<
https://sites.google.com/site/classismandlearning/the-truth-about-classism>
"Classism and how it affects students' abilities to learn."
Via Muse, who added:
Australia like the US wants to believe that it is a classless society. This
is clearly not the case when the wealthy are given tax cuts and the poor get
cuts to welfare. This quote says a lot about where the problems lay.
It is an American belief that individuals can climb the social ladder. That
if these individuals work hard and confirm to the upper classes’ beliefs,
values, and attitudes that they too can become part of the upper class. It is
believed that if an individual cannot climb the social ladder, that it is the
individuals’ fault for not being able to make that leap.
As King (2010) states, “Americans believe upward mobility is available to
all if we combine hard work with individual character traits that lead to
success. If folks can’t move up in class, then the problem must be related to
their personal attributes, not to the system” (p. 53).
The problem with this line of thinking is that it is not as easy to climb
the social ladder as people have come to believe. There are numerous factors
that make it nearly impossible for the lower classes to advance in social
status. Lower classes are also limited by the lack of resources that are
available to them compared to the plethora of privileges and resources that
are available to the upper class that makes it easier for them to succeed in
their endeavors.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://www.xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
http://www.glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
http://www.sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
