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Is the US becoming more or less of a meritocracy?
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Date: October 25th, 2012 1:56 PM Author: Mahogany Mind-boggling Tanning Salon (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2091791&forum_id=2).#21882079) |
Date: October 25th, 2012 1:57 PM Author: Diverse weed whacker “It’s becoming conventional wisdom that the U.S. does not have as much mobility as most other advanced countries,” said Isabel V. Sawhill, an economist at the Brookings Institution. “I don’t think you’ll find too many people who will argue with that.”
One reason for the mobility gap may be the depth of American poverty, which leaves poor children starting especially far behind. Another may be the unusually large premiums that American employers pay for college degrees. Since children generally follow their parents’ educational trajectory, that premium increases the importance of family background and stymies people with less schooling.
At least five large studies in recent years have found the United States to be less mobile than comparable nations. A project led by Markus Jantti, an economist at a Swedish university, found that 42 percent of American men raised in the bottom fifth of incomes stay there as adults. That shows a level of persistent disadvantage much higher than in Denmark (25 percent) and Britain (30 percent) — a country famous for its class constraints.
Meanwhile, just 8 percent of American men at the bottom rose to the top fifth. That compares with 12 percent of the British and 14 percent of the Danes.
Despite frequent references to the United States as a classless society, about 62 percent of Americans (male and female) raised in the top fifth of incomes stay in the top two-fifths, according to research by the Economic Mobility Project of the Pew Charitable Trusts. Similarly, 65 percent born in the bottom fifth stay in the bottom two-fifths.
By emphasizing the influence of family background, the studies not only challenge American identity but speak to the debate about inequality. While liberals often complain that the United States has unusually large income gaps, many conservatives have argued that the system is fair because mobility is especially high, too: everyone can climb the ladder. Now the evidence suggests that America is not only less equal, but also less mobile. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/05/us/harder-for-americans-to-rise-from-lower-rungs.html?_r=0&pagewanted=print |
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Date: October 25th, 2012 2:02 PM Author: Mahogany Mind-boggling Tanning Salon I agree with the gist of that article. However, I came from a family where one of the parents was an immigrant, and whose other parent grew up on a farm in ARE country. Neither parent came from a family of means. They both received undergraduate degrees from a non-flagship state school. I was born and raised in a 1500 sq foot house in a lower to middle class neighborhood (think median incomes of 40-60k). I attended public schools, including undergrad and lawl school.
Today, I am married to an MD (from a family of means) and am in BIGLAW. I accomplished this thanks to grinding and striving and in the pursuit of DAT prestige. And on top of it all, I'm of MIDDLING intelligence.
So it definitely can be done. |
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Date: October 25th, 2012 2:03 PM Author: cream fiercely-loyal philosopher-king stead *fights statistics with anecdotes* (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2091791&forum_id=2).#21882155) |
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Date: October 25th, 2012 2:03 PM Author: Mahogany Mind-boggling Tanning Salon I said I agree with the gist of that article, brother. I just don't think it's necessarily that cut and dry. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2091791&forum_id=2).#21882164) |
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Date: October 25th, 2012 2:03 PM Author: curious pocket flask box office The whole thing is lib horseshit. The statistics are useless for several reasons. Every fucking immigrant says that America is the land of opportunity, much more than wherever they came from and everywhere else. This is whether they are 1st world, 2nd world, whatever. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2091791&forum_id=2).#21882160) |
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Date: October 25th, 2012 2:03 PM Author: Cobalt sound barrier that's what good parents can do for you (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2091791&forum_id=2).#21882165) |
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Date: October 25th, 2012 2:05 PM Author: Mahogany Mind-boggling Tanning Salon CR (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2091791&forum_id=2).#21882180) |
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Date: October 25th, 2012 3:10 PM Author: irradiated base MFCR
this is why stats like these are useless as fuck. If anything, the problem is culture/family values, not the system. If you're raised well, you can succeed out of literally any environment in America. |
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Date: October 25th, 2012 2:02 PM Author: curious pocket flask box office Every one of those studies is a sham. They measure economic mobility as a RELATIVE thing, relative to the other people within that country. I would like to see one that measures economic mobility in absolute measures for a much more accurate comparison between countries. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2091791&forum_id=2).#21882154) |
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Date: October 25th, 2012 2:32 PM Author: Diverse weed whacker This is possibly the worst post ever. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2091791&forum_id=2).#21882450) |
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Date: October 25th, 2012 2:34 PM Author: curious pocket flask box office I'm 100% right. LOL at your obvious inability to make a substantive point. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2091791&forum_id=2).#21882458) |
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Date: October 25th, 2012 2:34 PM Author: irate crotch goal in life (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2091791&forum_id=2).#21882465) |
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Date: October 25th, 2012 2:39 PM Author: curious pocket flask box office Feel free to make a point, jackass. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2091791&forum_id=2).#21882487) |
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Date: October 25th, 2012 3:08 PM Author: White 180 ape FWIW, the American dream isn't rising from the bottom fifth to the top fifth. It's rising from the bottom fifth (or bottom tenth) to the top 1%. Pretty sure we still do that well. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2091791&forum_id=2).#21882778) |
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Date: October 25th, 2012 3:10 PM Author: curious pocket flask box office I would like to see the rate of that compared to other countries. I would also like to see either a) how much movement there is in absolute terms compared to other countries, or b) how much movement between top and bottom fifths *of all the countries being compared* in the US vs others. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2091791&forum_id=2).#21882803) |
