Write a short (1-page) essay, describing the table and the actual wealth distribution in America.
Describe the discrepancies between what people say that the wealth distribution looks like, what they think (their perceptions of) the wealth distribution should look like, and then what it actually is.
Please use the information from the table to either refute or support the idea that hard work pays off for all people in America (society as a meritocracy).
Be sure to take into account various types of inequalities (e.g., race, gender) in your answer.
Do not use outside sources, but apply your own sociological imagination using your own words.