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1、MeritocracyinAmericaEverhighersociety,everhardertoascendDec29th2004
2、WASHINGTON,DCFromTheEconomistprinteditionWhateverhappenedtothebeliefthatanyAmericancouldgettothetop?THEUnitedStateslikestothinkofitselfastheveryembodimentofmeritocracy:acountrywherepeoplearejudgedontheirindividualab
3、ilitiesratherthantheirfamilyconnections.TheoriginalcoloniesweresettledbyrefugeesfromaEuropeinwhichtherestrictionsonsocialmobilitywerewovenintothefabricofthestate,andtheAmericanrevolutionwaspartlyarevoltagainstfeudalism.Fromtheoutset,Americansbelievedthatequalityofopportunitygavethem
4、anedgeovertheOldWorld,freeingthemfromdebilitatingsnobberiesandatthesametimeenablingeveryonetobenefitfromtheabilitiesoftheentirepopulation.Theystilldo.Tobesure,Americahasoftenbetrayeditsfineideals.TheFoundingFathersdidnotadmitwomenorblackstotheirmeritocraticrepublic.Thecountry'selite
5、shaverepeatedlyflirtedwiththearistocraticprinciple,whetheramongthebrahminsofBostonor,moreflagrantly,theruralrulingclassintheSouth.YetAmericahasrepeatedlysucceededinlivinguptoitsbestself,andtodaymostAmericansbelievethattheircountrystilldoesareasonablejobofprovidingopportunitiesforeve
6、rybody,includingblacksandwomen.InEurope,majoritiesofpeopleineverycountryexceptBritain,theCzechRepublicandSlovakiabelievethatforcesbeyondtheirpersonalcontroldeterminetheirsuccess.InAmericaonly32%takesuchafatalisticview.Butaretheyright?Agrowingbodyofevidencesuggeststhatthemeritocratic
7、idealisintroubleinAmerica.IncomeinequalityisgrowingtolevelsnotseensincetheGildedAge,aroundthe1880s.Butsocialmobilityisnotincreasingatanythinglikethesamepace:would-beHoratioAlgersarefindingitnoeasiertoclimbfromragstoriches,whilethechildrenoftheprivilegedhaveagreaterchanceofstayingatt
8、hetopofthesocialheap.TheUnitedStatesriskscalcifyingintoaEuropean-styleclass-basedsociety.ThepastcoupleofdecadeshaveseenahugeincreaseininequalityinAmerica.TheEconomicPolicyInstitute,aWashingtonthink-tank,arguesthatbetween1979and2000therealincomeofhouseholdsinthelowestfifth(thebottom2
9、0%ofearners)grewby6
