Issue of Social Inequality in United States Essay Example
What is inequality? Research suggests that inequality in the society is the existence of unequal rewards and opportunities for various social status or positions within society or a given group (Stuber, 2016). The United States is highly stratified compared to other European countries with nobility title. The causes of social inequality can be discussed via two approaches that prevail to explain about poverty. This includes the blaming of society and blaming the poor citizens (Stuber, 2016).
On blaming the poor, the Americans have plenty of opportunities to attain their dreams; however, they lack enough skills, motivation and training to seek jobs. People argue that the primary reason for poverty is inadequate employment opportunities. In blaming the society, lack of jobs contributes to poverty and citizens cannot support their families. I
...nequality in the society as well has major effects on American people. For instance, a newborn child in the poor background has a high chance to lose life due to violence, diseases or accidents compared to the rich background. Do all Americans have an equal opportunity to succeed in life? The question is debatable and normally depends on someone’s opinion.
I would suggest that we do not have equal chances to succeed in life. Studies stated that we all have equal legal opportunities, however; we do not have same opportunities to succeed in factual life (Naylor, L1999). All American people have the same legal chance to get ahead as stated by the constitution. The law states that all people of all races and all earning level are same in the eyes of the decree. In America, people of color and poor citizens are not legally prohibited from holdin
given jobs in the society.
Therefore, we can conclude that we have equal opportunities according to such law. Contrary, I disagree with such conclusion given that poorer people face real obstacles to success. In United States people of same income level tend to live mutually. Given that our schools in America are funded by local property taxes, it follows that schools in towns are better funded compared to the ones in poor towns. Children from poor towns thus do not get a quality education.
Human beings are born with various sorts of aptitudes and interested hence do not have same opportunities. Why is inequality in the U.S.A so high today? Research reveals various reasons why we have inequality in America currently. It has been brought up by American’s cultural optimism (De, 2003). Americans have a dream that everyone who works tediously can go up economically regardless of the social circumstances.
Researchers fail to understand if people have the true sense of economic movement. Inequality is brought up by American’s overestimation of the amount of upward communal mobility that exists in the general public. The existence of inequality in America today is because of the notion that the country is of the haves and soon to have people. It makes the people tolerate difference since they believe such stories can happen in reality.
The apathy concerning inequality it is because of rose colored misperceptions as considered by various studies. Since the Americans are not rioting in streets due to inequality, then it is not a serious matter. Research suggests that about five percent of Americans believe inequality is a major problem that requires attention (De, 2003). If globalization and technology
could be the cause of inequality, then it should be universal rather than in American today. Compared with other nations the level of inequality in America has recently grown steadily over years due to the gap between rich and poor.
The United States is doing less than other developed nations to reduce poverty and homelessness? Why? Studies show that American people can only be termed as poor according to American standards (Hollander & Hollander, 2015). Assumptions that everyone is okay with the trending inequality make America reduce the efforts to reduce homelessness and poverty. Someone can be termed rich in other nations but poor in America hence the concern to help such people from poverty becomes difficult. In other nations, all people treated equality regardless whether same outside country they are rich all not. The concern is to ensure that all street families are eradicated and ensure that they have a place to dwell.
Since almost everyone in America can afford basic needs, the concern to reduce poverty is underestimated and less attention provided. Is inequality ever beneficial to society? The question is debatable in that economic inequality makes rich people have an unacceptable degree of ruling over the lives of other people. Inequality in the society can destabilize the fairness of political organizations (Hollander & Hollander, 2015). The people in political offices can well represent the ones who are rich and neglect the poor hence causing unfairness. Discrimination and especially in economy brings about inequality of the economy system itself.
The concern to create equal opportunities becomes tough. Inequality in the economy means that some people will get to workforce better skilled compared to others. What is
meant by the statement “The rich get richer and the poor get prison”? The statement explains that the law of a given society is not just, equal and universal rather it is just portrayed as such to the community (Taibbi, 2013). The real life situation the law works in favor for those who are in power. The reality is that law system is not focused on the elites in the society but the poor crimes and the street level crimes. In most cases research focuses on street crime and poor crimes in the society.
The poor continues to be poor since they do not exploit their potential like the rich who shall always move forward.
References
- De, F. D. M. (2003). Inequality in Latin America and the Caribbean: Breaking with history?. Washington, D.C: The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
- Hollander, S., & Hollander, S. (2015). John Stuart Mill: Political economist.
- Naylor, L. L. (1999). Problems and issues of diversity in the United States.
Westport, Conn. u.a.: Bergin & Garvey.
- Stuber, J. (2016). Exploring inequality: A sociological approach.
- Taibbi, M. (2013). The divide: American injustice in the age of the wealth gap
