If you're born into a rich family, you're already going to be better off. As stated in Source A, "students growing up in richer families have better grades and higher standardized test scores, on average, than poorer students". This alone shows that they are set up to be more successful. How is that equal? It isn't a child's fault that they were born into a poorer family, yet it seems they are being punished for it. This may not be able to fix this problem, but it is a great example of how unequal things are in America. Something tells me that this huge gap in social class isn't as normal as we think it is.
Source C is about this teenage girl, Jinzhao Wang, who moved to America from China. She said that she has never seen anything like the huge Long Island mansions before. This got me thinking of how far apart the lower class is from the lower class. It most definitely causes a problem with how unequal things are. Later in the same source, a 17-year-old girl from the Dominican Republic said something interesting. "I think this American dream is an interpretation of a white poor man's dream." In a way she's right. We are told that having a lot of money is a common way to look at this American dream. Obviously this isn't possible for everyone. The problem is that everyone wants this. "Regardless of birthplace, 310 million Americans face the same expectation" (Source D). Everyone in America wants this dream, and it isn't going to happen for everyone. So, it only happens for those who have enough luck.
The American dream. It's out there, and everyone knows it. It isn't impossible to reach, because nothing is impossible. Though, it's rather ironic that part of the American dream is having equality, and there is little to no equality when it comes to reaching this dream. While I do make it seem like I believe this dream is nearly impossible, I do have hope that one day we will be able to have this American dream become the American reality.
I agree on that the American dream is out there but equality just isn't in the mix, especially when social disparity keeps rising. Everytime I'm on this topic I think to myself if a poor man is given the same opportunities as a rich man. The answer to that is no and you're absolutely right that equality isn't present.
ReplyDeleteI like what you said that "It isn't a child's fault that they were born into a poorer family, yet it seems they are being punished for it," because I find this to be very very true. Children born into poorer families are cut out of opportunities that would otherwise be available to them if they had more money.
ReplyDeleteI found the idea of source C to be very good, but it seemed very... oblivious. Everyone wants something, but not everyone is going to get that something, and a lot of people who work hard for things will not get them. Sure, the US is the "land of opportunity", but if only if could be the "land of equal opportunity."