All men are created equal – that is, unless you subscribe to Andrew Carnegies ideas put forth in the 1889 essay “The Gospel of Wealth.” Carnegie (2010) wrote that some people are “unworthy” while others are “the highest type of man, the best and most valuable of all that humanity has yet accomplished” (p. 395). Carnegie’s (2010) belief in social Darwinism and “survival of the fittest” (p. 393) seemed to convince him that because he had achieved wealth, he was the most fit or qualified to determine the best distribution for it. However, Carnegie’s ideas on wealth distribution do not address many societal problems, especially poverty. Poverty was better addressed by John Galbraith (2010), Harvard economics professor and John F. Kennedy advisor, who had differing views on wealth distribution (pp. 405-415). Because Galbraith had a more compassionate view toward all people, he would likely criticize Carnegie’s ideas on distribution of wealth and modify Carnegie’s investments in the public sector. Galbraith’s overall view was also more true to the gospel than Carnegie’s views as expressed in “The Gospel of Wealth.”…
Children who are born into upper-class families are given the opportunity of going to the best schools and getting the best tutors. During school they don’t have to worry about having an after school job or figure out how they are going to balance work and school. They are free to concentrate on getting a good education. They also have the means to continue their education at the top universities. During their school years they also have the ability to make good contacts for future well-paying jobs that will help keep their family in the upper-class. A good example of this is the American profile of Harold S. Browning. Browning was the child of an upper-class family in Manhattan, New York. He attended private schools that were known for providing the finest education. He had tutors in both French and mathematics. During high school he attended a preparatory school. The school was very prestigious and his “classmates included the sons of ambassadors, doctors, attorneys, television personalities, and well-known business leaders” (703). He then went on to an Ivy League college and majored in economics and political science. Today he is an executive vice president of SmithBond and Co. He has an annual salary of $315,000, a professionally decorated condominium on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, and a farm in northwest Connecticut which he uses for weekend…
When it comes to the topic of standardized testing, a number of students have recently suggested that it is an inadequate form of summing up a student's intellect. In her book, The Tyranny of the Meritocracy: Democratizing Higher Education in America, Harvard Law Professor Lani Guinier writes that standardized testing "is not a fair indicator of a student's overall success in higher education." The essence of Guinier's argument is that some students may perform better than others during standardized tests. However, that does not reflect upon their full abilities nor factor in their grades from previous classes. Guinier argues that grades represent a student's drive for higher education through time and self-discipline. Thus, Guinier believes that standardized tests are unreliable. This interpretation challenges the work of students with a desire to pursue higher education and believe the standardized testing weighs significantly. Of course, there are few that do not share this deduction. Touro Law Professor Dan Subotnik contends in response to Guinier in his Touro Law Review writing Tyranny of the Meritocracy? A Disputation Over Testing with Professor Lani…
This is shown in the fact that 68.7 percent of the world’s population only holds three percent of the wealth in the world and only 8.4 percent of the world’s population has 83.3 percent of the wealth of the world (Doc 6). The 68.7 percent of the world with the least amount of money often works in factories for very low wages, these factories being owned by the most wealthy. This relates to how those who get ahead have to step on others, with the wealthy exploiting the poor for their wealth.…
The assertions made by Lewis Lapham’s Money and Class in America distinguishes the meaning of success and the requirements for respect from Americans to that of other strong societies. In his essay he defends that Americans show respect for those with a high economic status while other nations feel art and intellect are warrant for respect. With this, he agrees with Henry Adams that Americans are greatly materialistic in the sense that they try to find “success” in wealth because they have been “deflected by the pursuit of money”. Though the idea that Americans favor and respect a high economic status is true, Lapham’s claim that they do so because they are socially forced to is not accurate because they still have the ability to make a choice.…
If you were asked what class you are in today's society, you most likely wouldn’t be able to answer. Human genetics give you a chance to use your instincts and personal characteristics to do what you want with your life. You can choose what job you do and also who you end up with. Class distinction in today’s society isn’t as different than in Brave New World as it would seem. Depending on the level of intelligence you have and what types of careers you pursue, you are classed into a certain category. For example you are either rich, middle class or poor. Rich people have jobs like doctors and lawyers. Most of them believe they are better than most people because of their job qualifications and their salary per-year. "We're finding that the super wealthy tell a story about why they have what they have. In essence, they believe they're a different kind of person, with genes more suitable to success." (DeAngelis, Tori. "Class Differences." American Psychological Association. N.p., Feb. 2015. Web. 23 Mar. 2016. http://www.apa.org/monitor/2015/02/class-differences.aspx) Just like in Brave New World, Alpha’s believe they have more quality of a gene, which they do but they take that to an advantage just like the rich in todays society. The richer take advantage of their money and power and spoil themselves rather than help others in need. The middle class and poor…
Thus, the second section will present five arguments that support this idea. Firstly I will argue about the relative age effect through the examples of hockey players. Secondly, the demographical advantage will be presented through the example of ‘the seventy-five richest people’ and the example of successful American businessmen. Thirdly, I will talk about the family background argument with the example of the ‘entitlement (2008:105).Finally, I will present the…
