SOC 220 hw1 respons to other student

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The emphasis on "hard work" might neglect other factors because the emphasis on “hard work” is a very broad term. There are people in all different social classes and some in lower classes most likely work harder than people who have “made it” or that are in a wealthier class. It’s definitely an interesting idea that people who are in lower classes tend to work very hard at work, if they have a family, etc. and they typically do not have opportunities to climb the ladder. There are also other ways to define what “success” is. Although the product of diligence and hard work is what most people think “success” is, success can be defined in several other ways. Just because someone is wealthier than another person or if they are in a higher social class than another person, doesn’t mean you can’t be successful. It’s all about how a person looks at it and how they want to define it.

The “Forms of Stratification” in Grusky’s reading is similar to Sernau’s where it talks about the basics of social stratification but also goes into a lot “more detail. It talks more about the various systems that exist and how they may operate. The Davis-Moore hypothesis for social stratification relates to Sernau’s article when talking about the idea of “hard work” and how forms of inequality are necessary in order to motivate people. The idea in the reading “that subordinate classes are seen as “effectively dispossessed” (Mills 1956) of any meaningful control over the major economic and political decisions of the day” is interesting and relates to the idea that people in lower classes, even if they work very hard, do not have as many opportunities as people in wealthier classes.

In Sernau’s, “The Gordian Knot”, he writes about how class, race and gender are interrelated when it comes to inequality. Keeping the question Professor Nabors posted about the singular emphasis on “hard work” neglecting these other factors in mind, I found myself questioning if the level of success a person achieves is based more on class, race, and gender, and less on the amount of hard work performed by the person. And if so, as a society why do we put so much emphasis on hard work if the decision is made with the filter of these inequalities in people’s mind? Sernau writes, “. . . gender assumptions and inequalities are so thoroughly built into our families, our peer interactions, the media, and institutions such as schools that they are nearly impossible to disentangle from personal characteristics” (Sernau 7-8). The stigmas surrounding certain classes, genders, and races follow people and shape the way the world perceives them and affects the way their life plays out. These preconceived ideas of a person centered on their gender, race, and class can hinder or help their success more than hard work. For example, if both a male and female were applying for the same job position the deciding factor would be the amount of work they each had done in their field, or how impressive their resume appeared. But due to preconceived notions the employer has towards gender, which most likely was shaped by society, could determine the outcome more than an illustrious resume. Depending on the race of each candidate and whether they come from an upper or lower class could factor in as well. Which brings me back to my prior question, do these inequality factors surpass the level of hard work in making the decision of which individual to choose? And if so, do members of society use “hard work” as a disguise to hide the actual reasons for their choices?