Today's Generation: Moving Up In The United States

The article states, “42 percent of American men raised in the bottom fifth of incomes stay there as adults. That shows a level of persistent disadvantage much higher than in Denmark (25 percent) along with Britain (30 percent)”. This statistic explains that 42% American men born in the lower class stays in that class when they are adults but in Denmark that percent is 25%. Another statistic is that 8% of American men born in the lower class rose to the upper class and 14% of Danish men rose from lower to upper. According to the article, the reason why we stay in the class we are born into is because the resources that are needed to move up is too expensive for a lower, as well as, middle (sometimes) class family. So, the families that are in the upper class have a more economic flexibility to send their children to private schools or great colleges whereas the lower/middle class don’t. This stymies their children from getting the same education as the children with upper-class parents. No or poor education can lead to having either no job or a low-paying one.

This opportunity is very rare, but we were actually able to witness two real American families trying to keep themselves from sliding downward during economic downturns. I believe that there is upward mobility for these two families because they are all very hard working and are capable of doing so. Meritocracy is a term that is believed by many Americans, but I feel like these two families began to realize that it may not work that way. Meritocracy is a term that means, when people work hard they make gains and those who fall behind did not try enough (Keister & Southgate, 2012, p. 365). This term may not be so true as both families have worked extremely hard, yet are still faced with financial problems.

It can always be nice to imagine that you can go from very poor to very rich but in America, that’s not the case. According to a recent study, 70% of those born in low income families remained in the lower income bracket. Out of the remaining 30%, only 24% reached middle-class or upper- class and 4% rose to become high income earners (Hargreaves). Now, it is very difficult for people born into the lower class to rise up to the middle or upper class. These people that do successfully rise up have to have certain characteristics. 53% were college graduates, 50% were two income families, 35% were white, and 34% did not experience unemployment (Hargreaves). Most people in low- income families cannot afford college and student loans. This makes them less likely to become part of the middle class. Poor people do not have the resources to strive and become part of the other social classes. Overall, it is becoming more and more difficult for low- income families to become part of the middle class.

societal ladder Times have changed since then, but social class is still a major factor to people’s success.

A person's future is greatly impacted by their class or their socio-economic status. Most people when they think about rising up in their economic states they think they start out poor and some that true but not always. for example Jorge Vanderbilt was born into a wealthy family, but instead of just being content with the fortune he inherited he worked hard and he managed to double his father's fortune. another example of people rising up in class was Steve Jobs. Steve Jobs was put up for adoption and adopted into a middle class family. He was extremely intelligent, but he didn’t know what he wanted to do, so he started experimenting in different fields and finally

Teenagers today face a number of problems, ranging from peer pressure and alcohol, to depression and rape. These severe topics can have an intense effect on a growing child, now, and in the future. Many modern teenagers face the daily struggles of harmful situations, and the good and bad in them. In The Perks of Being a Wall Flower, Charlie faces almost every bad situation imaginable, in a heart breaking and realistic coming of age story. Charlie does not have the grandest high school experience, but the book represents the harsh and cruel reality of what so many students face today. Charlie, also being on the unclear side of what he was experiencing, was also hit hard with the outcomes of his actions. Drugs, alcohol, and sexual interaction contributed to the difficult standards that are held to growing students, in their fight to fit in. Every teen has faced the harsh reality of peer pressure and abuse, which takes a harsh effect on its victims. In the beginning of the story, Charlie faces the death of one of his friend Michael, to suicide. Starting the beginning of Charlie?s coming of age story, also known as a freshman in high school. Throughout the book, peer pressure, substance abuse, the fight to be normal, and the hope to have friends in the first place pushed Charlie to take the wrong path in some situations. Charlie?s coming of age story represents the teenage life today

Income inequality has been seen throughout different societies. It has always been separated with the poor on bottom and the rich on top. Most societies in past and present have had little to no movement between the separations of classes. The reality for the poor in most of those societies is that they can almost never get to the level and quality of life of the rich. America compared to other societies in our past and present is a society that strongly believes in the idea of “The American Dream”. The American Dream gives hope to some people below the rich that they can someday be as prosperous as the rich if they work hard enough for it and show that they are capable. This idea implies that it is possible for anyone whether the person is middle or low class. It is not possible for low-income workers in America to move to the upper class because they lack the resources for better jobs, they are racially or ethnically discriminated in the workforce and the upper class takes most of the income in the US.

