Is America Really the Land of Opportunity?

From a young age, we have been indoctrinated that America is "the land of opportunity;" however, is this really the case?  If we examine social structure, we find a different scenario that leaves us routinely stuck in the social class that we are born into.

Textbooks relay the notion that the middle class is the class is most.  This is a dangerous assertion, by presenting this as fact, we leave room for students to feel alienated.  Textbooks leave out that there are barriers and social injustices for those not born into a life of privilege.   Most are not middle class in today's society; the median income has fallen steadily since 1967, but has fallen even more since President Reagan and Bush implemented greater tax breaks for the wealthy, which created an even larger social divide.

Business leaders blame poverty on the poor instead of the system.  Labor leaders had an opposing view.  Does it make one a bad person just because they were not born into the "perfect" American dream home?  No, people with less money have less resources; therefore, they have less means to obtain something that is not within their immediate reach.  This starts before a child is even born.  Healthcare is a huge issue for those of poverty and cannot be understood by those of the upper/middle class.  Unborn babies do not receive the prenatal care that affluent Americans do.  They are born into their circumstances; they did not choose their life.  However, when class systems are not given any acknowledgement in American history, past and present, we leave room for Americans to assume that what they grew up in is the norm, especially with the affluent group.  The lower income group also have struggles because of the way the system is presented to them.  They may feel as if they are alone and it is their fault that they are not successful.  There are always variables; we just often choose to ignore them.

There are injustices everywhere.  Schools, for example, are not always equipped equal resources depending on where a student may reside.  Do textbooks ever ask students to research their socio-economic background of the area to find out why the distribution is unequal for some students?

Even though students may not realize it, they are being alienated and become disenchanted with learning, which leads to school drop outs, low attendance, etc.  So instead of ignoring the problem, why not face it head on and quit turning a blind eye or blaming the victim?  It may be easier to do these things, but the social structure will remain the same leaving the idea of American exceptionalism perpetuated.