Annotated Bibliography Cohen, M. (2014, April 26). The American Dream is now just that for its middle classes – a dream. The Guardian, p. 00. “The American Dream is now just that for its middle classes – a dream” by Michael Cohen explains the perception of Americans towards the decline of the middle class. The article details how the middle class was viewed before the elections of President Obama, and how it’s viewed after the creation of the Affordable Care Act. The publisher of this article is very well know in reference to the affairs of the middle class, and would be considered creditable source. Contributor, G. (2013, October 24). The Rise And Fall Of The Middle Class In America. (SB, Ed.) Retrieved June 21, 2015, from Liberal America.org: …show more content…
America was ending a war and service men and women were returning to their homes to establish families and build their communities. This source provides historical context of where the middle class began. Due to the lack of author information, this source could be considered incredible. Frohlich, T. C. (2015, January 15). States Where the Middle Class Is Dying. Retrieved June 21, 2015 , from 24/7 WallStreet : http://247wallst.com/special-report/2015/01/22/states-where-the-middle-class-is-dying/4/ John Frohlich writes the article “States Where the Middle Class is Dying” to detail the declining effects of the middle class for certain states. This report describes how the states detailed have suffered the greatest during the decline of the middle class. This article is considered creditable and relates to the research. Gary Koenig, M. D. (2015, June 23). The Elusive Middle in America – What Has Happened to Middle-Class Income? Retrieved from AARP.org: …show more content…
Through examples such as the increase in college graduates, and fewer high school dropouts helped Americans move from the status quo of middle class to a higher income brackets, and overall better quality of life. This source is creditable. Rosenfeld, S. (2015, March 25). 14 ways Republicans have declared war on the middle class. Retrieved June 21, 2015, from Salon: http://www.salon.com/2015/03/25/14_ways_republicans_have_declared_war_on_the_middle_class_partner/ In “14 ways Republicans have declared war on the middle class; Poll after poll shows Americans strongly oppose almost every facet of the new GOP budget proposal” by Steven Rosenfeld, the author explains his perception of how the Republican Party has declared war on Middle Class America. The source is creditable and relates to the argument of the effectiveness of Middle Class America. Shaughnessy, H. (2012, May 04). The Future of the American Middle Class: As Defined by China. Forbes Magazine. Haydn Shaughnessy uses the article “The Future of the American Middle Class: As Defined by China” to illustrate his views of what Middle America will resemble in the
The middle class consisted of people who worked 9 to 5 jobs, and were able to afford entertainment. Meaning that this was the first time children were able to start actually living what we consider today as childhood, now that they don’t have to work in factories (“Impact of the Great Depression on Family and Home”1). However, during the great depression many middle class workers lost their jobs or had to work more hours for less money. Robbing these children of the freedoms they were previously given. Unfortunately, many children were pulled from school so they could get jobs to help provide for the family, some were sent away to live with other relatives, and many ran away (“What Were the Effects on the Children of the Great Depression?” 1).
Although the American economy is improving from the great recession , the middle class is shrinking, a problem for a consumerist based economy where the middle class makes up the consumerists. Every industry has a place in today’s world, however some industries are losing importance while others
Paul Krugman author of the article “Confronting Inequality” stresses the inequality of our social classes in the United States, he uses statistics to demonstrate the staggering consequences of this inequality within our social classes. Krugman emphasizes the fact that a majority of our wealth is owned by about one percent of the population, which is leaving the middle and lower class at an extreme disadvantage. One example Krugman uses is education; children that have wealthy families, have a higher percentage of finishing college than those of lower income families, proving the statement that Krugman was accentuating, “Class-inherited class- usually trumps talent.” The parents within this middle to lower class have been exceed their financial
The rich use tactics to gain the support of the middle class, but without losing any of their own riches, like wealth or power, for their own gain. It was at the cost of the “slaves, Indians, and poor whites” (Zinn 1). It spared the rich any expenses, but brought them much gain, from the support. Finally, the growth of the colonies positively impacted the rich as well, as they received the profits and benefits from the expansions. With one percent of property owners owning forty four percent of the wealth, it shows how the majority of the wealth was given to the rich, and not distributed among the other classes at all, deepening the division.
