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Natadecha-Sponsel's 'The Rich, And The Famous'

1007 Words5 Pages

In Natadecha- Sponsel’s, “The Young, the Rich, and the Famous”, she claims that Americans are into the individualistic, superfluous and shallow as a culture. The author says this is evident through their friendships with one another. She also claims it is seen through the practice of kids working while getting an education. Sponsel tries to reason that parents place their kids in advanced classes and promote excellence in extracurricular activities as a shortcut to fame and fortune. The claims Natadecha- Sponsel makes, that Americans are self-serving and shallow are false because it is impossible to amalgamate a broad culture under a single characteristic based on only a few personal interactions. American friendships, if they are truly …show more content…

The author asserts that American parents see activities such as advanced classes and extracurricular activities as a quick means of individualistic achievement, fame, and fortune. Sponsel says that, “Many parents encourage their children to take special courses and to work hard to excel in sports as a shortcut to becoming rich and famous.” (Sponsel, 81). Her reasoning is terribly askew. While it is true Americans are pushed very hard to excel in these areas, it is a minute percentage that do so for the sole purpose of making their kids stars. The author fails to see that advanced classes challenge kids to learn more and therefore become more well rounded individuals better prepared for the world. Advanced courses also help broaden the scope of where kids can go for higher education giving them more options. After all any right thinking parent would not want their child to have as many opportunities as possible. As far as athletics and fine arts goes most parents are fully aware of the fact that their kids are not going to be superstar athletes. One would have to think the majority of parents are completely ignorant of the world they live in to think otherwise. The reason they encourage them to participate in such activities is because it teaches valuable lessons. By being on a team, troupe or

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