1.

Janna alanis

Period 7

12-15-17

2+

Stance on social inequality in America

Today in America,there are many problems within the United States which prevent our

nation from becoming the American Dream.Currently,there are varying stances about these

issues and their solutions.However,it can be agreed that without proper actions,our nation may

never be equal.

In the text 50 Essays author Paul krugman argues that class trumps grit.A piece of

evidence that compliments this statement is the study conducted by the National Center for

Education Statistics.In this study, success was measured by economic status and apparent

talent. According to Krugman the study showed rich dumb kids,..were more likely to finish

college than students who scored in the top fourth quartile but whose parents were in the

bottom fourth.What this shows us is that even though you have grit and determination you can

be trumped by someone due to their wealth and class.This proves that the idea of meritocracy

being rewarded in America, is a fantasy. However,in the Ted talk called The power of passion

and perseverance by Angela Lee Duckworth she states that success is reached by having

grit.During her speech she mentions that in many different situations she had studied, grit was

always a significant predictor of success.She then continues to states grittier kids were

significantly more likely to graduate,even when I matched them on every characteristic I could

measure, things like family income, standardized achievement test scores, even how safe kids

felt when they were at school. What this tells us is that class or talent didnt matter,those who

have grit were proven more likely to succeed. Nevertheless, I believe that author Paul Krugman

is right when he states that class trumps grit.I believe he is right because there are many
examples of this in our society today.A great example of this resides in the current modeling

business.Kendall Jenner is featured on a reality show which centers around her and her famous

Kardashian siblings.In the recent years,she has modeled for many high end brands and has had

great success from this.However, she has also faced great backlash because her familys status

and wealth helped her acquire her modeling career.This shows that even though many other

models have worked hard for their careers,someone like Kendall jenner can get their career

handed to them due to her class.Because of examples like this, I agree with Paul Krugmans

idea that class trumps grit.

Another belief stated by Paul Krugman in 50 Essays is that our government is

corrupt.In the article,Krugman explains that looking to our political leaders to fix our nations

issues is a not a good solution because of the corruption.Krugman begins to talk about the

influence money has on our government.In the article he says hardly a week goes by without

the disclosure of a case in which the influence of money has grotesquely distorted U.S

government policy. He provides hedge funds and tax loopholes as examples of policies made

by rich politicians to only benefit the rich.This means that our government leaders are willing to

sell our laws at the expense of the publics equality. On the other hand,author Tim Roemer

believes that we should look to our government for help.In America remains the worlds beacon

of success Roemer states Addressing these issues will require leadership to meet the times,as

happened during the Civil War,the Great Depression,World War II and the civil rights era.What

this means is that Roemer suggests that our government leaders are a solution to the inequality

residing in our country.However,I believe Paul Krugmans idea of a corrupt government is right.I

believe this is right because I am currently witnessing a great example of government

corruption.Very recently,the United States government voted to repeal Net neutrality, a policy

which requires internet service providers to allow equal access to all content and applications

without favoring or blocking certain content regardless of user,website, or platform.It also

provided us with privacy while surfing the internet.But on December 14, our government
repealed this policy and ,in a sense, sold our privacy and rights to the highest bidders. The

government repealed this act because it not only benefits them, but it also benefits corporate

giants,who are all wealthy people.This is corruption brought by inequality because it will only

further extended the wage gap between the middle class,who will not be able to afford full

access to internet,and the wealthy who now own full access to the web.

Moreover,another topic Krugman speaks about is about the current state of

America.Author Krugman believes that the current state Americans reside in is a poor one

riddled with many economic and social problems. Krugman starts of by saying that Over the

past generations,..., the country has returned to Gilded Age levels of inequality.What he means

by this is that in the recent years, Americas society has become an unequal

one.However,author Tim Roemer believes differently. Roemer believes America Remains the

worlds beacon of success. In the article he says I learned that America is still deeply admired

around world and the place where many people want to live out their dreams. Per contra,I

believe Krugmans stance about the current condition in America is correct. I do not believe

America is in good conditions for many reasons.In the recent years, the United States has

created policies that widen the gap between the rich and the poor, meaning this hurts our

equality and economy. There have also been an increase of social conflicts ever since the

Presidential Election in 2016. All in all, the current condition has led me to believe our country

has seen better days.

In conclusion, our country has many problems that create social inequality. And although there

are many opposing views, it can be mutually agreed that action must be taken so that our nation

can become The American Dream it hopes to be.