The American Dream is not a function of ability and achievement, but a dying illusion. America is not truly the land of the free, but an ignorant classist society. Gregory Clark, an economics professor at the University of California, Davis, stated that “America has no higher rate of social mobility than medieval England or pre-industrial Sweden … That’s the most difficult part of talking about social mobility - it 's shattering people 's dreams” (qtd. in Evans). The United States has an incredibly outdated economic system that does not allow disadvantaged citizens opportunities regardless of how hard they work. People get stuck in their social status and are not able to stray out of it, which affects their further generations. Additionally, immigrants coming to America in hopes of prosperity are likely to have even less luck than immigrants of the pass and widen the gap of social inequality. Clark continues to state, “The truth is that the American Dream was always an illusion. Blindly pursuing

Majority thinks that America is the land of opportunity, where the lower class has the ability to succeed and prosper; statistically the truth is less expectant. According to facts presently, the smallest percentage of Americans earns over $1,000,000. The next smallest percentage of Americans earn over $125,000. Meanwhile, the median income that Americans earn is $41,000. Any American can succeed with the right mind set. Facts also show that more Americans considered to be wealthy have earned it rather than inherited it. I come from a family that is considered to be working class. My parents didn’t own their first home until I was 15, and I am the youngest of four children. Hard work does pay off, and I have seen it.

Great satisfaction does come from hard work, especially when knowing a person put their all into accomplishing the task goes a long way. To say whether or not one would agree with the statement of through hard work, everybody can succeed in American society really does depend on who is making the statement. History is everything. Knowing where you began does help a person plan on their tomorrow. The division between social classes has always been there and will always be. Those who are fortunate enough to get “the break” they were looking for often times come off of their brow. Many are born with a so-called silver spoon in their mouth, but for many, that is not always the case. With social class being measured by income and wealth,

Here, in the United States, the “American Dream,” is a popular belief. There is a strong relationship between hard work and success. In this perfect scenario, those who put in multiple hours are on the road to success and can move up the social ladder. Thus stating, one could be thrust into the lowest of the social status, and with some hard work, one can elevate into the world of the social elite. As a demonstration to this global view of the United States, immigrants from all over the globe have made the excursion to the “land of opportunity” in beliefs of better education, employment, government, communities, religious freedom, and lives for not only themselves but the generations that come pursuing behind them. All of this survives based on a game of social stratification – a diagram on how to successfully obtain the American dream. This observation of social class is based on many mechanisms, some of which is bestowed to people at birth, and not rewarded for hard work and dedication. The class system at play in the United States has become incredibly complex – it no longer has the fundamental class values of our forefathers. Those trying to move up in the social ladder of America are often caught replication the actions of the rich and famous, but this alone cannot make them part of the higher social class. Some think that there are simple rules to follow to climb higher into another social class ladder, but there is more to being upper class than just talking the talk or having the right identity.One way to look at class is the model developed by Janny Scott and David Leonhardt's article, “Shadowy Lines That Still Divide,” in The New York Times. They assert that “one way to think of a person’s position in society is to imagine a hand of cards. Everyone is dealt four cards, one from each suit: education, income, occupation and wealth, the four commonly used criteria for gauging class” (Scott and Leonhardt 27). While being sure on these four criteria, a basic understanding of a person’s predicted class can be made. While this model works fine for providing an elementary level of perception, it must be recognized that a person could rate well on this scale and still be in a different class than those

The first major liability of the United States was that no one had ever established a

Consequently, society has prevented the poor from achieving their goal of reaching to the top. This is because our society needs the less fortunate to do the hard labor that most Americans would not dream of doing. Take the example of Barbara Ehrenreich. She as journalist didn't agree on the idea that their low paid jobs account for their perseverance and abilities. She decided to explore the wonders of low paid jobs and quickly realized that these kinds of jobs were less paying and more demanding of work. With that being, the money she earned was enough for only her basic needs and bills. In these conditions, it’s almost impossible to be able to prosper. This is

Unfortunately, many individuals are born in a terrible position in life while others are born into rich, upper-class families. Even though the people born into wealthy families are more likely to be successful in life, both lower-class and upper-class individuals have the opportunity to reach as much success as they want. Lower-class individuals, also known as ‘wage slaves’, have a tendency to complain about their lives and blame it on everybody else except themselves. For instance, I work at a Toyota dealership in Cranberry Township over the summers. I make around $10 an hour as a lot attendant

Nanay (Mother), a 2009 testimonial play on verbatim research interview transcripts of Geraldine Pratt in collaboration with the Philippine Women Centre and Filipino-Canadian Youth Alliance on Filipino Live-In Caregivers (LCP) of British Columbia, tells one story, among others, of a young woman who was left behind in the Philippines in the care f her father. Her monologue highlights her urge to drop out of high school, the conflict she has with her mother, and her compromised future. Though she was pursuing a university study in the Philippines, her education ambitions shrank in Canada. Rather, she completed a six-month medical assistant course because of its modest length and cost. Her story (hence the life experience of Filipino youth who