Through the looking class...how it's actually reality...

An analysis of the following quotes referenced in the following three articles:

Cause of Death: Inequality by Alejandro Reuss

"In all, the lower you are in a social hierarchy, the worse your health and the shorter your life are likely to be...Many of us have probably said to ourselves, after a trying day on the job, 'They're killing me.' Turns out it's not just a figure of speech. Inequality kills - and it starts at the bottom" (Reuss, 302,304)

Why Are Droves of Unqualified, Unprepared Kids Getting into Our Top Colleges? Because Their Dads Are Alumni by John Larew

"It is somewhat ironic to have us so deeply disturbed over a program where race is an element of consciousness, and yet to be aware of the fact, as we are, that institutions of higher learning have given conceded preferences to the children of alumni" (Larew, 307)

The Silver Spoon: Inheritance and the Staggered Start by Stephen J McNamee and Robert K Miller Jr.

"If we think of money as a measure of who gets how much of what there is to get, the race to get ahead does not start anew with each generation. Instead, it is more like a relay race in which we inherit a starting point from our parents" (McNamee & Miller Jr., 136)

      When the average person thinks of the "American Dream" seldom do they take into account the many obstacles that are involved while climbing that ladder towards success. Although we live in a society engendered with feelings of hope and malleability, the abhorrent truth is that our "class" system may be moderately analogous to that of the caste systems in the past. The three articles above explore just the surface of this perpetually growing canyon that we are building in between classes...

      The first article discusses social class in relation to life expectancy. One of the author's main points is the dismal truth that those in the lower classes are destined for shorter, unhealthier lives than their superior counterparts. The author delves into a number of statistics, ranging from topics such as the correlation of one's social class on the likelihood of becoming an alcoholic, the relationship between social class and rate of exercise, and ultimately the correlation between job status/title and life expectancy, to name a few. In all of his findings, it is clear-cut that there is an extremely strong correlation between the fact that those in lower classes are more likely to develop deleterious habits, not live s long as their superiors, and/or die of various diseases. It may seem like common sense that those who have less will not be afforded the same luxuries as those above them including proper health care, exercise and relaxation days, and a proper education, however as a society we have yet to find a way to assuage these terrible findings, and this is a problem that is only going to get worse as the gap between classes thickens...

      The second article delves into a serious debacle found in the admissions offices of various elite Ivy League Universities. As seen in the quote above, one of the author's main points is that colleges may be making attempts to assuage issues of diversity, yet they are unjust by ironically claiming that favoritism of children of alumni is not a problem. The article describes the distasteful truth that many Ivy League Universities are granting acceptance to under-qualified students (who are children of alumni) over other applicants. Even though certain applicants may not have the proper criteria to make it through the arduous process, whether or not they are the offspring of an alum heavily weighs into their decision. The author retells statements given by deans of various universities and touches upon the fact that all of them acknowledge the financial bolster that these parents give to the institution, and thus are important to maintain a relationship with. Ironically, there are some individuals that are aware of this, yet understand that although the alum may become perturbed for a while, they eventually return to support the institution. With education being a vital determinant of one's success, we cannot sacrifice one's educational opportunity for the chance of bolstering our financial situation. It is important to offer everyone an equal opportunity at a proper education, thus allowing for mobility among classes, and assuaging any formation of elitist caste systems...

      The third article mentioned above discusses the head-start that many individuals are granted simply by being born into a family that is well-off. As obvious as this statement may seem, the author describes how children born into affluent families are already ahead of others, and how easy it is for the trend to continue, shutting out others' chance of gaining wealth and success. One of the author's main points, as seen in the quote above, is that the "race" towards wealth and success is better described as a relay race based on the fact that inheritance from one's parents surely gives them an advantage over others. Although there are the aberrant cases where a person from a lower class family becomes very successful, wealth seems to be a family characteristic that is easily passed down from generation to generation. The article also touches upon the fact that we do not live in a society where the economic situation can be described as simply symmetrical or even bell-shaped. Instead, we live in a world where the poor greatly outnumber the rich, and with the gap between these classes growing larger, we are only creating a larger obstacle to overcome...

      In today's society, establishing an elite or successful role is certainly contingent upon the education that one achieves, and although we believe in providing educational opportunities for everyone equally, we may not be following through with that promise. In addition, those individuals who find themselves in the lower classes are not privileged with the same resources affording them an equal chance to succeed. The three contingencies displayed in the above articles further bolster the fact that something needs to be done in order to overcome this turmoil. If we are not affording everyone the same opportunity at education, and making it nearly impossible for poor individuals to ascend from their class (based on a disadvantage), then we are setting those "less-privileged" up for shorter and unhealthier lives, creating our own heinous version of "survival of the fittest"...

