Kevin Khe

Sociology 1

3/23/2017

Online

Savage Inequalities

The differences between a wealthy affluent community and school compared to poverty

stricken one is staggering. It is obvious that a poor community will create less opportunity but

the pure fact that this vicious cycle is becoming accepted is a problem. East St. Louis is a city

with no budget to fix or support any of its infrastructure. The city itself is so poor that even the

mayor is forced to sell the town hall and its fire departments. The necessities that help a

community safe and secure cannot even be spared by the crippling beast of poverty. Half the city

is flooded with sewage water that is heavily contaminated. Schools are not absent in this

infrastructure nightmare, classes are canceled due to sewage and plumbing problems. The

schools in East St. Louis have no budget even to uphold a staff to maintain the basic functions of

a school. Teachers, custodians, cafeteria cooks are laid off leaving classrooms to an unbearable

size for underpaid teachers and subs. Children are left to grow uneducated unable to read time

with the possibility of never getting a proper education. Crimes such as rapes and murders are

spoken about in a nonchalant manner amongst children. The environment of East St. Louis is

slowly becoming a norm for these children as they will never know the other side to this

nightmare.

Rye, New York is the opposite of East St. Louis, they have marbled hallways and giant

libraries with chairs big enough to have each student comfortable while reading. They get charity

donations that come out to almost half a million dollars. There student demographic is mostly
Asian and white with just a handful of Hispanic and black students. As the school avoids

integrated classrooms, for they fear the decline of standards if they mix with the urban youth.

The focus of students education is a high priority with AP classes and multiple mandatory

language classes. Students are able to speak at a high level of debate and discussion about the

sensitive topics of inequality in racial topics.

Irl Solomons class is different because the teacher is an out liar in that school. He is an

educated lawyer who decided that doing law wasnt for him and decided to pursue something in

a civil and social duty. He decided to teach at one of the toughest schools in the nation. He

questions why some of the students act the way they do and they answer with something

completely normal in their situation. They mostly conclude that they have no escape to their

situation. He believes that change is possible.

Jennifers view on the idea of not giving back or supporting the lower class is interesting.

Her parents originated from there and understand what it is like, but she sees it useless to support

them. Jennifer believes that people can only become better by truly wanting to be better and not

by any charity.

I dont think much has changed in the last twenty years. I dont see much closure in the

gap of inequality. The unfortunate aspect of affluent communities is that they have no problem

with turning away from a problem that does that have a mutual benefit for both sides. Jennifer

and her thought on this topic is completely normal. She has not realized that poverty stricken

communities are a victim to governments and other powerful figures neglecting communities for

their personal benefit. This poverty, uneducated, and dangerous behavior by the members of poor

communities is all perpetuated and have no actual chance of change. It is a systemic problem that

these problems hide in. Only the surface gets treated without any actual treatment to the origin of
the problem. Without change to the core, generations will face the same fate of East St. Louis

communities.