Nicholas Kristof - U.S.A., Land of Limitations

Growing up, it has been taught that everyone in the past has taken the journey to live a better life in the United States. Except, now times have changed and many things such as the economy, society, and the way people live overall have changed as well. In the article, “U.S.A., Land of Limitations?” Nicholas Kristof spoke of the huge wealth gap, that has been increasing over the past years. He claims that this argument is something not only citizens, but also presidential candidates should be discussing.

In the beginning of his article, Kristof said in other words, that the society we live in, is the society that we ran away from. Living in America, we’re able to have access to things such as different types of health care and numerous jobs. For that reason, it’s hard to believe that it’s statically known in the United States, there's less than even 10% chance of people from the lower class rising to an upper class. Specifically, in the article it states  “a child born in the bottom quintile of incomes in the United States has only a 4 percent chance of rising to the top quintile, according to a Pew study.” In other countries such Canada there's a better chance of somehow making a huge jump from lower class to upper class.

One thing that stuck out to me in the article is when Kristof said “Talent is universal, but opportunity is not.” This relates a lot to myself and many people I know. Most kids that I went to school with felt like they were stuck in their surrounding environment. So, many of us, including myself, turned to our talents and hoped for a bright future down those paths. Another quote that correlates with the previous is, “Consider that 77 percent of adults in the top 25 percent of incomes earn a B.A. by age 24. Only 9 percent of those in the bottom 25 percent do so.” This quote shows part of the reason why people in lower classes are stuck in the same class. Without being able to finish high school and college, it’s hard to be successful enough that one is able to make it to the top.

Question:
Do you believe that the barrier set by your parents financial income determines your future income? How is it that we're stuck in a society where there is slim to none opportunities in rising when we once believed otherwise?