What Is Work Ethic In America

Work Ethic in America

"Nearly 36 million Americans — one in eight — now live in poverty and tens of millions more are considered working poor" (Melvin Claxton & Ronald J. Hansen). This quote shows that a large part of the population fit into the lower class. They make a nice target, but aren't the only class that is effected by the American work ethic. The American work ethic is a job standard created as an expectation put on the shoulders of the lower, middle, and upper class in many different ways. One class might be effected more than another, but in the end we are all created equal. Lets start with the lower class, which is made up of people who live below the poverty level. This class isn't know for how hard they work or for how much money they make. Some would say they are probably know better for not working, but that is a misconception. There might be some people in the lower class that don't work, but there is a majority of them
The American work ethic does not apply to most of the people in the upper class since they have achieved their work ethics. Some of the middle class see others in the upper class and set their own work ethic standards high. The upper class isn't know for their hard work as they are for spending money and showing off their wealth. I would say they are better know for putting down the middle and lower class. A great example of this is from the story Sorry, the Professional Class is Full. The main character gets a job offer from a cleaner and this was his response, "Do I look like a janitor to you, pal? No offense, but I don't think the Jiffy Clean company is in my destiny, I'm a college professor. Can't you tell by looking at me?" (Snyder, 228) He never said this to the cleaners face, but it shows that the main character has a high work ethic and want to live up to