Reading through RIP, the Middle Class: 1946-2013, it became fairly obvious that the author, Edward McClelland, was presenting a thesis idea that consisted of promoting the middle class through examples of its prime time when middle class thrived. McClelland made the point clearly as he repeatedly provided examples ranging from the glory days of the assembly line industry that had provided high paying jobs for many people, to presidents who attempted to keep business within the United States to promote home grown jobs. He was especially focused on the point that the middle class was shrinking due to a large discrepancy between the wealthy and the rest of society as capitalism achieves its goal of padding the wealthiest and keeping the middle
The upper class wasn’t affected by the rise in unemployment and homelessness, unlike most other Americans. It is said by Relation of Class that, “While many of the richest people in America lost money when the stock market crashed, the upper classes as a whole still retained much of the wealth which they had held before the Great
America, the land of equity, has the largest ratio of rich citizens to poor citizens at 12:1. Compared to Japan and Germany’s measly 4:1, this information is outrageous. America is shown to have the most skewed economic pyramid when denoting the amount of people on each side of the economic slide. The selection, Class in America - 2006, an academic paper by Gregory Mantsios, argues the existence and magnitude of class and economic standing in the United States; through the use of fact and opinion, he creates the visual of a society severely divided by economic standing. Gregory Mantsios effectively convinces the audience of the differences in class sanding that cause a significant impact in the lives of americans and economic spectrum with his use of logos, anticipation, and credible evidence.
CNBC states, “the middle class was once a symbol of the American dream, but the American middle class today paints quite a different picture… between a rock and a hard place” (YouTube 2023). With inflation and the cost of living increasing, it is becoming harder for people, like the middle class, to keep up with the expenses. Furthermore, someone in the middle class years ago, would most likely be able to pay their needed expenses and have some left over. With the recent inflation, many middle classers now only have enough to pay for their needs, if they even have enough for those expenses. To put into perspective on why middle classers feel “poor”, according to a “survey in 2018 found that a third of middle income adults do not have $400 to cover an unexpected expense” (YouTube 2023).
In America after World War Two, citizens were split between classes based on their economic stability. Americans today still look at these classes and define these people as better off or worse off than the next person. Why do people judge others for having less money than them? Why do employers send lower class citizen away when they need the money the most? These are some question that citizens in the lower or middle class have when they are looking at their position in America’s economic system.
Edward McClelland is a journalist and the author of several books. In this particular article Mr. McClelland explores the decline of the middle-class. McClelland remembers the 1970’s as an era of blue-collar aristocrats and “The Decade That Taste Forgot” (550). “Although this all began to change in the 80’s” (550). “I know I am dating myself by writing this, but I remember a middle class.”
According to an article published the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History titled, “The Fifties”, the American middle-class grew rapidly during the 1950’s and by this time 60 percent of Americans were considered “middle-class”. Truman Capote’s book, In Cold Blood, chronicles the murder of a well-to-do middle-class family known as, the Clutter family. Capote uses the Clutter family to represent the rising middle-class in the 1950’s by showing a lifestyle that is comfortable yet modest. The middle-class consists of well-educated business workers who are neither rich nor poor.
In Huxley’s Brave New World and Orwell’s 1984 both tell tales of a society where the middle class ceases to exist. Neither of these books portrays a middle social class and thus the boundaries between the rich and the poor is evident. Huxley and Orwell warn of the middle class in the social hierarchy and how a buffer is needed in a social hierarchy in order to maintain a satisfied nation by envisioning a disastrous future where the buffer is not present. By applying the same idea today, one is able to witness the economical effect that ensues upon the middle class in first world countries such as the United States. Huxley and Orwell’s warning came true to a certain extent where the middle class today suffers from the economical repercussions
Many economists argue about the exact nature of the relationship of social mobility in the context of the modern economy. One such economist, Paul Krugman, negatively comments in his essay “The Death of Horatio Alger” on the decreasing social mobility among low-wage citizens in the United States. He claims that the American dream of advancement opportunities will diminish as the wealthy aim to prevent others from rising above them in the business world. Moreover, he labels America’s unequal society as a rigid “caste system” and opposes those who ignore the system’s lack of fairness to the lower class (134). Although Krugman strongly criticizes the inflexibility of economic mobility, his informal tone, biased perspective, and unjustifiable approach make his argument not only ineffective but also offensive.
Wealth and Inequality in America Inequality The inequality in America has increased over time; the gap between the rich and the poor has become a problem that many Americans don’t see. Inequality is the extent of income which is distributed unequally among the citizenry. The inequality of the United has a large gap between the poor and the rich making it unfair to the population, the rich are becoming wealthier and the poor remain poor. The article “Of the 1%, By the 1%, For the 1%”, authored by Joseph E. Stiglitz describes that there is a 1 percent amount of American’s who are consuming about a quarter of the United States income in a year.
Atlantic Media Company, 18 May 2012. Web. 27 Apr. 2016. "The American Middle Class Is Losing Ground. "