SUMMARY of “The Land of Opportunity”.
Wan Farah Athirah, Wan Rosli. HST 202. Dr. Lamphier.
In the seventh chapter of James Loewen’s The Land of Opportunity, he points out student’s misconception about social status which is contributed by high school’s textbook syllabus. The social and class structure scope that they believe are lacked of analysis which causes them not to understand of class inequalities and barriers of any kind to social mobility. Loewen states that the approaches of some textbooks in bringing up significant issues like slavery are solved and unions are anachronistic lead to the acceptance of the student with ignorant. Even though the middle class has been gradually shrinking under Reagan or Bush, textbook maintains United States as a middle class country. From womb, children of affluence enjoy healthcare, environmental and educational advantages over the poor compared to the poor children who have to face stereotypes and biases from their teacher in high school that only children of affluent family excel. This continues to college life where the rate of college attendance and type of college are chosen by social class factor than any other factor. In the end, Loewen mentions that the rich will get high class or highly paid job which increases their civic power. In addition, the system of “the rich get richer, the poor get poorer” and the perceptions of “poverty is due to the fault of the poor rather than the fault of system” will be maintained in the United States. Loewen states that teaching history of the true social class and inequality in United States could help people to let go of their negative self-image about being poor and to understand how stratification works is to pardon themselves and their families for working-class children. In fact, white working-class students believe that they deserve their low status. Loewen suggests that the problem of the inequality of opportunities are due to the idea...