      These three articles really opened my eyes to the various ways in which we truly bolster the concept of class differentiation, whether we like it or not. Being part of a diverse school population, I truly observed the concepts discussed in all three of these articles. It bothered me when some of my classmates (from rich families) wouldn't try as hard in school simply because they knew that their parents would pay for them to go to any college anyway, especially if they picked their parents alma mater. In addition, there were some students that literally dropped out of school based on the fact that they assumed a position at their parent's companies (making more money than those coming out of college 4 years later). Finally, and most depressingly, I noticed many instances in which students from very low income families would completely lose all hope, and ultimately develop a myriad of health problems (many of my classmates turned to drugs and alcohol), and I have not heard any positive things about them since, [and I wouldn't expect them to have a rather long life expectancy either, having read about one of them in prison]...As an individual who grew up in a middle-class family, I was moderately unaware of the true turmoil that those in lower classes face. Conversely, growing up near an affluent neighborhood gave me a small perspective into the world of those "advantaged" folks. All of these articles made me think back to many instances in my life, and made me truly appreciate the opportunities that I was afforded, and I truly hope that in the future, many members of society will be able to say similar things about their successful endeavor through life...until then, I guess it's through the looking class and into the harsh reality...

Societal Generalizations & The paradox associated with the "Model Minority Myth"

An analysis of the quotes referenced from the following articles

 The Model Minority: Asian American "Success" as a Race Relations Failure by Frank Wu

"it contains the premise that people can be arranged by racial group, and furthermore, that the differences between racial groups are more significant than either the similarities between racial groups or the differences within them. It makes the race the main feature of an individual as well as the leading division among people..." (Wu, 375)

and

Let Me Work for It! by Isabelle Nguyen

"I have been robbed of the equal chance to prove myself, to see my mistakes and grow. I feel that I have so much to give, but my audience is content with what they 'know' of me...positive and negative stereotyping are different sides of the same coin. Both invalidate individuals as human beings and lead to negative consequences" (Nguyen, 377)

      When it comes to having preconceived notions about groups of people, society seems follow the same pattern which inexorably, has been to focus on generalizations...Racial stereotypes are seen as one of the most common identifiable characteristics associated with people, and whether they accurately represent an individual is entirely irrelevant. Instead, what matters is whether or not the individual fits within the constructs that are accepted by the rest of society. Taking into account the ethical problems associated with this societal behavior, it would seem necessary and apparent to stop using such vast generalizations that denigrate minority groups. More importantly, we should not overlook the fact that even those "positive" and "elitist" generalizations still have extremely adverse effects, as these two articles clearly demonstrate...

      The first focuses on the many intricate details that are associated with the "model minority myth", delving into the different expectations and assumptions that are made about Asian Americans, and later discussing the fact that being labeled as an erudite isn't necessarily a positive stereotype. One of the author's main points in the first article is that by categorizing and generalizing successful people based solely on their race, we have created a societal division that once again places people into categories of comparison among races, rather than allowing for everyone to have an equal chance at being deemed successful. This article explained the many colloquial generalizations that are made regarding the Asian American population, while providing justifiable arguments as to why these seemingly positive assumptions can be truly deleterious.  

      The second article shares a personal experience revolving around preconceived notions about race. Even though the author's personal account is extremely brief, it accurately bolsters the argument that being part of a "model minority" isn't necessarily positive. One of the main points in the second article is the fact that societal generalizations have led to inaccurate assumptions about groups of people, ultimately taking away the importance of an individual's true capability. This can certainly have many negative consequences, as different preconceived expectations are created, and consequently, performance is ultimately not based on an equal scale across races. As seen in the quote above, the author feels that she has been given unreasonably high expectations, and thus an unequal chance of achieving success in comparison to others outside of her minority. When people follow societal views of groups of people without truly taking the time to look at them on an individual level, members of minority groups are not given the respect and true acknowledgement that they deserve. 

      I truly enjoyed reading these two articles, as they focused on a topic that (as a caucasian male), I was truly unaware of. Growing up in a rather diverse school population, I certainly understood that there were different societal expectations across different races, but I never took the time to actually examine their consequences. I found it enlightening to learn about how something that could seem like such a "positive" stereotype can in fact have severely negative consequences. Both articles opened my eyes to the fact that by setting the bar high for some cohorts, we are ironically limiting their ability to successfully establish an identity outside of our expectations. On a microcosmic personal note, due to geographical location, students at my undergraduate institution (Queens College in Flushing, Queens, NY), were predominantly of Asian background. It was not uncommon for many of my classmates to naively assume that their Asian friends would do the best work and/or have the most knowledge about certain topics in class, thus there were many instances where my friends would recruit those "gifted" students for group projects. Ironically, in an attempt to break out of the cliche mold, some of these students really didn't put any effort in, and in fact were a hindrance on the group's project. I would always try to make a conscious effort when picking my group members, as I would base my decision on their diligence and knowledge once I began to get to know them, rather than by ignorantly thinking they'd just know it all because of their race...

 

      In general, we should not make assumptions about most things in life, especially people. By taking the time to truly learn about people on an individual level, we can gain a better understanding of who they are as a person, thus establishing an identity as an individual rather than as part of an expected "model" cohort...

      "You can't judge a book by its cover" - this old homage speaks volumes to the issue of race...(had to throw that pun in there)...

Thanks for reading!