Bernie Sanders once said “A nation will not survive morally or economically when so few have so much, while so many have so little”. In our society, many people experience inequalities, including racial inequality, gender inequality, and economic inequality. These social inequalities create institutionalized social barricades that most times, cannot be solved without some sort of policy that advocates equity. Inequality means that people have little or unequal access to resources such as education, housing, health care, politics, and many more. It also means that people are treated unequally by society.
We live a much different time where the cost of living has increased and the job availability has decreased. “According to the Pew Study on the American Dream, social mobility is increasingly difficult, if not impossible; the study found those born at both the top and the bottom of the “income ladder” stay where they are from one generation to the next.” (Rooks) Meaning that if you are born into poverty it is more likely than not that you will stay there. This could help to reason why politicians have a hard time coming up with a good plan of action to help those in poverty.
They understand the sacrifices their parents have made for their children and to support their family. But, upper classmen might not be able to understand why inequality causes consequences because they do not experience the same situations. Those who earn more do not need to work more hours and sacrifice little things, such as vacations, in order for their children to go to school. They may not even notice any changes to their lives because they make more than enough to live stress-free, while low income families spend most of their time struggling to make ends meet. Although this essay was written about 11 years ago, I believe it is still just as effective as when it was first written because the economy is constantly changing and always leads to consequences because of the inequality present in society.
It's not just about working hard how the old American myth states. The other side would say that it's society's fault for so many people being poor in America. It's all really personal responsibility. In The working poor by David K Shipler goes over the traits on must have to be successful in America.
Society believes those living in poverty are often perceived as lazy, not hardworking or uneducated. Which is often not the case, but rather these families are doing everything in their power to meet daily needs. For instance, my home point of view during my childhood and adolescent years were surrounded by women whom are all educated, and exemplified great independence, strength and work ethic. The woman that was most influential in my upbringing is my mother. My father was absent in my childhood.
When the High-Class is becoming richer the Middle-Class and Lower-class become poorer it creates social Inequality. Krugman also writes,” The fact is that vast inequality inevitability brings vast social inequality in its train.” 563. When economic tide favors the high-class it starts to tear gaps between the classes. Social inequality can make it hard for many Americans to strive or even live
Poverty is a genuine issue in some parts of the world and social classes do influence poverty. However, Compos believes the old saying “the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.” In the article "White Economic Privileged Is Alive and Well" by Paul
To improve the situation, Obama wants to apply a revalorization of the minimum income and benefit from taxes on the rich. Today the average income of the 10 per cent of the richest is sixteen times greater than the 10 per cent of the poorest. What’s more, the number of “working poor” in America has increased significantly. In 2011, 47.5 million people lived in families earning less than 200 per cent of the official poverty rate.
Kids in low income families tend to go to low quality schools and are not able to go to college. This causes the workforce as a whole to be less productive. Now here is the real mind-bender. “As income inequality grows, more and more resources are concentrated in the hands of the wealthiest. So, the idea goes, the wealthiest are better able to steer policies in directions that protect inequality at the expense of growth.”
There’s work enough for all who want it. People are poor because they’re too lazy to work. There’s nothing beautiful about laziness.” (Smith, page 322) This shows what Francies teacher thinks of poverty, that it isn’t real, that everyone who wants work can find it and make as much money as they need.
As a reader reads Barbara Ehrenreich’s book Nickel and Dimed on (Not) Getting by in America, they get an insight on what it is like to live a low income life. Ehrenreich proposes the argument in the introduction that poverty is a serious matter and just because one has a job does not mean they are not considered poor. She wants to persuade us to realize that American is not the land of opportunity as promised and portrayed and there are regular people who are struggling to live a comfortable life. Throughout her book she mentions her experiences with living on minimum wage, the hiring process, and how she felt being put in that position. After reading Ehrenreich’s book I am thoroughly persuaded.
191).” There is always going to be rich and poor, but if everyone was treated equally on a social level that would allow individuals to obtain the same opportunities regarding education and work. Upward social mobility relative to one’s parent becomes controversial today because of the large gaps in our class system. Not everyone’s parents have a well-paying job, so it may be slightly easier for those kids who can afford an education, which will guarantee them a job and ultimately boost their upward mobility in the
In the discussion of social inequality, one cannot leave out the sociological theories and models proposed by Karl Marx and Adam Smith. Generally, social inequality refers to the presence of unequal treatment, opportunities and rewards tied to people of various social standings within the hierarchy of a community group or society. Some common types of social inequality include wealth and income disparity as well as social class stratification. For Marx and Smith, both had explored the various types of social inequality in society.
One misconception society has is that the poor are poor, because of their own choices or mistakes. The media often chooses to portray the impoverished in a rough neighbourhood barely getting by, without showing the outside factors that have contributed to the situation, like generational and situational poverty. This sells the idea that those who work hard and dream big, will become successful; and the myth comes from a background of privilege, race, and education. People often assume that everyone has an equal chance and access to resources, which can result in achievement. However this assumption is unrealistic and
The ending of poverty would result in a huge accomplishment, but it wouldn’t result in the end of feeling poor. Income is a total difference, there’s the first class, middle class, and the third class. Obviously the first class is the richest, the middle class is well, the middle class, and the third class is making money to get by. If poverty were to be ended, the feeling of being poor will always be there, “people will still feel poor even after they escape extreme poverty — especially when they’re bombarded by ads, television series, and movies showing how the other half live” (Altman) We all feel this way, no matter how rich or poor we are.