sociology discussion

Week 3

SOSHTalk Assignment

Formatting Reminders

(for full instructions and grading rubric, please review the SOSHTalk Discussion Board folder under "Week 3")

each post must be 200+ words

APA citations and references are required for your initial post (and in response posts if material from the textbook or assigned web links is used)

proof read and edit before uploading your posts

include a Word Count (WC) for each post before your Reference(s)

Preparation

Read this short overview of the " American Dream "

Read Chapter 8, Stratification and Social Mobility in the US, in your text.  Your assignment must be informed by information from the chapter. No outside/web sources, please.

Attend the Week 3 Keiser Live! session or view the recording.

Watch this video on  Social Mobility and the American Dream

Review the  Purdue OWL  for instructions and examples of formatting in text citations and references.  In-text citations go in the paragraph and the reference list is located after the Word Count at the end of your paper.

Assignment

Often the argument is made that people can be economically successful/secure in the US if they "just work hard enough."  From what you learned in the chapter and the American Dream video, how realistic is this belief?  

If someone made a comment about the poor being poor because they don't work hard enough, what would you tell her/him from the chapter and the video to give provide a more accurate understanding about success, poverty, and mobility?

Click on "Week 3 SOSHTalk" then "Create Thread" to post your Initial Post.  Use the "Reply" option at the bottom of your classmate's posts to respond to their comments.

responses to two other student initial posts

1.

Stratification and Social Mobility in the US

According to Schaefer (2019), “the term social inequality describes a condition in which members of society have differing amounts of wealth, prestige, or power” (p. 170). In contrast, stratification is the term used to describe social inequality based on a hierarchy of groups (Schaefer, 2019). These people conserve unequal economic rewards and power in a society passed from one generation to another (Schaefer, 2019). Slavery, castes, estates, and social classes are the four general stratification systems determined by sociologists (Schaefer, 2019).

The stratification that caught my attention was social classes because "this class system is a social ranking based primarily on economic position in which achieved characteristics can influence social mobility" (Schaefer, 2019, p. 174). Social mobility referred to the possibility to move from one class to another one. For example, belonging to the working class and then going to college and graduating from nursing, you will move to the lower-middle class.

After reading Chapter 8 about stratification and social mobility in the United States, I can conclude that the argument of "people just have to work hard enough to be successful/secure" is not entirely accurate. Although putting in your best effort and working hard can help you achieve your goals; however, it does not necessarily mean that you can achieve belonging to the upper class. Your ascribed status, such as your race, gender, religious affiliation, and your parent's social class, will often determine your limitations from thriving in life, which will influence your archived statuses such as income, wealth, and power.

Additionally, when people say that "poor being poor because they do not work hard enough," it is not a reliable comment. According to Schaefer (2019), "12 percent of poor adults age 18–64 do work outside the home—37 percent of them full time—compared to 53 percent of all adults" (p. 186). Schaefer (2019) also reports that workers employed at minimum wage contribute to the United States' high poverty rate.

WC: 300

References

Schaefer, R. T. (2019).  Sociology: A brief introduction (13th ed). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

2.

The term “The American Dream.” Does not reflects the American dream for everyone. To better understand who is living the American dream, one would have to look at the five categories in the model class. The class model can be divided into five categories: upper-class, upper-middle-class, lower-middle-class, working-class, and lower-class. According to Mandi Woodruff (2014), 52 percent of the American wealth is controlled by the upper class, while only 5 percent is controlled by the lower class. “The term social inequality, which has been much in the headlines recently, describes a condition in which members of society have differing amounts of wealth, prestige, or power,” (Schaefer, 2019).

“A minority group is a subordinate group whose members have significantly less control or power over their own lives than members of a dominant group or majority group.” (Schaefer, 2019). The lower-class group is dominated by the minority group while, the upper-class group is dominated by the “white,” (Schaefer, 2019). It is safe to say that dominant groups enjoy privileges that others will never get the chance to enjoy.

“The glass ceiling refers to an invisible barrier that blocks the promotion of a qualified individual because of gender, race, or ethnicity,” (Schaefer, 2019). According to the glass ceiling, one’s chance of living the American Dream depends heavily on what group one is from. “If someone commented on the poor being poor because they don't work hard enough.” I would say that the benefits of being in the ruling group are often overlooked. Even when one from the lower-class group works extremely hard, factors like the glass ceiling affect the chances of moving to the upper-class group.

Word count: 281

References

Schaefer, R. T. (2019).  Sociology: A brief introduction (13th ed). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Mandi woodruff, (2014) https://finance.yahoo.com/news/american-dream-illustrated-with-legos-

                brookings-200611923.html