Socially Mobile Grinders

David Brooks in "A Nation of Grinders" (RC,WW 543-547) asks readers, "[H]ow about Abraham Lincoln as the defining capitalist figure of our age?" (543). His answer, "That middle-aged Lincoln represents all the sometimes homely but invariably dreamy pushers who are what American striving is really all about" (543).
The typical American success story does not consist of the billion dollar deal signed behind the doors of mega-corporate board rooms, but comes from "the need to actually execute and finish your strategies" at companies where the culture "encourages the Lincolnian virtues of simplicity and humility." In other words, work hard and do a good job, no matter what your job title. Further, when practiced, this "social mobility reduces class conflict because each person can build his own fortune, rather than taking from the fortunes of others" (547).

What's your response to the notion that "each person's destiny is somehow related to the amount of talent and effort he or she pours into life" and this defines "the very essence of justice" (547)?

Comments

  1. AnonymousMay 26, 2009 at 12:03 PM

    I believe that a person's talent does not directly affect their destiny due to the fact that we do not know what our destiny really is. However, one's hard work and efforts put into life could amount to great things. I believe that hard work will always overcome great talent. Justice on the other hand is a word that is not easily defined and depends on our views of what a person really deserves.

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownMay 28, 2009 at 3:48 PM

    I think a person's destiny sometimes is not related to his/her talent.There are people who are lucky that even if they don't have a job, talents or they don't have a college degree their destiny puts them in fortune. For instance, a girl who only finished high school played in the casinos in Las Vegas and won a million dollar. Her destiny puts her into fortune. Actually, I don't really get what "the very essence of justice" means but I think "the very essence of justice" depends on every people's strategies in life and their destiny.

    ReplyDelete
  3. SteveJune 2, 2009 at 2:59 PM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  4. SteveJune 2, 2009 at 3:03 PM

    I truly believe talent does not interfere the individual's destiny, in fact, i believe it enhances the way to their destiny. Nevertheless, individuals do not need to have talent to achieve their accomplishment, hard work and dedication allows them to succeed.

    ReplyDelete
  5. UnknownDecember 3, 2013 at 10:35 AM

    It is possible that many have completely missed the true meaning of this article. "the amount of talent" does not refer the the amount of ingrained natural affinity that commonly is credited by the masses, but the talent that is developed by consistent practice and trial. A man must work incredibly hard to reach any kind of achievement. Yes, your effort equals your destiny because everyone creates their own destiny. If you choose to lie victim to worldly circumstance then your destiny will become in wherever the winds of life blow you.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What Superpower Would You Choose?

Image
Do you want to fly? Would you like be invisible? How about superhuman strength or X-ray vision? My superpower of choice is to be able to speak every language in the Universe - from Elven to Italian, Mandarin to Romulan, cat to bat, and everything in between. I'd like to hear (or receive, if it's a telepathic language) everybody's story in their own language and understand all the delicate nuances intelligent beings can fashion. Speaking of stories . . . think of the stories these guys could tell. Imagine talking to Thor in Asgardian or being able to translate all the spells from the stacks at Hogwart's (BTW - the best class EVER!). So what superpower would you choose?
Read more

MLA Citations

Image
When you reach college you will be writing a variety of research papers and by the time you reach second year English, your instructors expect that you know how to paraphrase, quote, use in-text citations, and create a works cited page entry in your sleep. Why is citation important? Plagiarism is one thing that can get your kicked out of college. Your ideas and your writing belong to you. Just like my thoughts and my writings belong to me and Shakespeare's thoughts and writings belong to him. So give credit where credit is due. Here are a couple of quizzes to test your knowledge: Click on the link for an In-Text Citation Quiz offered by McGraw-Hill Click on the next link for a Works Cited Quiz created by McGraw-Hill . So how did you do? Were you surprised by how much you knew about in-text citations and works cited entries? Or how much you need to learn? Don't worry it's not too late there are all kinds of online resources for avoiding plagiarism. I would also r
Read more

17 Majors Where you Might Not Find a Job

Image
Forbes just released a list of  " 17 college majors that report higher unemployment ." This report completed by PayScale, polled 962,956 workers between March 2014 and March 2016. What they found may or may not be surprising depending on your major, but it correlates with the idea that popular majors may not be the best choice when it comes to finding a job. So let's take a look. No. 1 - Physical Education Teaching. 56.4% underemployment. No. 2. - Human Services. 55.6% underemployment. No. 3 - Illustration. 54.7% underemployment. No. 4 - Criminal Justice. 53% underemployment. No. 5 - Project Management. 52.8% underemployment. No. 6 - Radio/Television and Film Production. 52.6% underemployment. No. 7 - Studio Art. 52.0% underemployment. No. 8 - Health Care Administration. 51.8 % underemployment. No. 9 - Education. 51.8% underemployment. No. 10 - Human Development and Family Studies. 51.5% underemployment. No. 11 - Creative Writing. 51.1% unde
Read more