The main theme in the understanding of Race, Class, Gender and Sexuality, an inspirational piece written by Lynn Weber, is American dream ideology. Lynn explores the dreams that this great nation is striving to achieve. He asserts that for one to succeed, one must have at least some goal to achieve. The best way to achieve equal success in every society is through education. However, for the society to achieve this there is need to advocate for equal opportunities, individual responsibility, reasonable chances of success and the notion that success is to be viewed as a virtue and failure as a sin. However, even if education plays this important role, says Lynn, it‘s still a fueling factor for the persistent gender, sexual and sexual oppression in the American society.
In deed, this material is very useful. It gives very insightful information about individual and societal success. The author presents his convincing message so well making it easier for every reader to understand. The use of a simple, clear and precise language besides concrete examples of people like Barrack Obama and John McCain makes this material more convincing, appealing and lively. The article therefore, appears appealing because of the inspirational use of poetry and stories with relevant excerpts.
However, Lynn makes a lot of assumptions in his writings. Even if education is seen as a gateway to success, it still faces a lot of drawbacks. It’s in US that learning is individually pragmatic making it difficult for the weak learners to fit into the system. Meanwhile, if a lot of civic education is carried out, it will eventually disintegrate the country into the educated and the uneducated.
Questions for class dialogues
1. Why is the society segregated into social classes?
2. What role does education play in class formation in the society?
3. Is it possible to attain an equal society?
Important terms/ concepts in the reading
1. Success is a virtue.
2. Education supports socio-political structures in the society.
3. Success calls for individual responsibility.
4. Education perpetuates social segregation.
Works Cited
Goldin, C.K. The Race between Education and Technology. Cambridge: Havard University Press. 2007.