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Date: September 25th, 2024 2:21 AM Author: turquoise native headpube It might be true in the sense of $ earned but class is more than just that. American upper class are far more chill and down to earth than the British. There’s much more snobbery in other countries (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2091791&forum_id=2).#48129349) |
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Date: October 25th, 2012 2:03 PM Author: cream fiercely-loyal philosopher-king stead more of a meritocracy, but that may mean less mobility as the kids of the "meritorious" are themselves more likely to be meritorious (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2091791&forum_id=2).#21882162) |
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Date: October 25th, 2012 2:04 PM Author: curious pocket flask box office This is a good point, meritocracy and mobility are not the same thing. IOW, the existence of opportunity for mobility is not the same thing as how much movement people actually make (which is what the studies above measure). (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2091791&forum_id=2).#21882177) |
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Date: October 25th, 2012 2:08 PM Author: cream fiercely-loyal philosopher-king stead (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2091791&forum_id=2).#21882201) |
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Date: October 25th, 2012 2:42 PM Author: bistre sex offender this is a crucial point that will never be discussed in polite company or policy-making. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2091791&forum_id=2).#21882513) |
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Date: October 25th, 2012 3:07 PM Author: curious pocket flask box office Tcr. And that is aside from the other fatal flaw of the studies which I mentioned above. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2091791&forum_id=2).#21882770) |
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Date: October 25th, 2012 2:30 PM Author: curious pocket flask box office (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2091791&forum_id=2).#21882441) |
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Date: October 25th, 2012 2:32 PM Author: Pungent Stage Shitlib Less overall but more at the highest levels (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2091791&forum_id=2).#21882451) |
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Date: October 25th, 2012 2:52 PM Author: chestnut soul-stirring hell incel The US has never been a meritocracy you morons. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2091791&forum_id=2).#21882595) |
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Date: October 25th, 2012 3:06 PM Author: bistre sex offender bro, look at almost all of our recent presidents: obama, clinton, reagan, carter, ford, nixon, johnson. clearly it's not just an aristocracy. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2091791&forum_id=2).#21882753) |
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Date: October 25th, 2012 3:09 PM Author: chestnut soul-stirring hell incel the president is a powerless figurehead. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2091791&forum_id=2).#21882787) |
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Date: September 19th, 2024 6:59 PM Author: peach tattoo ASIANS GAME THE SAT, SOFTS ARE MORE IMPORTANT WHO CARES ABOUT SCORES
BUT NIGGERS SCORE LOW ON THE SAT SO THEY ARE LOW IQ |
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Date: September 22nd, 2024 7:01 PM Author: peach tattoo (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2091791&forum_id=2).#48120875) |
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Date: September 24th, 2024 12:48 AM Author: peach tattoo (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2091791&forum_id=2).#48125665) |
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Date: September 24th, 2024 5:39 PM Author: peach tattoo (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2091791&forum_id=2).#48127837) |
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Date: September 25th, 2024 2:07 AM Author: peach tattoo (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2091791&forum_id=2).#48129332) |
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Date: September 25th, 2024 11:31 PM Author: peach tattoo (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2091791&forum_id=2).#48132824) |
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Date: September 26th, 2024 9:57 PM Author: peach tattoo (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2091791&forum_id=2).#48136031) |
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Date: November 5th, 2024 2:13 AM Author: peach tattoo (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2091791&forum_id=2).#48284501) |
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Date: November 7th, 2024 12:58 AM Author: peach tattoo (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2091791&forum_id=2).#48304170) |
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Date: November 13th, 2024 12:05 AM Author: nyuug (Gangnam WGWAG Playboy) (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2091791&forum_id=2).#48329789) |
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Date: November 15th, 2024 12:06 AM Author: nyuug (Gangnam WGWAG Playboy) (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2091791&forum_id=2).#48339909) |
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Date: September 22nd, 2024 7:02 PM Author: fluffy foreskin range Less. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2091791&forum_id=2).#48120879) |
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Date: September 25th, 2024 3:23 AM Author: at-the-ready round eye (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2091791&forum_id=2).#48129378) |
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Date: September 25th, 2024 2:42 AM Author: arousing theater stage generalized bond i wonder who makes up a large portion of the bottom 1/5th in America and why they aren't rising up if we are supposedly a meritocracy
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Date: September 25th, 2024 11:32 PM Author: lake dragon It never was a meritocracy, this is such a BS myth. U always had AA and legacy admit, which was even more during like Dubya and FDR's time (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2091791&forum_id=2).#48132827) |
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Date: September 25th, 2024 11:33 PM Author: peach tattoo (literal fucktarded cumskin obamamo who literally was full on shitlib before a certain "chill" kind of trumpian turn) (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2091791&forum_id=2).#48132835) |
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Date: September 25th, 2024 11:35 PM Author: lake dragon just stfu gook (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2091791&forum_id=2).#48132842) |
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Date: September 25th, 2024 11:38 PM Author: peach tattoo lol@ tommy literally getting his shit pushed in everytime NYUUG makes his mere presence known (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2091791&forum_id=2).#48132847) |