata in some accidental way?
I found the social class that draws the line at cheap noodles, and learned that none of my local outreach events should feature Top Ramen as a menu item.
June 23rd, 2008 at 5:46 am
One interesting social group is GenX. It isn’t one that fits into anything specific - they have their own culture. They - like your top ramen experience - certainly don’t fit the social stature. And more than any generation before them, or after them, they are the most anti-religious (and yes, that also means anti-church).
Because it is such a unique group it is almost impossible to understand them by surveying them. It is equally as important to make sure you know they dont fit into any mold. If you are open to listening to their perspective, they might be more apt to opening up. And that is the basis of trust.