Since the mid-1800s education has been a very important factor in living a successful and happy life. Education has become an essential part to getting jobs and expanding knowledge. Education theory is the theory of the purpose, application and interpretation of education and learning (ucdoer). The theories Of Education depict the many different ways people learn, and how different schools and places handle the many ways of learning. Two of the many theories of learning are The Meritocratic Theory and The Democratic Theory, while discussing these theories writer Louis Menand in “Why We Have College” menand states the reasons why colleges exist and how certain people understand what college is for and how society separates different groups of…
Imagine this: you're a teacher at a very prestigious school, with an exceptional group of students. Your students try their hardest, but some subjects of the curriculum are more difficult than others. Most kids do well on the tests, with a few slipping through the cracks, and the only thought you have is, “how will this affect my paycheck?” Merit pay, according to google, is the raise in pay based on a set of criteria set by the employer. Merit pay is nothing but pernicious to not only the teacher, but the student and school as well. Pay for performance leads to no improvement in teaching by stripping teachers of their motivation to teach. It also leads to a narrower curriculum and ultimately more test prep and money. Additionally, it ultimately leads to corrupt incidences, such as the situations in Atlanta, North Carolina and New York.…
Imagine two job applications came across your desk; one belongs to a Caucasian female and the other belongs to an African-American female. Which one would you choose? The African-American female who has experience in your specific work field or the Caucasian female who graduated from a good school and received a Merit scholarship for college? Would you look at their individual background or their individual skin color? A lot of businesses tend to choose the Caucasian woman. In today’s society, no matter where you go, there will be white privilege. White privilege is an advantage that white people have over non-whites and it is manifested by preferential treatment. By analyzing Difference Matters by Brenda Allen, White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack by Peggy McIntosh and Jennifer Pozner’s article in Barclay Barrios’ Emerging, we can understand white privilege as an rarely talked about concept but certainly can be recognized when people of other races are treated less fairly as if they are below white people.…
In this essay I intend to explain what Dr. Parenti’s position on wealth versus want in the United States, how those two ideas work with each other and against each other to undermine the three fundamental principles of democracy. Wealth as defined by Dr. Parenti can be found in the opening pages of chapter four when he goes into detail about the class system that exists in the United States. The United States has been touted as a nation of middle class citizens, Dr. Parenti argues that this hasn’t been the case in many decades and will only get worse as time goes one. Rather than have an upper, middle and lower class system, we have an owning class, employee class and finally the serfs or laborers.…
The American Dream based upon a system of meritocracy, is an interesting aspect of the American culture. It is based on the premise that with hard work and patience, anything is possible. Financial security, social status and a stable lifestyle await those who put in the time and effort. While it is a comforting thought to hold onto while putting in forty plus hours at week at your job, its reality is hard to prove. The American Dream relies on so many factors, that it seems as if only certain people will actually be able to achieve it, while others continually struggle. In this paper, I will examine the roots of the American Dream in the Protestant Work Ethic and display the…
For instance, if there are two students who are studying in school, one who is poor, the other who is rich, will that effect their future? The poor student may spend time working part time in order to pay for school, and to support their family, while the rich student will spend that time studying. The rich student will also be able to afford the best tutor, allowing them to receive the higher grades, which will give them access to ivy league schools. The recognition the students from these institutions will receive will eventually lead to a promising career at a high end company. However, the student that cannot afford this will go to a mediocre school, and receive a mediocre job, with little chance of every reaching the position of CEO. Of course this point can be argued against by saying that hard work can change the outcome of any person, and even the less rich student can be more successful than the rich student. However, this is where the “front, middle and back office” concept becomes an issue. In Ho’s article, everyone in the “elite” group, who came from Harvard, Yale and other top schools was given better supplies, nicer food, and overall more benefits (Ho 2009: 76). The people in lower offices were working hard yet they had no recognition, unless it was criticism on a mistake. This shows how some people can work hard, but there is no moving up the social hierarchy that has been set in…
Have you ever wondered why people from different communities claim one side of town to be the better or bad part of town? What we, as a society, do not realize or most times understand, is that the affluent, middle and lower-class households actually have an unspoken symbiotic relationship with one another. The rich are dependent upon the middle and lower-classes, the middle class is dependent on the affluent and lower-class and the lower class is dependent upon the upper and middle class. All of the societal tiers provide one another with the means or purpose to live and survive.…
I have never been happy with meritocracy. Every task that I've been given, I strive my best to accomplish. As I matured through the ranks I came across good and bad leadership. I've noticed that the longer you are in the Marine Corps, it is no longer about you. It is about looking out for the Marines’ welfare. “With great power, comes even greater responsibility” that is a quote everyone has heard, but do you really understand it?…