Kristof Article

U.S.A Land of Limitations?
By: Nicholas Kristof
August 8th 2015


“The chance of a person who was born to a family in the bottom 10 percent of the income distribution rising to the top 10 percent as an adult is about the same as the chance that a dad who is 5 feet 6 inches tall having a son who grows up to be over 6 feet 1 inch tall, “It happens, but not often.” claimed by Alan Krueger
According to this quote, what I believe the meaning that Kruger is trying to address is that it's very difficult to move up in society. She uses the example of a person born to a family in the bottom 10 percent of income will most likely never rise to the top 10 percent as an adult. The quote is saying that sometimes it can happen but not often. This quote in my opinion is completely wrong. I say this because I know people that were born into a family that had little to no money and then rose to the top 10 percent as an adult. If you work hard and dedicate your time you will succeed. This quote is mostly irrelevant to the test because Kristof is talking about America being the land of limitations, opportunities, and social classes.

“Rich kids make a lot of bad choices,” Professor Reardon notes. “They just don’t come with the same sort of consequences.”

This quote is saying that many children that are born in a family who are wealthy make a lot of bad choices and wrong decisions. This quote is also revealing that children that are raised without having to worry about anything or needing anything, do not have the same mindset on bad choices as for someone that is brought up with not a lot of money. He also was discussing his friend Rick that recently passed away, who knew that he made bad choices. However, he worked hard to try and make his life better. This quote is relevant to the text because the author is talking about America's land of opportunity.

“Talent is universal, but opportunity is not.” Nicholas Kristof

This quote reveals that the person with talent needs to have the heart and the will to get that opportunity. The quote is also telling us that every person is capable of talent but might not have the necessities to continue their talent. For example, someone can be very talented in a certain sport, but they might not get the scholarship. The author proceeds to talk about his friend Rick who struggled in many areas of his life. However, he tells us how Rick began to turn his life around for the better. This quote is relevant to the text because it's talking about America's land of limitations and opportunity.

Talking point to share in class:

The best metrics of child poverty aren’t monetary, but rather how often a child is read to or hugged. Or, conversely, how often a child is beaten, how often the home descends into alcohol-fueled fistfights, whether there is lead poisoning, whether ear infections go untreated. That’s a poverty that is far harder to escape.

I feel that money isn't the most important thing on the planet. However, in today's society money is what makes you survive. You need money in order to buy clothing, food, and other necessities for your family. As a preschool teacher and educator I believe that the environment that a child lives in is the most important. I feel this way because there are children who live in households that result to violence to resolve an issue. These children are forced to grow up quicker when they have not fully developed yet. It's horrible to think about, but it's the truth. Then there are the children who live in a household where their parents read to them every night and show affection to them. These children are able to learn responsibility from their parents and wait to grow up until their mentally developed.

Link to the reading:

https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/09/opinion/sunday/nicholas-kristof-usa-land-of-limitations.html