Inequality is the common link to problems between different classes, ethnicities, and races. The problem is inequalities are not produced from one thing therefore, it is not so easily solvable because it is so deeply ingrained in our society. While talking about inequalities we learned about the cultural structure argument. This argument is supported by the idea of culture as a toolkit, which means that the resources you are presented with and the available strategies to you affect how you live your life and the inequalities that you experience. However, even when you are handed the tools for success I believe there are other obstacles that become very difficult to overcome.
First of all no matter how many resources are put in front of you, if you don’t have the motivation to be successful whether that be in school, or in the work world you will not go far. You have to want something to be able to be successful. My home city, New Rochelle, NY is a good example of how having a great tool kit may not change your path in life. New Rochelle High School is 52% minorities and 48% Caucasian, and the houses in the city range from millions to the projects. The school is the definition of diverse. The school is equipped to work with all types of students and genuinely wants every student to succeed. Although the school educates 3,2000 students they try and make sure no one falls through the cracks and never wants to be considered a school who only cares about its AP students. There are two middle schools in New Rochelle and even though the majority of the students who attend the middle school on the south end are of minority decent and come from families with low SES they are just as prepared for high school as the students from the other middle school. So, if the theory of the tool kit is true why doesn’t every student graduate and utilize all the resources that are offered to them?
I believe that there are other things that get in the way of using these resources. For example, one of my brother’s good friend Franco, found it very difficult growing up in one of the less affluent neighborhood in New Rochelle because although he wanted to work hard and do well in school the other kids in his neighborhood made fun of him for this. When looking back on this situation I thought about the culture of poverty argument and maybe that this boy’s friends had different values. However, as there isn’t much evidence to this theory I think there are other causes to their attitudes. Teenagers sometimes think they are being stereotyped and then they fulfill it because they think that is what is expected of them. Franco was constantly made fun of for hanging out with rich white kids and being in honors classes. When I got to high school I observed a similar phenomenon. The students that came from lower SES backgrounds and worked hard in school usually separated from their friends in their neighborhood and became friends with kids in their classes because they had similar goals and interests. When you are a teenager having the approval of your peers is extremely important and every year there are kids in my high school who break away from their comfort zone because they aren’t willing to give up the opportunities they are being offered. I have a theory that if it were more socially expectable to be doing your homework after school instead of hanging out on the street there would be more students using the resources my high school offers.
Having a well-equipped tool kit definitely makes life easier, but you also have to be willing to use the tools you are given. I find it very frustrating that there are people who don’t use the resources that they are given because there are so many people who have no tools in their kits. For example Jonathan Kozol in his articles exemplifies the many students that will never receive the opportunities the students in my high school have. And what makes it even more saddening is that they don’t understand why they don’t have the same things as the schools only a few miles away and our country isn’t even willing to give them a chance to see what they could if they had the same resources.
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