America is considered one of the most prosperous countries in the world. However, those who happen to experience poverty understand that this concept is somewhat blurry and subjective. One can say that living in Manteca CA with around $40,000 of income with two children to provide for and a rented apartment on the outskirts is practically a condition on the verge of beggarhood. Others would say that this is just an applicable federally defined poverty level where a citizen is living from hand to mouth calculating every coin spent on rents, food and day-care facilities. Whatever the terms, they mean nothing. Only the individual can define what amount of fortune would make him happy in certain circumstances. This situation brings up memories
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Murray says that America is a meritocratic society, where education is supposed to decide everything. At least, this concept was held for true until recently when Americans were persuaded that there is no class struggle or social classes’ phenomenon. There was an opinion that Americans can be divided into two groups: those who are rich and those who want to be rich. Probably this was fair in the times of Dwight Eisenhower, when American society was on the verge of phenomenal social mobility. Education nowadays does not decide on everything because erosion of the middle class, broadening property gap and enormous unemployment hit the most educated generation in America. The price of good education is also increasing faster that income of the single father. It means that a good education is less available for two children from Manteca CA, whose father earns around $40 000 annually because it becomes preferably the domain of the rich. Murray supposes that the newly emerged middle class of workers today is less entrepreneurial oriented; less inclined to make up a good family; is not religious and more isolated socially, culturally and politically. Certainly, Murray has his own perception of wealth and poverty. Does it have any connection to happiness or poverty issues for you, for me or anyone else? Would our imaginary white color manager be satisfied with this explanation of being poor if we give him a chance to make a choice in our thought experiment? The choice is far-from perfect but may help him to disclose some of the inner motives. Would he choose a decent, quite life with work, two children, honest relations with God, friends and conscience or go immediately back to the 5th Avenue, luxury houses, expensive cars, manipulation of the stock market and extreme solitude of the
Murray says that America is a meritocratic society, where education is supposed to decide everything. At least, this concept was held for true until recently when Americans were persuaded that there is no class struggle or social classes’ phenomenon. There was an opinion that Americans can be divided into two groups: those who are rich and those who want to be rich. Probably this was fair in the times of Dwight Eisenhower, when American society was on the verge of phenomenal social mobility. Education nowadays does not decide on everything because erosion of the middle class, broadening property gap and enormous unemployment hit the most educated generation in America. The price of good education is also increasing faster that income of the single father. It means that a good education is less available for two children from Manteca CA, whose father earns around $40 000 annually because it becomes preferably the domain of the rich. Murray supposes that the newly emerged middle class of workers today is less entrepreneurial oriented; less inclined to make up a good family; is not religious and more isolated socially, culturally and politically. Certainly, Murray has his own perception of wealth and poverty. Does it have any connection to happiness or poverty issues for you, for me or anyone else? Would our imaginary white color manager be satisfied with this explanation of being poor if we give him a chance to make a choice in our thought experiment? The choice is far-from perfect but may help him to disclose some of the inner motives. Would he choose a decent, quite life with work, two children, honest relations with God, friends and conscience or go immediately back to the 5th Avenue, luxury houses, expensive cars, manipulation of the stock market and extreme solitude of the