Theory Application: Article 2
Karl Marx argued that social class dictates a person’s social life. A person in a higher social class can access several opportunities and therefore lead lives of abundance and leisure. Similarly, those in the lower class access limited opportunities hence lead lives of poverty and hardship. The rich people would control every aspect of the society, including the lives of even the poor people. As such, there is a great divide between the rich and the poor. Based on Marx theories, education has become an important tool to achieve social mobility. Americans are undertaking higher education so as to improve their chances of accessing economic opportunities and moving up the social ladder. The economic powers are spending more money on a small number of selective schools that cater for upper-income families. As such, those students at the lower social classes access poor quality schools while they struggle to pay education in a bid to increase their chances of economic opportunities in life. The wealthy in the society, therefore, create a system in which they maintain their wealth and transmit it to their future generations. The poor students, therefore, struggle to pay the large school fees so as to be able to graduate and access the jobs available in the economy. When they get good jobs they transition from one social class to the other as they heard additional incomes. However, the wealthy people in the society continue to control who accesses these opportunities as well as how this system is maintained. Education is therefore important as it is a basic need for moving up the social ladder. When the government can have full control of education access, then even those at the bottom of the social class will be able to access equal opportunities and achieve success. Thus, a new society which is classless is created as all people h...
