In the article titled "U.S.A., Land of Limitations" the author Nicholas Kristof argues that the success of a person in America is not based on talent and hard-work, but rather the financial status of their parents and the environment in which they were raised. He includes an example of the phenomenon where his childhood friend Rick Goff had all the traits to become a big success, but simply lacked opportunity from birth. Rick's lack of opportunity stemmed from the loss of his mother and an absent father. He was punished unfairly in school and dropped out for good in the 10th grade, being forced to turn to labor to support himself. I think there is truth behind this fact that opportunity can hinder one's ability to be successful. Unfortunately, this correlates with the color of skin, as the test-score gap for different races is certainly wide. What the author is saying is that although it is possible to make it from living in poverty to being in the top 10 percent financially, it is extremely rare and the odds weigh highly against it. This main point of the article is portrayed in a excerpt that reads:
"Alan Krueger, a Princeton economist, has noted that in the United States, parents’ incomes correlate to their adult children’s incomes roughly as heights do. "The chance of a person who was born to a family in the bottom 10 percent of the income distribution rising to the top 10 percent as an adult is about the same as the chance that a dad who is 5 feet 6 inches tall having a son who grows up to be over 6 feet 1 inch tall," Krueger observed in a speech. "It happens, but not often."".
The author is basically saying we will live the same lives as our parents did. If you were raised with little money, you will likely remain with little money. If you grew up rich, you will likely remain rich. America is not the "land of opportunity", but the kind of society where your outcome is largely determined by your beginning.
Point to share: To some degree, I agree with what the author is saying here. While there are cases of extraordinary people "making it", for the most part, this seems to be the case.
Nick, I also agree with the points you made throughout you blog that were related to the articles, specifically when you said "if you were raised with little money, you will likely remain with little money, if you grew up rich, you will likely remain rich." Also, I agree with how the outcome of someone is largely determined by their beginning.
ReplyDeleteNick, I like the point you made that "The author is basically saying we will live the same lives as our parents did." Im not saying I disagree at all, although as future educators, I wonder what ways we can inspire our future students to grow out of this mindset. I think it is important to teach kids, especially at a young age that their success should not be based on their families economic status. Although this frequently seems to be the case, I wonder what opportunities will be available for them to succeed coming from a low income family.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree, I like the idea of inspiring the youth
DeleteI agree with your analyzes of the text. The point you made about lack of operating correlating with skin color and the test score gap from different races is a reminder of how, like you said, yes it is possible to rise in social class, but the odds are certainly not in favor. I enjoyed the optimistic, yet realistic perspective.
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