The Meritocracy In America

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In today’s economy, America is facing hardships and troubling parallel’s it has seen previously throughout it’s history. Having gone through financial crisis’s before, the meritocracy idea has been utilized by the American people in order to be financially secure in America and hopefully live up to the idea of the American Dream. An individual’s ability or achievement will determine their advancement which is demonstrated by a system called Meritocracy. The article, “Meritocracy in America” published by The Economist questions the idea of a Meritocracy actually working in America and it living up to it’s purpose. “Americans believed that equality of opportunity gave them an edge over the Old World”, (Meritocracy in America, 1). This belief…show more content…
“The most obvious example lies in the education system. Upward mobility is increasingly determined my education” (Meritocracy in America, 3). With the more education you receive there will be more chances a person will make more money at a job. “The education system is increasingly stratified by social class, and poor children have a double disadvantage. They attend school with fewer resources than those of their richer contemporaries” (Meritocracy in America, 3). This presents a problem to the percentage of Americans who can’t afford a higher education or receive the same quality of education as…show more content…
Shepard illustrates what he is set out to do and what he hopes to accomplish at the end of his experiment by saying, “I am going to start-literally from scratch-with one 8’ x 10” tarp, a sleeping bag, an empty gym bag, $25, and the clothes on my back. Via train, I will be dropped at a random place somewhere in the southeastern United States that is not in my home state of North Carolina. I have 365 days to become free of the realities of homelessness and become a “regular” member of society. After one year, for my project to be considered successful, I have to possess an operable automobile, live in a furnished apartment (alone or with a roommate), have $2500 in cash, and, most importantly, I have to be in a position in which I can continue to improve my circumstances by either going to school or starting my own business.” Shepard set out to do this in rebuttal to Ehrenreich’s investigations in her book by to prove that meritocracy still exists and is attainable by all Americans no matter where you start at in America. While living at the homeless shelter, he found work as a day laborer. Later, he obtained steady employment at a moving company. Within 10 months after starting the experiment, he had an apartment, a pickup truck, and close to $5,000 in savings. His experiment confirmed his belief in meritocracy and the idea of the American
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