Limiting Factors to Upward Social Mobility in America Essay -- Social

In the land of the â€Å"American Dream,† it is the common belief that there is a direct relationship between hard work and success. In this ideal prototype, those who put in long hours are bound for success and movement up the social ladder. Theoretically, one could be born into the â€Å"bottom of the food chain,† and with some hard work, rise into the realm of the social elite. As a testament to this global view of the United States, immigrants from all over the world have made the journey to the â€Å"land of opportunity† in hopes of better education, jobs, government, communities and lives for themselves and the generations following them. All of this is based on a system of social stratification – a guide to how successful one has been at achieving the American Dream. This evaluation of social class is based on many components, some of which are presented to people at birth, and not gained through hard work or money. The class system at play in the United States has become extremely complex – no longer adhering to the basic class values of our forefathers. Those trying to move up in the class system of America are often caught emulating the behaviors of the rich and famous, but this does not necessarily make them higher class. Many people think that there is a checklist to fill on their way up in the class system, but there is more to being upper class than just talking the talk or having the right credentials. One way to look at class is with the model developed by Janny Scott and David Leonhardt in their article, â€Å"Shadowy Lines That Still Divide,† in The New York Times. They state that â€Å"[o]ne way to think of a person’s position in society is to imagine a hand of cards. Everyone is dealt four cards, one from each suit: education, incom... ...at it has always been – being born into privilege. Works Cited Henwood, Doug. "Trash-o-nomics." White Trash : Race and Class in America. Ed. Matt Wray and Annalee Newitz. New York, NY: Routledge, 1997. 177-91. Malone, Bill C. Don't Get above Your Raisin' : Country Music and the Southern Working Class. New York, NY: University of Illinois P, 2005. 28. People Like Us. Dir. Louis Alvarez and Andrew Kolker. 2001. Scott, Janny, and David Leonhardt. "Shadowy Lines That Still Divide." Shadowy Lines That Still Divide. 15 May 2005.The New York Times.13 Nov. 2008 . Tse, Archie, and Ben Werschkul. "How Class Works." Graphic: How Class Works. 15 May 2005. The New York Times. 13 Nov. 2008 .