我的祖先是贵族:社会地位由家族遗传决定?
<p><span word="When">When</span> <span word="I">I</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="child">child</span> <span word="growing">growing</span> <span word="up">up</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="England">England</span> <span word="three">three</span> <span word="decades">decades</span> <span word="ago">ago</span>, <span word="I">I</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="confronted">confronted</span> <span word="with">with</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="visual">visual</span> <span word="evidence">evidence</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="social">social</span> <span word="mobility">mobility</span> <span word="every">every</span> <span word="day">day</span> – <span word="but">but</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="downward">downward</span>, <span word="not">not</span> <span word="upward">upward</span>, <span word="type">type</span>.</p><p>30年前，当我还是个孩子的时候，我住在英格兰，每天都目睹表明社会流动性的“视觉”证据，不过流动方向是向下的，而不是向上的。</p><p><span word="We">We</span> <span word="lived">lived</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="suburban">suburban</span>, <span word="middle">middle</span>-<span word="class">class</span> <span word="home">home</span>. <span word="On">On</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="walls">walls</span>, <span word="however">however</span>, <span word="hung">hung</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="portrait">portrait</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="an">an</span> 18<span word="th">th</span>-<span word="century">century</span> <span word="Anglo">Anglo</span>-<span word="French">French</span> <span word="aristocrat">aristocrat</span>, <span word="a">a</span> <span word="maternal">maternal</span> <span word="ancestor">ancestor</span>. <span word="In">In</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="intervening">intervening</span> <span word="centuries">centuries</span>, <span word="my">my</span> <span word="aristocratic">aristocratic</span> <span word="forebears">forebears</span> <span word="had">had</span> <span word="lost">lost</span> <span word="their">their</span> <span word="status">status</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="wealth">wealth</span> <span word="due">due</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="drink">drink</span>, <span word="gambling">gambling</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="poor">poor</span> <span word="decisions">decisions</span>. <span word="Thus">Thus</span>, <span word="my">my</span> <span word="only">only</span> <span word="link">link</span> <span word="with">with</span> <span word="royalty">royalty</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="portrait">portrait</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="fact">fact</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="I">I</span> <span word="have">have</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="same">same</span> <span word="unusual">unusual</span> <span word="middle">middle</span> <span word="name">name</span> – <span word="Romaine">Romaine</span> – <span word="as">as</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="noblewoman">noblewoman</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="picture">picture</span>.</p><p>我们是生活在郊区的中产阶级之家。但家里的墙上挂着一幅18世纪英法贵族的画像，她是我母亲家族的一位祖先。从她往后的几个世纪里，我的贵族祖先们由于饮酒、赌博和一些糟糕的决定而失去了地位和财富。因此，我与贵族仅有的联系就是那幅画像，以及我有一个不同寻常的中间名罗曼(<span word="Romaine">Romaine</span>)，与画像中的贵妇一样。</p><p><span word="A">A</span> <span word="rare">rare</span> <span word="example">example</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="social">social</span> <span word="mobility">mobility</span> <span word="or">or</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="widespread">widespread</span> <span word="pattern">pattern</span>? <span word="Today">Today</span>, <span word="that">that</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="very">very</span> <span word="politically">politically</span> <span word="charged">charged</span> <span word="question">question</span>, <span word="particularly">particularly</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="countries">countries</span> <span word="such">such</span> <span word="as">as</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="US">US</span>. <span word="But">But</span> <span word="it">it</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="also">also</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="very">very</span> <span word="hard">hard</span> <span word="question">question</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="answer">answer</span> <span word="definitively">definitively</span>.</p><p>这是社会流动性的一个罕见例子，还是一种普遍模式？如今，这是一个充满政治意味的问题，尤其是在像美国这样的国家。但这个问题很难明确回答。</p>
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