Sam Ng, Period 2, 12/14/22

Sam Ng

Period 2

12/14/22

Mythology 2023

Socio-Political Consciousness

What are your thoughts and feelings about issues of inequity, oppression, and/or power?

Time and time again, we are told to work hard and move up the social ladder. As a society, we place great emphasis on perseverance and continuous improvement. Today, the lower class comprises 29% of the population and the upper class comprises 21% of the population. On paper, it is a moment of celebration when you go from one income bracket to the next. However, I believe that the middle class, as a whole, punishes those who put in the work and earn more money. For one, the middle class is taxed more than the lower class. Theoretically, this makes sense, especially in the progressive tax system that we currently employ. Our economy is a mixed economy, meaning that we have some government intervention. For the lower class, this comes in the form of government assistance. Thus, the jump from lower class to middle class entails not only higher taxes but also minimal to no government assistance. In reality, this can make living in the middle class as challenging, if not more difficult than living in the lower class. Already, we can see that there is some sort of incentive to stay poor and in the lower class. Let’s instead look at the shift from middle class to upper class. Moving from the middle class to the upper class typically requires either a strong college education or a large initial capital, both of which are typically rare in individuals who have moved to the middle class from the lower class. Therefore, it can be argued that there is inequity plaguing the middle class. The middle class, by nature, loses the alleviation of burden from the government without gaining the financial freedom that the upper class possesses.

How do you reflect critically on your own beliefs, assumptions, values, and experiences, and how these can influence your perception of self and others?

I grew up in the lower class up until the pandemic, when my parents were forced to find new jobs. They were lucky enough to come across jobs that offered higher pay than their previous jobs. This put them out of range for lower class. At first, this seemed joyous to my family. However, now as college applications have come up, my parents realize the dread of their newly accumulated wealth. As my parents are now making above what falls in the realm of lower class, we get almost no need-based financial aid from postsecondary institutions. This has really stressed out my parents as they wonder how I will possibly pay for my education if I attend a private university. I believe that while the idea of government assistance up to a certain point has its merit, it also has its flaws. While it helps those who are not as fortunate, it also leaves those who make barely over the limit of what is considered “poor” struggle to pay for large expenses such as a college education. This again ties back to my initial feeling that the middle class keeps you perpetually in the middle class if you come from a lower class background. As I look upon my upbringing and current circumstances, I can’t help but feel cheated in some way for having parents who work long hours and hard jobs in order to provide the best possible life they can for their children. For me, it gives me more motivation and drive to succeed because I know my parents are constantly tired when they get home with the hope that my brother and I will one day be able to live life comfortably. My experience has taught me that income is a surface-level metric for wealth because you never know the pain someone has to go through for their income and you don’t know what underlying situation they have.