Economic Inequality: An Analysis of the Rich and Poor Essay

This essay analyzes the increasing economic disparity between the upper and lower classes, drawing on Robert Reich's observations of the American economy. It examines the impact of globalization, technological advancements, and job displacement on the middle and lower classes, while highlighting the advantages enjoyed by the upper class. The essay presents arguments from both sides regarding the causes of job losses, including immigration, technological development, and globalization. It then presents a claim that the rich are getting richer and the poor poorer and provides warrants supporting this claim, while also acknowledging common ground with opposing viewpoints. The essay concludes by emphasizing the shared understanding that unemployment is a major challenge, influenced by both technological advancement and globalization.

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"WHY THE RICH ARE GETTING RICHER AND THE POOR, POORER"
Introduction and Claim
In the entire Article, the author discusses about the increasing disparity between the
upper- and lower-half of the society. The major narrator of the piece is Robert Reich who is
primary illustrating the America’s social classes. The metaphor is utilized in explicating how the
economy of America is fluctuating for the rich and poor. It is alluded to a boat that everyone is in
whereby 1 is rapidly sinking 2nd one sinking more gradually while the 3rd steadily rising. The
three social classes are referred to here including lower-, middle- and upper-class.
The lower-class keeps going poorer due to job loss, increase automation alongside
competition from other economies which are enthusiastic to work for less money. The middle-
class is somewhat staying unchanged but remain still diminishing economically. This is due to
machinery that is substituting employees, lower wages due to the surged social security drawn by
the government from the retirees, alongside the stiff competition from immigrant searching for
jobs. The upper-class does well and ascending past everyone else since they are the people who
are thinking regarding selling their notions to overseas nations who could never think of them
independently.
Background
The topic is anchored on the Robert Reich as both eye opener and simultaneously a
cautionary for the society about the unemployment which the society shall be facing and is

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presently facing as a result of the lack of education and technology. It precisely enunciates that
routine producers’ jobs and in-person servers have extinguished wholly as the contemporary
techniques have substituted them. Reich posited that strictly individuals whose jobs remain on
the upsurge are symbol analysts. The symbol analysts remain the actual problem solvers. The
symbol analysts’ skills remain extremely in the demand globally since they are the people who
initially examine the problem and subsequently solve the problem (Reich 15).
The same unemployment problem alongside the global recession that has left workers
focusing on workers not solely with skills of specialist but further a vaster array of knowledge
and skills. The report remains a clear reflection of what is required by the modern day
employers, but the question remains whether it is universities or learners individually that fail to
cope with the needs of modern world that is marred with advancement in technology alongside
critical thinking. The modern day generation alongside reasons for huge drop in employment are
truly missing something critical.
Opposition
The opposition holds that the job losses in America is caused not by the immigrants into
America but due to technological development and globalization. The opposition acknowledges
that the main challenge is the employment crisis that the millennials shall be facing as a result of
educational challenges, either in schools or in learners, and the similar period the ascending
symbol analysts demand (Spangler 472). This is an eye-openers for millennials since the
opposition has precisely illustrated all the challenges facing millennials and shall be facing in the
coming years about employment.
Opponents Claim’s strengths and weaknesses

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The main strength in my opponent claim is that it is true that globalization and
technological advancement have greatly led to a laying off of many workers. On the other hand,
the opponent fails to appreciate that as technology is advancing, many jobs are destroyed and
through innovation, many new jobs are created and many firms upskill their old employees
rather than retrenching which would indeed retain workers and even employ new ones.
My Claim
The Robert Reich Article remains wholly true. There is a widening gap between the rich
and the poor. This disparity/gap is increasing blooming visibly as months turn to years. The rich
are increasingly becoming richer since they are the people taking over the lower-class jobs and
doing whatever they wish with them. Often, the upper-class fire all the employees and place in
automatic machinery since it is increasingly effective and cost really less. The upper-class have
further put a surge on immigrants over the previous ten years and it is still ascending today. The
immigrants come to America and require jobs to support both families and themselves. This is
the reason there is increasing jobs less in the US. If the American economy keeps up with this
declining trend, there will people trapped in absolute poverty and those who are filthy rich.
Accordingly many of the rich individuals shall refute to assist the poor, even where they are
increasingly capable of helping the poor.
Warrants for My Claim and the Opposition for Common Ground
Based on my claim, the millennials’ future is analyzed with respect to unemployment
problems the millennials will face as a result of globalization. The advancement in technology
and entire world “going global” remains significant. Unlike my claim, that I hold also
contributes to the American job losses, I see sense in the opponent claim that attributes the job
loss to the shift of jobs from the developed to developing economies established by the huge

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recession in the developed-economies to have triggered by the advancement in technology and
globalization.
Common Ground
It is true that both claims remain cognizant that the main challenge is the unemployment.
Whereas I attributed the lack of employment among the Americans to the competition arising
from the immigrants who seek the same jobs to support themselves and families, I am in
agreement with my opponent’s claim that globalization and advancement in technology have
also played a significant role (Stiglitz 133). It is true that advancement in technology has made
workers stay in touch with the entire globe with the assistance of certain optical wires alongside
satellites and hence began hiring employees who were willing and ready to work for the lower
salaries. In the same manner, introduction of novel labor-saving machineries like ATMs and
robotized vending accounts for job losses.
Conclusion
Both opposing claims have a sense in arguments and hence there is a common ground.
Both technological advancement and globalization have indeed led to job loses while at the same
time Americans have lost jobs due to influx of immigrants.

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Works Cited
Reich, Robert B. "Why the rich are getting richer and the poor, poorer." The way class works:
Readings on school, family, and the economy (2008): 13-24.
Spangler, Eve. "When Good Jobs Go Bad: Globalization, De-Unionization, and Declining Job
Quality in the North American Auto Industry." (2017): 471-473.
Stiglitz, Joseph E. "The overselling of globalization." Business Economics 52.3 (2017): 129-137.