The American Dream

I really like the article, "Class In America". Class status always seemed to be that unspoken truth. The truth that there is an invisible scale that measures our success in this world. Everyone is on it, whether we like it, believe in it, or care about it. Although my beliefs have trained me to measure myself against a different scale, that still dosen't change where I am on the graph. If I think about it through the lens of the author of this article, the underlying reason for my being in this sociology class is to obtain a degree so that doors that were once closed to me will be opened. I do want to move up and I am willing to push myself to the limit and beyond to get ahead.

A classmate of mine used Bill Clinton as a reference to someone who started from nothing to go on to become an important part of American history. She said, " He not only received the education that changed his social standing, but he worked hard enough to recieve a scholarship at a prestigious school ultimately leading him to his role as President of The United States". She said this to say that hard work is the way to the American Dream. I truly believe that.

There are some things that I would like to learn more about. How much influence do our parents have on our success in moving up? The article touches on this subject but, never explains why. One of my classmates said that she believed that the children of the upper class had a bit of an advantage in moving up in class than the lower class because they did not have to worry about finacial burden. I really agree with her on that. On a personal note, I don't know anyone who has moved up from the class of their parents which is low class or low middle class. Why is that? According to the article, they can move. But why haven't they.