Actually I'm trying to write copy for the Heritage foundation and finally make some real money!
The I might make it too someday element is pretty weak with my students. As I say, they tend to be left-liberal, but not politically engaged and lack confidence in their views. There's another psychological element. Once I said something to a neighbor of mine -- a day care provider married to a carpenter who really struggled to keep a foothold in the middle-class -- about people having too much money -- something like that, I can't recall exactly what was said. But I do recall her reaction. She was surprised that I would express such a view. She said that she often felt that way, but never said so because she assumed that others would then see her as envious. She said that she always worried that she was, in fact, just envious. All that stuff about not fomenting class conflict and class envy really impacts people. Ellen Doug wrote: > > >Are you channelling your students, or your own inner thoughts here? >I'm guessing the former, because I can't believe you think there's >much relation between "contribution" and reward, or hard work and >success. I'll bet lots of your students work their butts off, and >come from families that do too. And what do they have to show for it? >Though I suppose there's a psychological angle here - they're >ambitious, want to join the upper ranks, and think that they'll be >able to someday by virtue of their hard work, since virtue is >rewarded. But it isn't. Most people die in the same income quintile >they were born into, or very close to it. > >Doug > >
