Summary: The Inequality Cycle

Growing up within a middle class family as a first born millennial, was one that of a comfortable lifestyle. My parents were happily married, my grades were well-rounded, and my passions for soccer and creative writing flourished. Hope for a better future had never been brighter as we moved into a modeled neighborhood. It would have seemed only a dream, especially for my father who came all this way from a much more demanding life in Santiago, Chile. Life was good—well, at least for a while. After the Great Recession found its way into the homes of millions across the nation, families like mine suffered greatly as a result. Unemployment was far from the only aspect of society butchered during these hard times. I witnessed firsthand the effects …show more content…
Cass believes that the opportunity to climb economically in class is possible, but what holds generation after generation back is that, “The cornerstones of society” (32) are fracturing and the social collapse of the present impedes on the future. He claims that without the stability of a healthy family environment, youth falls prey to “ill-preparation and lack of development” (32). Cass continues with pointing out the condition of one’s social health based on what influences one has obtained. Arguing that strong values placed on “hard work and self-reliance” (34) are basic principles needed for the enrichment of children. Cass states that communities serve as a pillar of society, therefore they must keep youth level headed. Furthermore, social programs providing incentive toward less value placed on hard work and effort should be removed from the system. He claims that they deliver the work readily for those who need motivation. This is counterproductive and it “fuels negative trends” (34). Cass concludes, that education reformation would prove must beneficial, for the k-12 system lacks “vocational training that would prep a growing labor force”