Wealth in America
Jaden Braunwarth
Deserving Equality
According to the ideology of the American Dream, America is the land of limitless opportunity in which individuals can go as far as there own merit takes them. Americans believe in meritocracy, a level playing field, where people succeed based on talent and ability rather than wealth. Even though it’s ideal to believe that everyone is equally able to succeed, society has developed the concept of social class to categorize people into different groups based on economic status. This system of social stratification contributes to the difficulties that the middle and lower classes have to experience in order to succeed. People are so wrapped up in the idea of meritocracy that society looks to the wealthy as hard working and deserving of their status while the poor are seen as somehow deserving of their low status because they haven’t risen out of their social class. The reality is that America is a wealth-based nation, and no matter the amount of drive or talent one may have, the people at the top of the totem pole are almost always favored over those at the bottom. We are not a meritocracy, not everyone deserves their place in society, and not everyone is created equal, no matter how ideal that sounds.
In an ideal world, everyone would be able to provide for themselves and their loved ones in a comfortable and happy matter. But the cruel fact is that our economy does not favor the unfortunate, and the gap between the rich and the poor has only continued to escalate as the majority of the wealth remains concentrated in only a small percent of the population. It is far easier for wealthy than it is for poor people to gain wealth. If there were two men applying for a job that both had the same qualifications but one had a much nicer suit than the other and was known because of status, chances are the employer would hire the wealthier man. We know this because people naturally look out for themselves before anyone else and it would
Deserving Equality
According to the ideology of the American Dream, America is the land of limitless opportunity in which individuals can go as far as there own merit takes them. Americans believe in meritocracy, a level playing field, where people succeed based on talent and ability rather than wealth. Even though it’s ideal to believe that everyone is equally able to succeed, society has developed the concept of social class to categorize people into different groups based on economic status. This system of social stratification contributes to the difficulties that the middle and lower classes have to experience in order to succeed. People are so wrapped up in the idea of meritocracy that society looks to the wealthy as hard working and deserving of their status while the poor are seen as somehow deserving of their low status because they haven’t risen out of their social class. The reality is that America is a wealth-based nation, and no matter the amount of drive or talent one may have, the people at the top of the totem pole are almost always favored over those at the bottom. We are not a meritocracy, not everyone deserves their place in society, and not everyone is created equal, no matter how ideal that sounds.
In an ideal world, everyone would be able to provide for themselves and their loved ones in a comfortable and happy matter. But the cruel fact is that our economy does not favor the unfortunate, and the gap between the rich and the poor has only continued to escalate as the majority of the wealth remains concentrated in only a small percent of the population. It is far easier for wealthy than it is for poor people to gain wealth. If there were two men applying for a job that both had the same qualifications but one had a much nicer suit than the other and was known because of status, chances are the employer would hire the wealthier man. We know this because people naturally look out for themselves before anyone else and it would