Sunday, September 13, 2015

Nicholas Kristof: USA Land of Limitations?

In Nicholas Kristof's article "U.S.A. Land Of Limitations", he argues that children who are born into lower-class families, or who are disadvantaged in one way or another, do not have the same opportunities that other people have to succeed. although people claim that making the right choices in life and working hard will be enough to rise above poverty and the lower-class status, Kristof stands by the conviction that
Success is not a sign of virtue. It’s mostly a sign that your grandparents did well. … your outcome is largely determined by your beginning.


By this, he is saying that if a child is born into poverty, s/he will have a significantly hard time to escape it, even as an adult. Alternatively, a person who is successful throughout their life, according to Kristof, is prosperous because of the status of their parents or grandparents. They have to do less work than those below them to rise to the top. They have more opportunities to do well in life because of their wealth or healthy upbringing.



Kristof brings up good points that I am able to relate to. In elementary, middle and high school, we are encouraged to make good, healthy choices and to work hard. This, they told us, would be enough to bring us to the top of the social ladder, or at the very least would make us successful. What they failed to consider is the myriad of different upbringings that each of us have, and weather we have the opportunities to do what we want. We have the power to make good choices, but weather or not we have the resources to carry them out will determine how successful those choices are.

8 comments:

  1. Hi Mary, I agree with how you said in elementary school middle and high school we are taught to make good choices for the betterment of our future. You are also correct on how we ourselves have the power to do anything we want, but we would need the resources for that.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I agree with the points you are talking about throughout your blog about the things that Kristoff is speaking about. Like Namita said I agree completely with what you said about elementary into middle school and high school and how we all had "different upbringings" and those relate to what we do in our future.

    ReplyDelete
  3. You make some great points about the importance of making good decisions when in school. My boyfriend is Cambodian and came to the United States when he was a year old. His mother worked very hard to make sure him and his siblings grew up with everything they needed and made those good decisions and now all 5 have fulltime jobs and are either in school or have graduated.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Mary, I love how you put these points all together. this is really something to think about because the opportunity is there, but is what you make of it. Great well written blog.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I completely agree Mary about how when we were younger, we were told just to follow the rules and guidelines and we'd all be fine but now, like you said, the rules have changed and what you were born into decides your success in life. Thanks for pointing this out for me!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I liked how you made a connection to everyday life now and how every child is basically told they could be president if they work hard enough for it and yet due to their beginning, their outcome in life is already predetermined! I used this quote as well (:

    ReplyDelete
  7. His framework really challeneges some of our most basic American mythology!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Great job, great blog. I do agree with you. We all have to work extra more to attain the ladder, aside your background. Tina

    ReplyDelete