The American Dream - Khala

America is built upon the code of liberty and justice for all with multiple free opportunities for its citizens. By definition, freedom is the ability to will and decide wholeheartedly in favor of the good. This is the foundation of the American Dream. This dream pledges that anyone who is willing to work hard enough for his/her goals in favor of the good (not just individually, but for the person’s family and society) will definitely succeed.

While this style of life can apply to many of us fortunate to be brought up in a middle-class family, it’s much more of a far-away dream than reality to others. One of the professors from NPR made a very good point: The New York Times presents the wealth inequality distribution issue to Americans in general, as if this can apply to everybody in the U.S. People need to be more aware that not everybody has a well-paying job, enough leisure time to spend with his or her family, take care of children, or even go to school. This applies not just towards the poor… but especially to African Americans, Latinos, and Native Americans. They are less likely to access opportunities and have less wealth, because this is something historical that can trace its origins back to founding of America. Today, there aren’t many black middle class families, and those who achieve social status (like President Obama and Oprah) are the relative few. So, even if these people do work hard enough for their goals in America, following the great Dream, it can’t be so readily obtained compared to whites.

If people were more aware of how drastic wealth inequality really is, according to social status and race, they may be more sentimental to those outside the social status and support polices that care for the unrepresented and overlooked.

The important thing to remember is this: human beings are not just numbers in a social class, and they shouldn’t be categorized like library books or files on a computer. The respect of human dignity and our natural rights goes for EVERYONE, not just the social elite. Policies, peoples, and petitions that support this everlasting truth should be answered by American government, as well as in all cultures everywhere.

This reminds me of a quote from John Adams:

“Liberty is not built on the doctrine that a few nobles have a right to inherit the earth. It stands on this principle: that the lowest and the meanest of the people are, by the indefeasible laws of God and nature, are as well entitled to the benefits of air to breathe, light to see, food to eat, and clothes to wear as the nobles or the king! That is liberty! And liberty will reign in America!”