The concept of the American Dream that people of all backgrounds have the opportunity to advance is directly challenged in this political cartoon. With abundant symbolism, the cartoon visually depicts the difficulty of moving between social classes in America. Three people stand on the first of the twelve floors and seek to advance to a higher level, which represents social advancement to a higher social status. Each person represents a social class: the rich, the middle class and the poor. Each of them has different resources to advance and their ability to do so increases with the social class they belong to. Although the United States seeks to ensure social mobility, this cartoon suggests that its efforts are currently failing, and plenty of research supports this idea. America has a rich history of people rising out of poverty through their own efforts and use of the resources available to them, but the availability of those resources has varied over time as have political administrations and their respective policies . While our nation has a core belief that every American has an equal opportunity to advance, that is simply not the case and changes are needed to restore the American Dream. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The rich are represented in the cartoon by a luxuriously dressed man with a briefcase. He is the classic rich man; older and white, with heavily combed gray hair. A rich background is certainly useful for social progress. According to Howard Friedman, statistician and health economist at the United Nations, the real data from economic studies “are at odds with the American dream” and “point to a rigid and entrenched wealth structure”. (Friedman) Wealth is generally passed down in wealthy families, and even the impoverished generally remain trapped in their social class. Professor Miles Corak, an economist at the University of Ottawa, says that “family background plays a more important role in the United States than in most comparable countries.” (DeParle) Canada also has more right than the United States to declare itself a land of opportunity. Studies show that “an American man's income is almost twice as dependent on his father's background as that of a Canadian man.” (Friedman) The rich man stands in a shiny golden elevator set in a marble wall with decorative trim. The doors are closing and he is climbing in. His face is smug and he is clearly proud and satisfied with his status. Progress is child's play for the rich man in the elevator. His pleasant situation exemplifies the ease with which the wealthy can advance further financially and socially. The comparative luxury of his situation represents the higher quality of life enjoyed by the upper class. This man seems much happier than any other figure in the cartoon. Its position is enviable. Many argue that every American can be like him by working hard, but this is increasingly false. The argument that America has fabulous social mobility and people can easily move up the social ladder is rapidly dying, as the evidence clearly shows otherwise. Isabel Sawhill, an economist at the Brookings Institution, says the fact that America has less social mobility than most other advanced countries is "becoming conventional wisdom" that people don't argue with. (DeParle) Jason DeParle, a senior writer at New YorkTimes, which won a George Polk Award for its reporting on welfare, points out that when many Americans “complain that the United States has unusually wide income gaps,” others counter that “the system is fair because mobility is particularly high.” and “everyone can have a career”. (DeParle) But in reality America is less mobile as well as less equitable, and this translates into a sorry state for many Americans in the middle and lower middle classes. The middle class is represented in the cartoon by a professionally dressed woman who is intently focused on her efforts to advance. She seems hopeful and determined, but she definitely has work ahead of her. It is possible for her to advance, but difficult. His expression is determined, but he's definitely struggling. This woman's quality of life is undoubtedly lower than that of the man with a higher salary. The middle-class woman's potential means of transportation is a knotted rope, and she will find it much more difficult to advance than the man with the elevator. The rope is also fraying, so it faces a greater risk of failure in its climb, just as the middle class faces greater risk when making financial investments and spending than the wealthy. The woman's resources are sorely lacking, and even with hard work and determination, she is likely to fail. Although surveys of the American public show that “Americans have greater confidence in their country's meritocracy than citizens of nearly every other country in the world,” the actual rate of poverty persistence is much higher here than in other countries. rich nations. (Friedman) Britain is famous for class constraints, but even though the United States poses as the land of opportunity and claims to have a classless society, the level of disadvantage for our middle and lower classes