The Capitalist Driven Society Of The United States

Even if the 1920’s seem affluent and prosperous on the surface, the realities of time contradicted such notions; in fact, it can be clearly stated that this decade should not be judged as an era of wealth. Inequality was rampant in society at this time, especially when it comes to stark income differences between the upper, middle and lower classes. While it can be said that the upper classes, who make up a mere 1% of the population enjoyed most of these materialistic luxuries, the vast majority of the American population was barely getting by.

The book “The Other America”, written by Michael Harrington, describes poverty in America in the 1950s and 1960s, when America became one of the most affluent and advanced nations in the world. The book was written in 1962, and Harrington states that there were about 50,000,000 (about 25% of the total population) poor in America at that time. The author did extensive research with respect to the family income levels to derive the poverty numbers, and used his own observations and experiences to write this book. This book addresses the reasons for poverty, the nature of poverty, the culture of poverty, the blindness of Middle Class America with respect to poverty, and the responsibility of all Americans in addressing the issue of poverty in America.

Coal became the fuel that fired the furnaces of the nation, transforming the Appalachian region socially and economically. Unfortunately mountain people didn't realize the implications of their mineral wealth. Many sold their land and mineral rights for pennies an acre to outlanders. Appalachians became laborers rather than entrepreneurs. Coal became a major industry which was extremely sensitive to outside fluctuations in the economy, leading to boom and bust cycles. The industry was controlled by interests outside the region, so that little of the profit remained or was reinvested.

In Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America, Barbara Ehrenreich tells a powerful and gritty story of daily survival. Her tale transcends the gap that exists between rich and poor and relays a powerful accounting of the dark corners that lie somewhere beyond the popular portrayal of American prosperity. Throughout this book the reader will be intimately introduced to the world of the “working poor”, a place unfamiliar to the vast majority of affluent and middle-class Americans. What makes this world particularly real is the fact that we have all come across the hard-working hotel maid, store associate, or restaurant waitress but we hardly ever think of what their actual lives are like? We regularly dismiss these people as

Have you ever wondered what life is like for people in specific social classes and all the baggage that comes with being wealthy? In the article “Amber Waves of Green”, author Jon Ronson has sit downs with hard working americans making a income of $200 a week all the way up to $625,000 a week. In another writing titled “The Mansion”, written by Michael Lewis, allows the reader to get insight on what life is like as a middle class individual taking on a higher style of living. Within the two articles the reader can point out that both Jon Ronson and Michael Lewis disagree on living styles, what wealth can do for you, and how it can affect the people around you.

Arguing flaws in the expansion of Appalachia’s postwar economy, Eller responds this led to “growth without development”. With the coal industry flourishing

During these times, Harrington wrote “The Other America” which detailed just how ingrained poverty is in the society of America and how it is concealed throughout the country by the manner of dress, mannerisms, and character and how that inadvertently affects them drastically simply because they blend in with the rest of America that is not struggling economically. Harrington surmises that not only do those in poverty struggle economically but politically as well as their voice is not heard.

“The real tragedy of the poor is the poverty of their aspirations,” said Adam Smith. The quote above sheds light upon the primary driving force behind the conspicuous poverty that currently plagues American society and its citizens alike. Whether it be the further exacerbation of an indigent individual’s lifestyle or augmented power rendered to the commonplace bon vivant, the vicious circle of poverty seemingly appears to be an indelible taint on America’s rather diverse mosaic of individuals. From the gruesome working conditions endured by impoverished Americans to the immense profits garnered by affluent storeowners, the nation remains fixated in an economics-oriented rudimentary state: a reality directly intertwined to a dearth of bona

Many companies have made money from the coal industry; however, the money has not stayed within the state. Big businesses have exploited the resources creating rich executives and leaving the Appalachian area stripped of its bounty. Currently, big businesses are involved in mountain-top removal to remove resources from our mountains. This leaves many of the beautiful mountains destroyed, pollutes the water systems and kills the wildlife and vegetation. The coal industry which once supported many families in the Appalachian area is now becoming the downfall of our tourist

It is no mystery that that America has inherent issues with taking care of its lower class in comparison to many other developed countries. What is concerning is that people can work a fulltime job or may be even two jobs and still not have the resources needed to make ends meet in this society of consumption. The poor of America do not even receive even the slightest bit of sympathy and are coldly told that they should work harder as if they were not already doing that previously. Barbara Ehrenreich, the author of Nickel and Dimed, gives up her role as a member of the upper-middle class and speculates on the viability of living impoverished, detailing awful and harmful that life is, and implies much needed changes, revealing harsh injustices

The United States is a capitalist society; money is powerful. The wealthy and those in power are able to influence tax policy. There are a few tax policies that have more of a benefit to the wealthy than to the poor. A few of them include the mortgage interest deduction, the yacht tax deduction, rental property, business meal deduction, capital gains tax rate, estate tax, social security, and savings for retirement plans.

Throughout both in-class discussions, and David Shipler’s “The Working Poor: Invisible in America” we learned being poor in America is anything but easy. Even with all of our government assistance programs such as Medicaid and Welfare, many family generation after generation seem to fall below the poverty line and create a life of struggle and long way out for their families. When Shipler is explaining different families and their lac of self control in saving the little money they do earn, it makes you question if the have the know how to get out of poverty, or even in some cases even want to due to their different spending habits than successful people, falling into credit traps, and buying the un-necessary.

The discovery of anthracite coal in Pennsylvania in the late 1700s led to the development of a robust coal industry in the eastern part of Pennsylvania that grew rapidly and contributed greatly to the history and the economy of Pennsylvania. The book The Face of Decline written by Thomas Dublin, Walter Licht, provides a well written historical and personal account of the discovery, growth, and finally the collapse of the anthracite coal industry in Pennsylvania in a chronological format. Half way through the book one starts to notice some changes in the authors format to cause and effect. The change occurs in order to discuss the cause and resulting effect of events in the region and the solutions. The story is one of great growth and opportunity in the early years which are highlighted by the documented economic growth experienced and supported through testimony within the eastern Pennsylvania coal region. After a period of economic prosperity and community growth from 1900 through 1940 challenges began to erode and occur that created problems for the community and the economy that the coal industry provided. Finally the region’s economy suffered horrendous losses as described by interviews of local residents and families who lived and experienced the rise of the region’s economy. Many of the scars are still evident by the blight and decaying scenes one would experience by traveling through the region’s communities that once fueled the American economy with the energy

We may want to judge these characters for reaching for an unattainable goal, but it is important to consider what other choices the had. In American society, the wealth inequality is massive, and it has drastic effects on the lifestyles of people in the different classes. This text isn’t meant to criticize those who want to be in a higher class, but it is meant to call out the corruption in American society and the impossibility of the American Dream. I believe that this text should be able to help people of the upper classes see people of lower classes in a different light. Many people of the upper class are prejudiced against people in a lower class. They may write them off as undeserving or lazy, but this text can help gain a personal insight into the lives of some of those people. This text shows how unfair the system of wealth is in America, and it should help members of the upper class develop sympathy for those without the same privileges as

The American family is shaped by the economic stratification of society and the opportunities afforded to each social class. Lareau and Cherlin discussed that the typical family encounters economic inequality that overtly affects individuals within households. Lareau has successfully conducted research and illustrated that different experiences vary among the middle class and lower class families by observing the daily life of children. The economy of the United States provides privilege for middle class families and constrains resources for those in the working-lower class.