In the land of the “American Dream,” the common belief is that there is a direct relationship between hard work and success. In this ideal prototype, those who put in long hours are destined to succeed and climb the social ladder. Theoretically, one could be born at the "bottom of the food chain" and, with hard work, rise into the realm of the social elite. Testifying to this global vision of the United States, immigrants from around the world have made the journey to the "land of opportunity" in hopes of better education, better jobs, government, community and a better life for themselves and for the generations that will follow them. All of this is based on a system of social stratification – a guide to a person's success in achieving the American dream. This assessment of social class is based on many elements, some of which are presented to people at birth and are not acquired through hard work or money. The class system in the United States has become extremely complex – it no longer adheres to the fundamental class values ​​of our ancestors. Those trying to move up in the American class system are often caught imitating the behaviors of the rich and famous, but that doesn't necessarily make them higher class. Many people think that there is a checklist that must be completed to advance through the class system, but there is more to being upper class than just talking or having the right qualifications. One way to think about class is to use the model developed by Janny Scott and David Leonhardt in their article “Shadowy Lines That Still Divide” in The New York Times. They state that “[o]ne way to think about a person's position in society is to imagine a hand of cards. Everyone is dealt four cards, one of each suit: education, income...... middle of paper ... the way it has always been - born into privilege. Works Cited Henwood, Doug. “Trash-o-nomics.” White Trash: Race and Class in America. Ed. Matt Wray and Annalee Newitz. New York, NY: Routledge, 1997. 177-91.Malone, Bill C. Don't Outsell Your Raisin': Country Music and the Working Class South. New York, NY: University of Illinois P, 2005. 28. People like us. Real. Louis Alvarez and Andrew Kolker. 2001. Scott, Janny and David Leonhardt. “Dark lines that still divide.” Dark lines that still divide. May 15, 2005. The New York Times. November 13, 2008. Tse, Archie and Ben Werschkul. “How the class works.” Graphic: How the class works. May 15, 2005. The New York Times. November 13. 2008 .