Uneven distribution of wealth in the United States - Essay Example

Uneven Wealth in the United s: Paying the Price Understanding wealth in America is best accomplished by a logical navigation through a seriesof contradictions. Americans worship the 'Almighty Dollar", yet are taught from an early age that 'money is the root of all evil'. In a country where the rags to riches story is repeated endlessly, the common mantra in business is that it takes money to make money, which implies that if you do not possess it now you can not attain it. In fact, the widening gap between the average income and the median income is a sign that the 'haves' are doing significantly better than the 'have-nots'. The contradictions abound and yet each paradox has a socially valid explanation. Americans view wealth with disdain and envy. Wealth frames our status and acts as a measure of individual success. Economic status impacts almost every aspect of life in America. It determines their physical and mental health, their occupation, their neighbors, and their influence on society. The uneven distribution of wealth in America has left a country divided along economic lines and everyone is paying the price. No clear thinking capitalist could ever hope, or want, absolute economic parity among the population. From a functionalist viewpoint, economic strata are a reasonable mechanism to produce the variety of labor needed to drive a diverse modern economy. The initial result of the formation of economic classes is the social and cultural grouping that occurs. People of a like economic class work and socialize together. Neighborhoods are formed based on the cost of housing. Schools are constructed that reflect the economic welfare of the area that they serve. Access to shopping, public services, and transportation are all mirrored by the class they are designed to accommodate. The initial response to economic disparity is a clear construction of boundaries that keep the poor in their neighborhoods and out of the more exclusive properties. In most cases, these social groups function well and serve society by offering most people the basic needs that can be acquired by the limitations of their ability. Functionalism works well as long as the disparity does not deepen to the point of hopeless resentment. As the wealth and resources get more unevenly distributed, capital is concentrated and the available labor pool becomes more surplus. With an abundance of labor, competition for jobs forces wages and the median income downward. As wealth becomes more out of equilibrium, the capital/labor problem becomes self-feeding and begins to worsen. The wealthy gain more social and political power while the poorest are exploited even more. Eventually the lower economic classes are disenfranchised from education, health care, the justice system, and career opportunities. The poor are locked out of the American dream and are left to gain material wealth outside the socially accepted norms. Karl Marx viewed the distribution of wealth in terms of a conflict between capital and labor. While Marx foreseen violent revolution against the capitalists and their means of production as a resolution, the reality may be far grimmer. The widening disparity between rich and poor has polarized the workplace and has harshly defined ownership and labor. O'Donnell et al. reported that workers have been disenfranchised from ownership and stated that, " most firms ignore their workforces when it comes to issues of ownership, not even, in many cases, describing them as assets, let alone granting labour as much as a taste of any ownership rights" (113). In a country where anything is possible, it takes more than just money to make money, it takes social status. The cost of maintaining a poverty class is placed on the middle class, while subsidizing the wealthy. People that are locked in poverty will turn to drugs, crime, and other forms of deviant behavior to narrow the economic gap (Gardner II 139). These transgressions become a burden to the school system, law enforcement, and the justice system, which are all supported by the taxes paid by taxing the income of the average laborer. For the poor, unaffordable health care is postponed to the point of emergency care and chronic illness. This postponement increases the cost of the eventual treatment and the cost is covered by a series of unrecognizable taxes and grants. Once again, everyone pays for the gap between rich and poor. Yet, some economic conservatives would view providing fair wages or health care to the labor market as an unfair re-distribution of wealth. In fact, it would shift the burden of the social ills caused by poverty from the laborer to the ownership class that benefits most from the disparity. The eventual outcome of the gap between rich and poor is the loss of control over a life lived in poverty. Economic status dictates the neighborhood that a child is born into. It determines their school and the quality of education. It may be a barrier to pursuing a higher degree or a chosen occupation. As the gap widens and becomes less pliable, the poor are barred from educational systems designed to serve the wealthy. Though there is no absolute ban from admittance, the economic gap has assured that the poor will remain unprepared to hurdle the widening chasm to higher education. The discrimination becomes institutionalized and the poorest members of society lose control of their life choices. The loss of control over one's life extends to the people that are available for socialization. Symbolic interactionism contends that the world is constructed and maintained through our everyday encounters and interactions with the world around us (Newman 49). Without social capital, the poor are destined to perpetually interact with only their economic class and assume the risks associated with poverty. Children are socialized to acquire the characteristics that are often associated with poverty such as drugs, violence, and cultural neglect. The business they enter, the work they choose, and the use of their leisure time is dictated by the interaction with the world around them. The view is no less rigid for the wealthy who are dependent upon their wealth for status and a sign of success. While the wealthy complain that they must work hard to keep their money, the poor agonize with the struggle to escape poverty. This deep division in economic well being is reflected in every aspect of the daily life for Americans. Having greater ownership of the means to generate an income often means a schedule that is less restrictive and its adherence less mandatory. The poor are at the bottom of the employment chain and must endure harsh requirements for absenteeism and productivity. The added stress of the workplace is further aggravated by the sub-standard diet that is tolerated by many of the poorest people in America. The gap is also seen in the clothes that are worn, the car that is driven, and the opportunity to take a vacation or not. One of the most dramatic differences in the lifestyles of the rich and poor is the attention paid to good health and its impact on aging. Wealth gives a person leisure time to spend as they wish. This time may be spent exercising or participating in life extending activities such as leisure time sports. The Center for Disease Control found that there was a reduced level of physical activity among the poor of all races and ethnicities (US Department of Health and Human Services 37). The poor are not only denied adequate mental rest and physical activity, they are also discouraged from pursuing good health through the health care system due to its cost. The added weight of a poor diet, inadequate rest, and an inattention to basic health care needs results in a significantly lower life expectancy. In a capitalist society there can be no classic redistribution of wealth. Even the word 'redistribution' is socially unacceptable in mixed political company. Any real change would need to come about by diverting taxes from the corporate subsidies enjoyed by the wealthy and place it into education. Rectifying the economic divide between the rich and the poor will require an investment in education and patience. By opening the avenues to higher education, the poor can work their way out of poverty. Currently, the cost of a college degree prohibits most poor from admission and discourages younger people from adequate preparation. By removing this obstacle, and making a college degree available to everyone, hope can be restored to the poorest children and the escape from poverty could become a reality. In conclusion, the widening gap between the rich and the poor has impaired the functionalism of society. Capital and employment are more readily identifiable with Marx's conflict theory. The social isolation and interaction theory dictates that the poor will be perpetually locked into a cycle of poverty. This robs the poor of control over their daily activities and reduces the years of their life. Yet, the cycle could be broken by the fair and equal access to a quality higher education. Locked in an adversarial economic position, children are without hope and void of accomplishments. Restoring the possibility of escaping poverty would renew the hope and motivate children to prepare for an education rather than life on the street or locked in the criminal justice system. Works Cited Gardner II, Trevor. "The Political Delinquent: Crime, Deviance, and Resistance in Black America." Harvard BlackLetter Law Journal 20 (2000): 137-61. 25 Mar. 2008 . Newman, David M. Sociology: Exploring the Architecture of Everyday Life. Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press, 2006. O'Donnell, D. et al. "On the "Essential Condition" of Intellectual Capital: Labour!" Journal of Intellectual Capital 7.1 (2006): 111-28. Emerald. 25 Mar. 2008. US Department of Health and Human Services. Health, United States, 2006. Washington, DC: US Department of Health and Human Services, 2006. Read More