https://padlet.com/mkidby/m9ngvkzhb2swcunj final project for American Identities en-us 2022-06-30 17:06:31 UTC 2022-07-04 16:17:56 UTC hello@padlet.com mkidby https://padlet.com/mkidby/m9ngvkzhb2swcunj/wish/2236168628 Gregory Mantsios argues that Americans are fearful of discriminating between them on the basis of their economic status, in his essay, "Class in America.". Mantsios tells us that the oppressive nature of the class system keeps citizens in the class they are born into. His evidence consists of describing four myths and seven realities. He also contends that the poor face so many disadvantages, such as unemployment, poor health, and lack of education. ]]> 2022-07-04 04:07:33 UTC https://padlet.com/mkidby/m9ngvkzhb2swcunj/wish/2236168628 mkidby https://padlet.com/mkidby/m9ngvkzhb2swcunj/wish/2236173769 In this essay, Gregory Mantsios looks at four beliefs about the United States that he believes are false. These beliefs are the ideas that the United States is a classless society, a middle-class nation, getting richer, and a place where everyone has an equal chance of success. Mantsios provides us with facts that prove these statements false.]]> 2022-07-04 04:17:27 UTC https://padlet.com/mkidby/m9ngvkzhb2swcunj/wish/2236173769 mkidby https://padlet.com/mkidby/m9ngvkzhb2swcunj/wish/2236178453 Myth number one is that the United States is fundamentally a classless society. We are reminded by Mantisos that one-third of the American population lives on either end of the spectrum. Additionally, he states that the income gap between rich and poor in the United States is approximately 11 to 1. This is one of the highest ratios in the industrialized world.]]> 2022-07-04 04:25:47 UTC https://padlet.com/mkidby/m9ngvkzhb2swcunj/wish/2236178453 mkidby https://padlet.com/mkidby/m9ngvkzhb2swcunj/wish/2236189907 Myth number two is that America is essentially a middle-class nation. Census data proves this is false. The gap between the rich and the poor keeps getting wider and wider ever since the government started to collect information. Also, the percentage of households earning between $25,000 and $75,000 has been falling steadily, while the percentage of households earning less than $25,000 has increased. ]]> 2022-07-04 04:43:56 UTC https://padlet.com/mkidby/m9ngvkzhb2swcunj/wish/2236189907 mkidby https://padlet.com/mkidby/m9ngvkzhb2swcunj/wish/2236192399 Myth number three that Mantsios talks about is the myth that we are all getting richer. This can be disproven by a lot of the evidence that I have previously mentioned. There is also the fact that nearly 35 million Americans across the nation live in poverty. ]]> 2022-07-04 04:47:50 UTC https://padlet.com/mkidby/m9ngvkzhb2swcunj/wish/2236192399 mkidby https://padlet.com/mkidby/m9ngvkzhb2swcunj/wish/2236194944 The fourth and final myth is that everybody has an equal chance to succeed in America. This is very far from the truth. Research has shown that a lower-class standing is correlated to higher rates of many negative things including infant mortality and mental illnesses. Lower class standing is also correlated with a lower quality of treatment for illness and disease which impacts the chance to succeed.]]> 2022-07-04 04:51:42 UTC https://padlet.com/mkidby/m9ngvkzhb2swcunj/wish/2236194944 mkidby https://padlet.com/mkidby/m9ngvkzhb2swcunj/wish/2236588800 According to Mantsios "School performance...and educational attainment...also correlate strongly with economic class" (p. 268). The evidence he provides indicates test scores correlate strongly with family income. Furthermore, he points out that students from upper-class families were twice as likely to get training beyond high school and almost four times as likely to get a postgraduate degree. ]]> 2022-07-04 16:17:55 UTC https://padlet.com/mkidby/m9ngvkzhb2swcunj/wish/2236588800