Gap Between Rich And Poor Essay -- essays research papers

â€Å"America the beautiful, Who are you beautiful for?†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  America, the land of opportunity, but is it really? America is made up of people of many different cultural and social backgrounds. The constitution of the people reads that as Americans, these people are entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. These rights were designed in part to attain a sense of equality within the individual so that a sense of unity would exist. Because of the structures within society that influence a person’s character such as the educational, corporate and governmental structures there are many differences in the social, economic, and political sense amongst the individuals. There is a select group who are more educated that come from the more prestigious and wealthy backgrounds as opposed to those who come from the working middle class and poor levels. The opportunities are much different due to the effects of these institutions and the socioeconomic levels that children are born into. If the economic resources are abundant, than success is easier to attain. By looking at the exclusive clubs that the wealthy belong to and the differences in the educational institutions that children attend, it is evident that the individual born into a wealthy family is more apt to achieve success than one who is brought up in a working class family. One of the main keys to success is to establish networks and organizations in support of the corporate community. These networks form a social cohesion which is based on two types of relationships found in a membership network: common membership in specific social institutions and friendships based on social interactions within those institutions. Social cohesion creates a group identity where members of the social groups are seen to be exclusive and of high status. â€Å"The social bonding can be seen as one reason why the social rich are cohesive enough to dominate the rest of society despite their numbers.† (Domhoff, G. William, Who Rules America? p.72) Used as indicators of upper class standing, the exclusive clubs are used as a reinforcement to separate the wealthy from the working-class. The Bohemian Club is one of the most widely known clubs that caters to the upper class, corporate leaders, celebrities, and government officials. This retreat intertwines the upper class with the corporate community to ... ...ources in their educational institutions. Through the social institutions of the upper class as well as the educational systems of both the upper and lower classes, it is evident that there exists an inequality in the class structure. More opportunities exist for the upper class from the early years of their childhood leading up to the membership of exclusive clubs and through attendance of private schools. The most important factor of success is a good education and most low-income families are denied this because of zoning reasons. Besides having a good education, it is at one’s advantage to be a part of a network or social club which will support them and guide them through their career. These social clubs exist primarily among the more affluent families. In order to even out the scales of opportunity, the educational systems have to be re-evaluated so that students receive adequate resources in a safe environment. Parents must also help in showing their support in the educational and motivational sense. Being born into a certain social class does determine one’s future if they do not realize that there are more opportunities out there besides that ones that are most apparent.