A Ladder to the Sky: Personal Reflection

            Even though my parents and I never directly conversed the discussion, all along I had considered myself to be living in the middle to upper-middle class region of our country. What clued me in were considering various variables such as being able to live in a more than comfortable house, venturing all over the United States and outside it's boarders, and knowing that my college education is paid for. I found it peculiar that the article made an argument stating that America had moved toward an appearance of "classlessness". I had always thought that America was mainly comprised of middle class citizens, opposed to the harsh gap between rich and poor like some European countries have. However after reading this article, I found that I could almost directly relate to a specific quote as well as more. The quote is, "Parents with money, education, and connections cultivate in their children the habits that the meritocracy rewards." Knowing that my parents were not born millionaires, and that they had to work hard to earn their wealth that they have today, I feel like they have instilled important habits that will allow me to do the same. As the article states, "Today, anyone may have a shot at becoming a United States Supreme Court justice or a C.E.O., and there are more and more self-made billionaires." This is a perfect example that encompasses the type of economy that my generation is living in. It's honestly amazing how we have so many opportunities to succeed under our own making. The important thing to take away from this article is that "there are poor and rich in the United States, of course, the argument goes; but as long as one can become the other, as long as there is something close to equality of opportunity, the differences between them do not add up to class barriers."