Wealth and Social Class

In class this week we talked a lot about social class and wealth. We found that the rich keep getting richer and the poor keep getting poorer. This was demonstrated through the coin toss metaphor. We talked about how a common myth about America is that you can be anything you want to be and there are no class systems. However, it is evident in America that although they are not as formal, we still have class systems in the United States. Based on how much money you family has made over the generations, and what jobs they had, that determines what social class you are in. We even see in the movies set in American when someone from a wealthier family wants to marry a blue collar person, the wealthier family doesn't agree with it. But we can't make a generalization about everyone in America, that they are all stuck in their position in this class system. People aren't lying when the call America they land of opportunities. Almost anyone can get a High School education if they work hard, stay focused, and if others are there willing to help them. There are also so many ways to get a college education; online schooling, night classes, scholarships, financial aid, work study, community college, etc. A lot of countries don't have these opportunities. I know it isn't fair if I say that anyone can succeed if they just work hard. There are so many unexpected factors that come into play and knock you down when you are trying to make it. But what makes America different than other countries with set social standings is that anyone has the opportunity to rise up to higher standards of living and people are applauded for doing this as opposed to being told to stay where they are meant to be.