From Rags to *iches(haha it's riches not what you think :p)

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Tyler Perry
at the 82nd Academy Awards (March 7, 2010)

My blog topic is Tyler Perry (heller). Tyler Perry (born Emitt Perry Jr.), was born in New Orleans on September 13, 1969, his father was a carpenter, and according to Perry "his only answer to everything was to beat it out of you." Tyler Perry also claimed to have almost commited suicide so as to avoid his father's wrath. He changed his name from Emmit to Tyler when he was sixteen, as a way to distance himself from his father. As a child Perry was molest by one of his mother's friends, and by three men previous to this, he also later that found out that his father molested one of his (tyler) friends. He didnt finish high school, but earned a GED, according to Tyler what inspired him to write was watching an Oprah Winfrey talk show, he heard someone describe "the sometimes therapeutic effect that the act of writing can have, enabling the author to work out his or her own problems."  When Perry was 22 years of age he moved to Hotlata (Atlanta), and with his life savings (12,000$), he financed his first play. It was about Christian themes of forgiveness, dignity and self-worth, and also  addressed issues like child abuse and dysfunctional families. The play however was an abominable financial failure, and for a time Tyler Perry even found himself homeless. However he persisted, and 6 years later after rewriting the play many times, it became a succes at the House of Blues, and at the Fox Theater. Over the years Tyler Perry has amassed an avid following of supporters (me included), an average 35,000 people attend his shows every week; Perry produces 300 shows per year. In 2005, Forbes reported that he had sold "more than $100 million in tickets, $30 million in of his shows and an estimated $20 million in merchandise."  in that same year he was given $5.5 million to finance his first movie "The Diary of a Mad Black Woman", which did fairly well at the box office and was swiftly followed by Perry's three "Madea" movies, all of which enterd the box office at #1, and #2 respectively. Besides his Madea films, perry has ecquired success with films like "Why did I get Married Too", and "For Colored Girls". In 2011, Forbes named him the highest paid man in entertainment, earning $130 million between May 2010 and 2011. Isn't that just an inspirational story. I'd say he moved up the social ladder...how about you guys?

Stratification =-O.... :(... :)

<> <> <> <> <> <> <>      Stratification is defined as the division of society into hierarchy of unequal groups who have differential access to material goods and power. In today's society society is divided into three social classes: the upper class (bourgeois), the middle class (now referred to as the working class), and the lower class (the poor). In today's economy the poor have little to no opportunity at a better life. Their education is minimal, they have no access to resources, and are often left to committing petty crime/theft to stay alive. The middlemclass isn't what it used to be. Doctors and lawyers who were considered lower upper class, are now considered to be part of the middle class. In today's society the middle class is almost anyone who has a job. While this is sad/disheartening, I agree with the functionalist belief that inequality serves a purpose. More important roles in society should be afforded greater rewards, without the poor we couldn't have the rich. That's the American dream isn't it, to break barriers, to overcome the odds and become who you want to be.  Without inequality that drive to succeed wouldn't exist(in my opinion). Of course an argument to that way of thinking may be that it is near impossible to move up the social ladder, well like Jonathan Lockwood said "life isn't supposed to be fair."