Connections

I think that acquired privilege is something that disproportionately benefits certain groups in our society. These are privileges that people are born with and do not have to do anything in order to experience the benefits. Just like status (at least in the olden days) acquired privilege is something that you can not achieve, it is simply something that other people are lucky to have. It also reinforces stereotypes and leads certain groups to have unfair advantages over others. 

The way that our economy is now really privileges people who have connections. It is very hard to come right out of college and land a high level job without connections. One of my very good friends was a business marketing major, he attended a decent school and maintained right below a 3.0. He was not involved in any activities on campus and had no prior experience in marketing. Luckily for him, his dad was one of the top district marketing executives for some food company (of course I now forget what company) but none the less lets just say this really catapulted his career. My friend ended up landing a well paying marketing job with a friend of his dad's. Luckily for him, he was able to get right into the corporate world with a little push and connections. Yet on the same hand I know other business majors, like my cousin, who has been out of school for two years and has been working as the associate manager for a retail store. By no means am I trying to say there is something wrong with working retail but at the same time he went through the same schooling, with a better GPA and has been out for two years with no offers. I think that these privileges that certain people obtain, through no action of their own, really disproportionately benefits certain groups. 

While there are many people who have worked themselves up to a high level you have to think about all the work they put into it in order to make it where they are. While other people are handed jobs some people work their entire lives to achieve certain jobs. It unfairly benefits others why limiting some who have no access to these connections and acquired privileges.