Source D is a prime example of a person who believes in the American Dream without much evidence to back it up. The author, Yasmina Shaush, is a Ukrainian immigrant who claims that America is "a land where the self-made man is found on every corner... a land where wealth and social status do not inhibit one's potential." While I admire her optimism throughout her story, I do not find it very realistic. She seems to have a very limited perspective on the social class problems in the United States. Because Oprah Winfrey made it to the top, why can't everyone? The problem is, according to Source G, America is both highly unequal, and has especially low social mobility. What Shaush does not consider is that while "hard work and determination are vehicles for success," not everyone who works hard and has determination is successful. And this is not their fault, it is the fault of America's economy.
Source A gives more realistic approach to the debate about class issues and social mobility. The article begins by stating, "the children of the rich perform better in school, on average, than children from middle-class or poor families." There is an immense rich-poor gap in education and test scores, and it is about 40% higher than it was 30 years ago. Why is this? Most likely it is because families with more money can afford better education for their children. As stated in Source B, "clever children were siphoned into special schools and showered with resources." This fact offers an explanation for the low social mobility in America. The rich are given, through education, the opportunities they need to be successful. People living in poverty and lower social classes have less access to a good, solid education. They are then kept in lower-paying jobs, where they have little to no chance to rise up. For many of them, there is a good chance that they will be stuck with this for their entire lives, and the cycle will repeat for future generations.
It would be nice to say that America is a place where everyone who wants to succeed has the same opportunity to, but that is just not the reality of our country. Some people are given a better chance through their social class than others, and that is not something that can be ignored or overlooked.
I found that your blog was very interesting to read, and I liked how you supported your arguments with the sources provided. I agree with when you said that a lot of people today are stuck in the social class that they are born into. In your second paragraph you talk about how you find that young student's dreams are unrealistic. There was another quote on the source document that states that we reach for things out of reach and that our dreams are so far out there that we may not be able to achieve them. I found that very interesting and I also found that it was a true statement. We all try and strive for things that are out of our reach, because we want to try and get out of the social class we are born into.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on the fact that while our "motto" is that everyone who wants to succeed as the same opportunities, it's not really true. While we like to tout ourselves as the land of opportunity, it's been proven that is far from the truth. The fact that there's such a gap between the rich and the poor demonstrates how social mobility is reserved mostly for the class that has the most opportunities, which in this case is the rich.
ReplyDeleteI liked how you went into detail about the false optimism of the Ukrainian immigrant. Although I agree completely with your view on the American Dream, I wonder if it is only because I am an American. We have been talking a lot in class about American identities and how we are strongly associated with being greedy and valuing money above all else. Maybe the immigrant being from a different country values materialistic items less and actually view the American Dream as simply bettering her life in other ways.
ReplyDeleteThis is an awesome post. I agree with everything you said, and I like that you mentioned that people like Oprah and Steve Jobs who were able to overcome the social class boundaries are fairly rare. I feel that people looking at America as a country of opportunity focus on these figures without looking at the thousands that didn't make it and are still stuck in the never-ending fight for success and a better life.
ReplyDeleteI also really like what Abby commented, though. Maybe the American Dream isn't disappearing, maybe it's just changing to something different. Things are constantly changing, so that is very possible!