Ok so I basically just wrote all about this. But let’s continue my thoughts. Social mobility is something that my grandparents have most definitely experienced. They raised a child with no support from their parents. At 18. Ask me how they could afford to put food on the table and a roof over their heads. I have no idea. This intrigues me. Now I want to go home and ask my grandparents what they think about the american dream. If it exists, if they have experienced it and how it worked for them. I think the stereotypical “american dream” must have felt real for them.
They did move up socially and economically. They raised two kids who live in a safe town and are financially stable. My grandparents live in a neighborhood surrounded by people who have real money. They learned to use their resources that allowed them to excel. They depended on support from non family members that we now call family. They worked their asses off to be who they are. They have done things I’m sure they never thought they would be able to do. The American dream exists, it’s just not attainable for most of americans. Those non minority citizens can excel and grow. When your people haven’t had laws created to make housing less affordable and to prevent you from voting, you can’t move upward like those who benefit off of those can’t.
Our country is full of broken systems that a lot of people fall into. Making everyday tasks so difficult. Making paying bills so much more difficult. Social mobility happens at the expense of other people. Those who you are using as a step stool to higher places. When this country was built to support you in everything you do, that is when you have made it in life. That is when you have less barriers blocking you from a place of success and growth. There is trials and roadblocks created to keep you from doing well. Which prevents future generations of your kin, to not have as many opportunities as the rest. They say it’s not about what you know, but about who you know. Knowledge is power, but so is having connections, having someone on the inside, having someone to coach you through the things you do and do not know. Knowledge, experience and who you know impacts your future success.
