As we prosper over time, inequalities gradually become less evident. Many people don't realize that even though things improve over time, inequalities remain significant in our society. Those who don't realize that inequalities still exist are the lucky ones. They are well above the poverty line and generally lead relatively economically healthy lives. They are the ones who benefit from the benefits of our society. Those who seek social change and constantly draw attention to issues of equal rights and privileges are often the ones who do not benefit. They are the ones who suffer from different levels of inequality on a daily basis. The majority of post-secondary students are considered privileged. This tends to lead to ignorance, or lack of education, about inequality because most students do not experience large levels of inequality. When our class received our first quiz, everyone could feel a sense of inequality. As the class was divided into different time groups, each student felt an inequality of opportunity. Even the students who had the most time for the quiz were at least able to see the inequality. As different times were announced, the less fortunate students began to complain and the more fortunate realized that their once equal classmates were now in an unequal situation. Since most students do not experience large inequalities, the unequal distribution of time shocked them. Luckily for me, I grew up in an upper-middle class family. Although my parents always tried to make me aware of inequality, I never really experienced it. During an in-class exercise, I was placed in a group and given six minutes to take my quiz. Even though it was almost enough time to complete my quiz, I was definitely jealous of the students who had more time. Even though the groups were randomly arranged, I still felt like I was being treated unequally compared to my peers. I felt unequal to my two peers who had more and less time than me. The situation made me angry and I wanted an explanation from the instructor about the unequal situation imposed on me. I felt unfair because I had a different time to write my quiz than a neighboring peer; who pays the same tuition ... middle of paper ... hey, they might not get the opportunity. Most people look down on the lower classes, not realizing that inequality deprives these people of equal rights to prosperity. This is happening not just in a few societies, but all over the world. According to the social conflict paradigm, society is a complex system characterized by inequalities and conflicts, which generate social change. Power and privilege are unequally distributed according to class, race, gender and age. These inequalities are often reinforced in societal institutions (Macionis 19). My participation in the class exercise allowed me to experience life through the eyes of a lower class individual. Even though the real world is much more extreme than the class exercise, I was still able to understand society and its levels of inequality. After experiencing society from a different perspective, I realize that although society has changed since the days of extreme inequality, it still needs a lot of attention to equalize privileges between different levels of stratification. Works Cited Macionis, John and Gerber, Linda. Sociology. 3rd ed. Prentice-Hall Canada Inc.: Ontario, 1999.