USA Land of Limitations, Kristof
Kristof argues that the United States is becoming (or has already become) a land for the privileged.
It is becoming clear that even with hard work and perseverance, only
those with privilege really prosper. Those with wealthy parents and/or grandparents have the limitless opportunities unavailable to
the rest of the population. Too often our beginnings dictate where we
end up. Those born in poverty and struggle only reap poverty and
struggle, whilst the elite benefit from the success already laid out for
them. Kristof exemplifies this by saying,"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." You may be asking, but why is that? Well, when it comes to making the decision of whether or not to attend college, the biggest factor that high school graduates consider is finances vs. tuition. When they see the averages below, their mind goes one of two ways, they either think "No big deal, my parents will pay for it," or "There goes my dream of attending college." Though both of these examples may be a bright student with tremendous potential, only one can actually attend.
I truly find it incredible that even now, in the twenty-first century, this class gap still remains. For example, the other night I was at work with two of my coworkers (both attending CCRI and paying for their own tuition and bills) when a high school senior whom we all recognized walks in. I asked her if she had any plans to attend college and she responded by telling me that she's narrowed her choices down to Boston College, Boston University, and New York (all of which have tuition costs of $50,000+). I couldn't help but noticed her manicured nails and the coach bag hanging from her arm as she spoke. After she left, my coworkers and I began to discuss the fact that we know that girl has not worked a single day in her life, yet has the privilege of being able to choose the college she will attend based on her wants, and have the luxuries she has. Was she really deserving of those blessings? Has she earned them through hard work, or simply just been born into the high-class?What is being done locally to aid this epidemic? In the fall of 2017, CCRI started the Rhode Island Promise free tuition program which provides free tuition for up to two years so long as the student maintains a 2.5 GPA. According to Linda Bord from the Providence Journal (http://www.providencejournal.com/news/20180418/ccri-free-tuition-program-has-boosted-enrollment-retention-of-students), this has increased enrollment by 43%. This is the first of many steps in Rhode Island towards provide equal educational opportunities to all.
You mentioned that it is incredible that the class gap still remains in this day and age. Unfortunately with our current system we will always have a class gap. What I find more amazing is the difference in the class gap. The middle and lower class are starting to catch each other even beginning to merge while the upper class and the top one percent are screeching ahead increasing the gap. The only thing we can hope for is that the upper class is the hare in our story.
ReplyDeleteI can’t relate exactly to your post! I talked about a similar story in mine of people I went to school with at URI who don’t even know the concept of a dollar because they never had too. They got every single thing handed to them without doing a single thing. They don’t know what it’s like to have a job to suffer or not be able to get something. It’s seriously blows my mind!
ReplyDeleteNice work on the post, Josh! It is nicely designed and thoughtfully completed. Your cartoon and opinion on the differences between the 3 levels of college is well said. And I agree that Rhode Island Promise is an important start towards educational equity.
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