Most
of us have dreams and aspirations of attending college; gut for those who come
from families with less financial resources, this dream can quickly become an
overwhelming burden. I a era of motionless incomes and rising tuition, and
substantial student debt, the weight of college cost on families and former
college student is felt throughout the country. In the reading entitled, “Class Conflict:
Tuition Hikes Leave Collge Students in Debt and Torn between Paid Work and
Course Work”, written by Ellen Mutari and Melaku Lakew, which details how
students facing financial struggles affording a college education.
Being a struggling college student myself, I can totally
relate to this subject because I am one of those students. Having two
children, with one in college, a family to support, plus rent and other expenses,
makes it virtually impossible to afford college without financial aid and
scholarships. I can’t speak for other people, but for me, I might have been
just another statistic if it wasn’t for school.
Next, most Americans believe in education as a way of
assuring economic prosperity. We have politicians and business leaders proclaim
college education as a means of out of poverty , but for people from upper
class families have, but for children from upper class, have much less stress
to deal with, such as their bills being paid by their parents, and having a vehicle
fully paid for transportation. For example, a person from a low income family
would have to use any would have major struggles, even with financial aid,
loans, grants, etc., oppose to students coming from upper class families, who
have the mental comfort of knowing all of their bills are paid for, and if they
do decide to get a job, that money is mainly for drinking on weekends, or just
straight partying.
In comparison to the film entitled, “People Like Us: Social Class in America”, we have a documentary
film, that focuses on how most Americans believe they live in a complicated system of
social classes believe that, things happen in this country are based on status.
To me and others alike, you can tell a lot about a person’s class by how
serious you get when the subject is brought up in conversation. People use
status as a symbol, like having the latest Iphone, or keeping up with the
Michael Jordan trend, to the lady’s having those LV bags. This how people in America,
use these symbols in order to show others were we should be within the social hierarchy.
These symbols are displayed through what’s known as conspicuous consumption. In
society, the items we buy lead to the determination of your social status.
In closing, social class plays a major part in who’s
given the opportunity to attend college, and which neighborhoods get the best fresh
produce from markets, to who gets the best quality of life in general. I've come to the point where I understand that, if you can't afford a house or a car, YOUR STATUS HAS BEEN CLAIMED. When you add all these factors together, you find
clear explanation of how social class determines our LIFE CHANCES.
"we are who we were born into" i just wanted to say that . your points are true we base our statuts on what we can own and what we cant. as far as for school forget it we are the ones who have bad luck because we were born into the wrong family, the one who doesn't have money. now i can blab all day about how we are viewed, but really does it really matter im here to make a change, and change what others view my family and I as. Us the lower class need to change, make a difference stay in school and work harder to become the upper class. picture how the upper class would view us then, lolz
ReplyDeleteyea you're right, that the government believe education is the means to get away from proverty, which is not necessarilly true. However, we the people still want to be educated even though the cost is too expenses. As a result, students take loans while in school, because their financial aids cannot cover all the school expenses. in addition, many students are not even eligible for finacial aid or other programs. Therefore, the lower class students have no choice than work more hours than what they spend in campus to focus in their studies. Whereas, the upper-class students have no issue about paying their costs, because their families have the capital and own the big businesses above all, they have the powers to rule. our class status determines if we can be educated in the best way or not.
ReplyDeleteChristian, education is supposed to be the great equalizer? It appears that "they" have caught on and have added additional obstacles to prevent minorities from changing their stations in life. We see everyday how the system is supposed to be fair and equal, how everyone appears to want minorities to be educated & move up. The sad truth is America's system is set up in such a way that one class of people usually move up by keeping another group down. Students work harder than ever for their degrees but even upon attainment obstacles persist. Knowledge, spreading the word & getting involved are the only way we can hope to change this cycle for the generation coming up.
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