The American Dream: Inequality In The United States

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Many people refer to the American Dream as the reason to come to America. It is, or so they say, the pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness. Unfortunately they are incorrect, there truly is no American Dream, it is all an illusion given to us by our founding fathers as a reason for the discrimination in which people are treated. I have lived in this country my whole life and have seen the inequality people are dished out in many cases just so others can better themselves. Meritocracy feeds the American Dream, saying one can achieve anything if they work hard enough, but not everyone is given the same opportunity no matter how much equality is preached. All throughout America’s history it has all been about making yourself better than someone …show more content…
No matter how hard you work, someone has to give you a break; you have to get lucky especially when you do not come from privilege. And it is easier for some people to get luckier than others depending on their social positions in society, “privilege whether it exists as a matter of race, socio-economic factors, education, gender, sexuality, and all its many forms does not exist without disadvantages to those born without it. That is to say, you cannot have those who profit without having those who lose” (Biakolo). As stated earlier, in the history of America race is strongly tied to education and socio-economic factors, and the institutions – education, employment, health, and societal behaviors historically were set up and presently are still maintained to privilege and disadvantage, despite any movements that have indeed made things better. Because better doesn’t mean …show more content…
The poor are shamed by virtue of the belief that “if they just worked hard enough, they would get out of their situations.” The poor are parodied as lazy and “feeding off the government” (Biakolo). And while I believe in revolutionizing societal institutions in order for people to have economic and social empowerment through individual work where possible, it is a ridiculous notion that the poor do not work hard. And if you don’t believe me, spend one day going to three jobs and raising two children, spend 12 hours picking cotton or three hours sweeping roads. Or spend a day at an immigrant work site where people wait to be picked up to do a full day of work so their families may eat at night. Many sacrifice so much in America just to have a somewhat decent life fueled by false hopes installed by our founding fathers.
. If someone is coming to America in search of the American Dream they most likely will just be addressed with a nightmare instead. The misconception of this so-called “dream” just fuels the belief that power and opportunities are gained because of merit. Not everyone is given the same opportunity and they never will be. Stop chasing an illusion of a better life because that’s simply all it is, an
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