Stratification
I believe that we do not necessarily have a meritocracy here in the United States. Although I believe that there should be a meritocracy or a group of people who are really actually skilled and educated on political matters to be not necessarily in “power” per say, but that would help guide our country into making the right decisions, and to help put laws in place. It mentions in the book the meritocracy is the “ result of personal effort, or merit, that determines social standing”(textbook pg. 188). Instead I believe that many of the men and women in our congress are inherited into the position they are in, and have not “worked” their way up to the positions that they are in.
I agree mostly with Davis and Moore’s perspective on social stratification. Davis and Moore believe that “rewarding more important work with higher levels of income, prestige, and power encourages people to work harder and longer.” (textbook pg.196) I do agree that those who put in much more work in what they do as a career should receive higher levels of income. There are individuals who risk their life saving lives such as firefighter and soldiers that deserve to be paid so much more than they actually do. This would help to encourage others to want to do work harder and do a better job with that career. However, I also believe that those who do not get paid minimum wage should be at least paid enough to be able to live a healthy life. Having enough money to live, especially if you are putting in many hours of work, should be a given thing. If employees were being paid more, they would start to take their jobs more seriously and there would be less unhappy customers.
I do also agree that humans are very self-centered by nature. But this is not just a human thing, over time humans and animals have evolved into becoming self-centered beings. This is apart of human nature and the only way an individual could change that, is by learning to not become so self-centered over time. Many and most young kids are self-centered by nature, not because they choose to be that way. If he/she could not get the toy or snack they have been wanting, it is like the end of the world for them.