is much higher than that of Great Britain. (DeParle) The poor are represented in the cartoon by a young man of a minority race. He lacks the professional attire of the other two and wears a t-shirt, jeans and sneakers. Evidently he belongs to the working class. There are many examples of Americans born into the working class who have achieved great wealth. A very American example is Henry Ford who created the Ford Motor Company. Henry Ford was born on a farm in 1863. Instead of becoming a farmer he pursued an interest in machinery and went to work with steam engines, railcar manufacturers, and various factories to learn as much as he could. Salaries were such that he had time and money to tinker, and like many other innovators of that era, he spent it trying to invent a "horseless carriage" or car. Ford was ultimately successful, and the unique philosophy of the Ford Motor Company is what sealed its success. Henry Ford wanted to create a more affordable car for the masses, not just a luxury item, and began producing the Model T. He ran a huge factory like a moving assembly line to reduce costs and increase production, and he fearlessly he doubled the wages of his 14,000 workers so they could purchase the product they made. Prices plummeted, sales rose, workers prospered, Detroit prospered, and Ford became one of the richest people of all time, with a net worth more than double that of Bill Gates. His example caught on and a trend was set for the early 20th century. Assembly-line styles of production and high-wage, low-skilled factory jobs became the norm. People flocked to the cities and were elevated into an ever-growing middle class. Huge numbers of low-skilled workers led to industrial unionism and improvementthe quality of life of thousands of people. (“Life of Henry Ford”) Unlike Henry Ford, the lower-class man depicted does not have the resources necessary for progress at his disposal. All he has is a short wooden ladder with five rungs. This is enough to stay where you are, but nothing more to advance, just as many Americans live paycheck to paycheck with barely enough to survive. This situation is created because wages are so low. The minimum wage has been stagnant for a long time. If the minimum wage had been adjusted since the late 1960s to keep pace with inflation, it would currently exceed seventeen dollars. (Interview with Kenny Yuko) There is no reason why the wages and quality of life of the lower middle classes should have been better in the 1960s than they are today. Today, high-wage, low-skilled jobs are nearly impossible to find. Low-skilled, minimum-wage jobs are also few and far between. Many minimum wage workers live in poverty, despite working full time, because the minimum wage is not enough to cover basic living expenses. The poor man's expression is one of confusion and helplessness. His feelings represent those of many poor Americans who don't know where to turn. By comparison, aid to the poor in America is actually less than in other rich countries, which leaves our poor even worse off. Scott Winship, a researcher at the Brookings Institution, says that “the poorest fifth in the United States looks very different from other countries. Poor Americans must work their way up from a lower level.” (DeParle) The most evident aspect of the representation of the poor is the desperation and difficulty of his situation. Many lower class people today struggle in similarly bleak situations. Lower-class single parents struggle to provide for their families, and independent people struggle to remain independent. Many workers find that wages are simply too low to make ends meet. They can't work hard enough to earn the money they need, despite working two or even three jobs. The most striking feature of the cartoon is certainly the great differences between its three characters, despite their coexistence in the same environment. The upper class man is so far superior to the other two in terms of quality of life, that the message of the cartoon is obvious; something must be done to improve social mobility and the situation in which our lower middle classes live. Some laws currently being discussed in Ohio provide hope for this situation. Senate Bill 25, the Ohio Workers' Rights Act, was introduced in the Ohio Senate earlier this year and proposes to raise the state minimum wage from 8.10 to 10.10 dollars an hour. (“Senate Bill 25”) Senator Kenny Yuko explained in an interview his desire to increase the state minimum wage. “It's no longer your high school kid looking for a part-time, minimum wage job, it's your single moms. There are many adults who are over 20 years old, many of them work part time, but many work full time. Sometimes it's mom and dad working in concert with each other, sometimes both working minimum wage jobs, sometimes both working two minimum wage jobs, just to try to provide for their families. And this will give them the opportunity to do better for everyone.” (“Interview with Kenny Yuko”) When asked how he would respond to the argument that raising the minimum wage would be a burden on businesses, Senator Yuko responded: “They are thinking.