The American Dream on Hiatus

The American Dream, what is it really? Some would say that the ultimate American Dream today is to have an attractive family who own an expensive car and live in big house with a white picket fence. Others might argue that the American Dream is majoring in a successful career, owning your own business, and in time, own a substantial amount of capital. Martin Luther King, a civil rights leader stated at the Lincoln Memorial that his dream would be “my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character”. Regardless, everyone’s perception of the American Dream varies within each individual. However, one fact that is inevitable to turn a blind eye upon is that there are still several issues that deprive many citizens from living their “American Dream”. Such issues come in form as race, gender, language, and poverty.

Ever since the attacks on the World Trade Center on 9/11, prejudice and racism has been affecting many racial groups, but 2 major groups that have been affected by this tragedy are Muslims and Arabs. Even though racism and prejudice has low tolerance in many places, it is a psychological fact that when something as tragic as 9/11 occurs, and a certain ethnic group is specified, people are bound to react negatively to them. Due to prejudice and racial epithets, Muslims and Arabs are having a hard time living in the United States, when they’re under the microscope. Thus far, the American Dream has been put on pause for these people for who knows how long, and now with America’s “War on Terror”; where the Patriot Act is affecting people’s privacy by allowing the U.S government the ability to wiretap anyone suspected of unusual behavior. So looking back at Martin Luther King’s speech I Have A Dream, one can see that his dream has come very far indeed with the government giving every American citizen equal rights. However, it seems that people missed the fine print that goes with their rights saying that special circumstances affect such rights especially if a certain ethnic group is under suspicion of terrorist attacks.

Throughout the course of history, women in the United States began having little or no rights at all compared to men. Women have come a long way from the time where voting was only the men’s duty, and where female pilots where nothing but mere fiction. Jefferson once stated that “All men are created equal”, who knows if by men he meant both men and women back then. Luckily it’s the 21st century; and we have women who have become best selling novelists, to astronauts. So why would gender be an issue for women trying to achieve at living the American Dream? Even though when the United States went into total war in WWII, and women started taking the jobs of many men who were sent to the frontlines of Germany and the Pacific, to this day women face some sort of sexism in the workforce. Many women today, who compete for the same job as men, somehow don’t get the job even if they are as qualified. One problem is the “glass ceiling”. Women are routinely passed over when it comes to promotions. The higher the post, the less likely a woman – even one as qualified as or more qualified than her male counterparts – is to get it. Women who manage to break through this so-called “glass-ceiling” into decision-making positions remain the exception to the rule as even in female-dominated sectors where there are more women managers, a uneven number of men rise to the more senior positions. Another Problem is the wage gap. Women are often paid less than men for the same work or work of equal value.
Thus bringing up some question on the rights of women in the workforce.

In today’s world, language is an essential tool where many jobs require bilingual speakers. Unfortunately, many who come to this country in search of the dream, often have a hard time adapting to the English Language. Unfortunately, the educational system is not too much on an immigrant’s side. For example, if a college student transferred to the U.S, the amount that that they would have to contribute would be more than twice as much as what a resident of the state would have to pay. Many of them also never get the chance to learn the language mostly because they end up working minimum wage jobs just to support their families. This never ending cycle of working long hours a week and having no time to improve one’s skill in English, leaves the family at stalemate. In other words, someone trying to get ahead by improving his or her skills in English, can’t, because making money for the family to get by comes as a priority, thus getting ahead becomes impotent. As a result, the dream is once again unreachable at this point, like a forbidden fruit. In my earlier years when my mother and I first moved to the U.S, my mother spoke some English whereas I spoke little to none. Adapting to the school environment was tough especially as an outcast who didn’t speak English. My mother had it just as bad or worse. She had never expected that earning a degree in Lima would be void in the states, thus leaving her at an awkward position in finding a job. Fortunately we both got by for a while; my English improved and I was more dependant by myself, as for my mom who began working at a Motel 6, stepped up to working at a piping company as import-export seller to South America. This only proves on how important language can be to fully succeed not only in the U.S but also in the world.

Poverty affects any individual despite race or character. Only those who are born into rich and wealthy families can fully enjoy whatever their hearts desire. “You get what you pay for”. Unfortunately this is becoming more and more true, especially as prices for education, real estate and medical rise. Family income appears to be more strongly related to children’s ability and achievement than to their emotional outcomes. Children who live in extreme poverty or who live below the poverty line for multiple years appear, all other things being equal, to suffer the worst outcomes. So the question is, where does this leave those who are economically disadvantaged? While the government does its job in making sure that every child gets an education, some might say that it’s not enough. With the rising costs of medicine, poor families have no way of paying for expensive treatments, or even a visit to the doctor. Poverty is an abyss between struggling to just get by, and getting out completely to live the American Dream. An example would be how living in a poor neighborhood has negative effects on the people living in it. Academic and behavioral problems can be indicators of impending failure. Among such behaviors are: delay in language development, delay in reading development, aggression, violence, social withdrawal, substance abuse, irregular attendance, and depression. A student might not complete assignments, not study for tests, or even come to school prepared to learn because of poverty related circumstances in the home environment. Take a family that lives in government housing facility for example; people are just trying to get by in these conditions. Some of the things that are done just to make money are considered illegal, but for people under such dire conditions, it’s the only thing they know. Thus, it’s a never-ending cycle, and getting out of that life is a struggle.

The American dream can be perceived differently by each individual, however the fact that there will always be some obstacles along for everyone is inevitable. Whether it’s racism, sexism, language, or poverty, these problems can have solutions. The thing that needs to be done is to acknowledge that the problem exists, and take initiative. Only then can people start making a difference instead of just finding a scapegoat and pointing the finger to blame.