Income Inequality In America Essay

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Income inequality in the United States is a massive problem. Studies show that in 2010 the richest 20% of Americans owned 89% of the wealth (Domhoff). It’s no secret that there is a major income divide in this country, but most people are still somehow incapable of grasping the reality of the situation. Polls of average working Americans show that they fail to understand where they truly sit on ladder of wealth in this country. Many believe they are better off than they actually are, or think they are moving up somehow in terms of wealth and prestige. In reality, they are in the bottom percentile of wealth owners, falling into the socio economic classes known as the working poor and poor. Class consciousness, or knowing one’s own economic rank, can be skewed by many things, but entertainment media on television plays a very large role obfuscating the plight of the working classes. By glamorizing poverty, or dangling unlikely rewards for perseverance and hard work, entertainment media reinforces the idea that our economic …show more content…
The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that Americans watch, on average, nearly three hours of Television a day. (http://www.bls.gov/news.release/atus.t12.htm) From reality shows to sitcoms, the popularity of television is impossible to deny. Many viewers identify with characters in their favorite shows. Numerous people feel real and strong emotions in while watching. Yet, despite that fact that television is nearly unanimously loved, it is still seen a lesser medium for entertainment and information. Aside from stale documentaries, or engineered programming that teaches children basic preschool skills, the educational impact of television is often dismissed. But, considering the amount of time spent viewing, and the emotional attachment to characters and stories, the idea that television leaves absolutely no impression on its viewers is

Income Inequality In America Essay

society, inequality is passed down from one generation to the next. Being raised in the same cultural surroundings brings out similar response patterns. In American history most people live and die in the same social standing they were born in. Does economic inequality exist in modern America? President Obama calls it “the defining issue of our time.” Income inequality represents how evenly or unevenly income is spread in a society. The United States has a high amount of income inequality because…

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Essay On Inequality In America

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Income Inequality In The United States

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EnglishEssay 3

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information and taking out less reliable information. I made the essay leaner and more streamlined without changing the punch the paper gave originally. In the HBO television show The Newsroom, main character Will McAvoy has a stream of consciousness and expresses his thoughts on why America is not the greatest country in the world. He closes the speech by saying “the first step to solving any problem is recognizing that there is one, America is not the greatest country in the world anymore”. This closing…

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Have you ever heard of inequality in children in schools? In my opinion, it is not fair that all of children are not able to get the same education because of their background. Recently, a report is published that it takes more than a couple of years to reduce the education inequality in America. In this essay, I will argue five elements that make inequality in American K-12 schools. Overall, inequity in American K-12 schools is caused by wealth gap, regional disparity and discrimination such as…

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