does it make sense! does it flow? is the transition okay?
We live in a meritocracy; anyone of any gender, class and race can adopt a successful, rich lifestyle with the endeavor to strive and work hard. Whether it means coming as an illegal immigrant from Greece or as a lower class woman in the projects of Chicago, your push and aspiration to make it will lead your path to success. This is the way we view our nation and portray it in the media; this may be true for white men, but for the rest of the American society, it’s bullshit. Capitalism in America marginalizes the poor, caters to the rich and is an economic division that perpetuates oppressions. Social class determines destiny. It doesn’t disclose where your position in the social ladder …show more content…
It’s a given that the United States offers a wide variety of opportunity and liberties imperceptible in many city states and countries where homelessness, poverty and basic necessities are indispensable to the common people. But this doesn’t compensate for America’s incredible underestimated disparities that continuously segregate the poor from the rich. “Angela Whitiker’s Climb” is a perfect example; A poor, young black single mother living in the projects who managed to climb her way up to the stable middle class with hard work and dedication. Her story is incredible; and also very improbable. As “Social mobility and inequality: Upperbound” (p. 32) shows, “More than 40% of those Americans born in the bottom quintile remain stuck there as adults”. The selectivity of who makes it up the social ladder is a prevalent aspect of our American economy. And while less than half of Americans in general stay in the bottom quartile, according to an article written by Richard Reeves: “51% of the black Americans born into the lowest fifth of the earnings distribution remain there at age 40”. This widens the gap of black americans in poverty compared to whites. So although Whitiker’s story is an inspiring one that could be used to illustrate meritocracys role in America, the reality is she is one of the fewer than half of black americans who are able to make it out of lower class. …show more content…
His story is fascinating; even after being deported once, he managed to move back into America, bought and sold over a dozen diners and finally opened a diner - 3 guys - that would end up landing him a hefty paycheck of $130,000 yearly. How could one say social class determines destiny when this illegal immigrant made it to the upper class in under 25 years? Let’s compare Mr. Zannikos’s story to one with a similar beginning; Mr. Peralta was an illegal mexican immigrant who moved to New York hoping for a better future, had next to no money in his pockets and had just an uncle living in New York at the time. The difference in the two stories, although very similar, is that in less than 25 years Mr. Zannikos was able to make $130,000 a year while Mr. Peralta, after 15 years was still scraping by to pay for him and his family’s apartment. “A lot of it has to do with luck” said Mr. Zannikos in an interview in “15 Years on the bottom rung”. Although that may be partly true, the reality is that his european descent and english speaking privilege aided his economic evolution in America greatly: something Mr. Peralta
We live in a meritocracy; anyone of any gender, class and race can adopt a successful, rich lifestyle with the endeavor to strive and work hard. Whether it means coming as an illegal immigrant from Greece or as a lower class woman in the projects of Chicago, your push and aspiration to make it will lead your path to success. This is the way we view our nation and portray it in the media; this may be true for white men, but for the rest of the American society, it’s bullshit. Capitalism in America marginalizes the poor, caters to the rich and is an economic division that perpetuates oppressions. Social class determines destiny. It doesn’t disclose where your position in the social ladder …show more content…
It’s a given that the United States offers a wide variety of opportunity and liberties imperceptible in many city states and countries where homelessness, poverty and basic necessities are indispensable to the common people. But this doesn’t compensate for America’s incredible underestimated disparities that continuously segregate the poor from the rich. “Angela Whitiker’s Climb” is a perfect example; A poor, young black single mother living in the projects who managed to climb her way up to the stable middle class with hard work and dedication. Her story is incredible; and also very improbable. As “Social mobility and inequality: Upperbound” (p. 32) shows, “More than 40% of those Americans born in the bottom quintile remain stuck there as adults”. The selectivity of who makes it up the social ladder is a prevalent aspect of our American economy. And while less than half of Americans in general stay in the bottom quartile, according to an article written by Richard Reeves: “51% of the black Americans born into the lowest fifth of the earnings distribution remain there at age 40”. This widens the gap of black americans in poverty compared to whites. So although Whitiker’s story is an inspiring one that could be used to illustrate meritocracys role in America, the reality is she is one of the fewer than half of black americans who are able to make it out of lower class. …show more content…
His story is fascinating; even after being deported once, he managed to move back into America, bought and sold over a dozen diners and finally opened a diner - 3 guys - that would end up landing him a hefty paycheck of $130,000 yearly. How could one say social class determines destiny when this illegal immigrant made it to the upper class in under 25 years? Let’s compare Mr. Zannikos’s story to one with a similar beginning; Mr. Peralta was an illegal mexican immigrant who moved to New York hoping for a better future, had next to no money in his pockets and had just an uncle living in New York at the time. The difference in the two stories, although very similar, is that in less than 25 years Mr. Zannikos was able to make $130,000 a year while Mr. Peralta, after 15 years was still scraping by to pay for him and his family’s apartment. “A lot of it has to do with luck” said Mr. Zannikos in an interview in “15 Years on the bottom rung”. Although that may be partly true, the reality is that his european descent and english speaking privilege aided his economic evolution in America greatly: something Mr. Peralta