To other people, being American symbolizes having freedom; freedom to do what they want. The American dream has been a goal for many people their whole life. Social mobility is one advantage of living in America and should not be taken for granted. I believe that in general social mobility is alive in America and it is up to the individual to decided how mobile they will be. With hard work Americans can move up in the social system and prove wrong the theories of many people.
America is considered the land of opportunity, and thousands of people travel here every year to live out their dreams. Part of the American dream is hard work and dedication. Americans are known for their persistence and driving force behind accomplishing jobs. In the article by Sara Rimer in The New York Times, a young immigrant named Jinzhao travels from China to America to live out her dream of going to Harvard. The article talks specifically about the symbol of the green light in The Great Gatsby having the theme of possibility. Jinzhao provides the perfect example of someone who recognizes the opportunities America has to offer that other countries with social ranks cannot. Yasmina Shaush quoted in her article titled “This I Believe: The American Dream Lives On” that, “the United States is one of the few countries that can boast the successful by-products of hard work.” Rimer also cited Nicole Done in her New York Times article saying, For me the American dream is working hard for something you want. It’s not about having money.” To her, America represents hard work, which is exactly what is needed to prove that our society can be socially mobile.
America would not be known as the land of opportunities if we did not have stories of success like people moving up in social class because of their determination. Statistics show that their are people out there that have proved society wrong. Pew Charitable Trusts reported statistics that showed Americans raised in the bottom quintile were the most likely to have a higher income than their parents. They raised staggering statistics that 93% out-performed their parents. The trusts also put out a graph showing that Americans in the middle or fourth quintile had the best chance of moving up socially. The New York Times interactive feature also provided proof that Americans are capable of social movement. The feature showed that Americans in the top class had movement downward while Americans in the bottom, middle, and lower classes had movement up in rank. Society has put a stereotype on America that you have to be rich to do well in life. However, Americans have risen to the occasion and once again proved them wrong.
Even though articles have been published that say only the wealthy succeed and evidence has been provided, many of these articles do not substantially support their logic. In fact, it is the lack of evidence that makes these articles so easily believable. Almost always it is easier to read statistics that say, “the rich-poor gap in test scores is about 40 percent larger now than it was 30 years ago,” like Sean F. Reardon did in his articled titled “No Rich Child Left Behind.” Reardon’s article is laced with statistics here and facts there, but never does he give reasons to why these statistics are true. If Reardon spent most of his article explaining the science behind why rich children do better, readers would be put to sleep. Americans like hard core facts and that is what Reardon provides in his article. Other authors like Jonah Goldberg from American Enterprise Ideas express very specific examples in their writing. One example that Goldberg gives is of women whose fathers were doctors and how they couldn’t live up to their name. America is a determined nation and I think, with a little hard work, we can work to break down these stereotypes that have been put in place.
Social mobility is a topic that will forever be in America’s future. There is no way to deny that some people who are wealthy will be more successful than those who are not as fortunate. I believe that America as a whole focuses too much on the stories of the rich becoming rich, and too little on the success stories of the poor becoming rich. Through hard work and determination, we can move up on the social ladder and prove stereotypes wrong. There are success stories out there, it is just a matter of finding them.
