One of the tenets of the American dream is attaining: 'upward social mobility for oneself and their children, achieved through hard work in a capitalist society with few barriers.'
This is nearly impossible in our current social-cultural-economic state. Most of the highest income classes are blissfully ignorant of the struggles the majority below them face. Hard work is something most rich are unaware of, as most of their economic power was inherited from birth. There are many barriers for the average person making the climb up the social ladder extremely difficult and arduous - if not impossible.