Issue of Social Class and Inequality

Issue of Social Class and Inequality

Introduction

Social class and inequality are one of the most prevalent topics that affect most people across the world. Inequality has affected both the developing and the developed countries of the world due to the rise in the gap between the rich and the poor in society today. The poor continue to suffer from heavy taxation at the expense of the poor in society. Although there are no models to success, education plays an important role in helping the poor live better lives. Federal governments worldwide have invested heavily in students loans to ensure that students from poor backgrounds can access quality education. Global recession, technological advancements, and economic globalization have played an important role in solving this issue of inequality today. Therefore, this paper will focus on various authors’ views on this issue of social class and inequality across the world today.

Reasons behind Poverty

According to Locke in her, article ‘Born poor and Smart,” the poor people will society will continue to be oppressed and remain poor until they rise and cooperate towards improving their lives. This means fighting for better wages at their places of work and working hours. She advises young people to gain technical skills, and white-collar jobs are overcrowded in society today. Intelligence is an important virtue that should emphasize to all young people so that they can be able to think outside the box and look for better opportunities and improves their standards of living. However, Yglesias in his article “Great Times to be Alive” argues that global recession has also increased social inequality in the world today. The heavy taxation system is the federal government in various countries worldwide continues to oppress the poor, increasing the gap between the rich and the poor. The advancements in the levels of technology, as well as economic globalization, have only benefited the rich in society. On the other hand, in the article “Middle of the Class” the poor people can be able to climb us the success ladder. They should ensure on their journey to success. He gives good examples of Benjamin Franklin and Bill Clinton on how they rose from poverty to become famous personalities in the world of politics. The author also associates the improved standards of living in the United States of America due to the rise in the minimum wage, and improved education and medical services by the federal government.

Stereotypes against the Poor

According to Locke, poor people are also smart. Most of them are intelligent, and that is how they can juggle between working and taking care of their families with the little earnings, which they make. She also argues that success among the rich is non-negotiable as compared to the poor people. Yglesias also points out that the only people who gain from the technological advancements and economic globalizations are only the rich in the society. The government tax system also tends to oppress the poor and compared to the rich especially in the US. The Economist in his article points out that the only way that the poor can get access to quality education is through getting students loans from the federal government.

How Poverty Influences the American Society

The poor in society have to juggle various jobs to make a living ton sustain their families and educate their children just like the rich people. According to Locke, her mother worked with various organizations to ensure that they had enough for school lead better lives. On the other hand, Yglesias states that the American federal government needed to deploy a better taxation system to ensure that all people are taxed according to their levels of income and wealth. Through this, the federal government will able to provide better social services to the citizens. An effective taxation system is a good method of reducing inequality in the country. The government can improve access to social goods and opportunities for all generations. This will also improve access to better education and medical services to all people. The Economist also notes that quest for better wages by the labor unions in the US has increased quality of life for American citizens. However, he insists that we should acknowledge that poverty and inequality exist in our society today and come up with ways of solving them

Conclusion

The three authors have used different scenarios to discuss the effects of poverty and inequality in society today. Although there are no models for success, everyone should be encouraged to rise against all the odds and lead better lives through hard work. The federal governments should also put in place better measures and policies to eliminate equality and poverty in their countries to improve the living standards of their citizens.

Works Cited

Locke, A, (2005). Born Poor and Smart: I was born poor and smart. If you’re poor, you must not be smart. If you’re smart, then why are you poor? According to our dominant culture, poverty confirms a personal flaw. Retrieved from: https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-129007492.html

The Economist (2005). Middle of the class: Equality of opportunity is under threat. Retrieved from: http://www.economist.com/node/4148885 Yglesias, M, (2010). A great time to be alive? The twenty-first century has seen vast improvements in quality of life around the globe. But here at home, progress lags.Retrieved from: https://www.thenation.com/article/gr