America's Dream or America's Greed

Family, happiness, success, and freedom: all are visions of the so called "American Dream".  People believed that through hard work and determination, anybody could achieve their goals no matter what racial or economic background they came from.  When James Truslow Adam first created the phrase in 1931, he mainly focused on the ideal that everyone has equal opportunities. This is what America was built upon; this is why so many immigrants embarked on the long journey overseas leaving everything they knew behind.  Yet, does this dream even exist anymore? We see throughout literature such as The Great Gatsby that many people believe that this vision has turned materialistic. In recent times, America's hopes have changed for the worst: consumerism has literally consumed the minds of the public. People focus on monetary gains and having a higher social status rather than the pure goals Americans had before.  Our dream is now associated with the white picket fence, a high-paying job, and a life full of luxury. It's ironic that the American Dream was originally a vision full of hard-work, yet now all people want is a shortcut to success.  Jay Gatsby does illegal business simply to strike rich and get Daisy; and he doesn't sweat a bit all the while.  People feel that in order to achieve their goals, they must attain high education which isn't always affordable to all.  Economic recessions and bad times have caused many Americans to gain a pessimistic perspective on society.  Is the American Dream really ingrained into this country, the land of opportunity, or is it simply romanticized? People want to believe that it still lives on, but does it really? Or is it just a hope that America's morals aren't lost forever?

A Modest Suggestion

    Want to do something fun today? Go to a restaurant! But be sure to make a reservation beforehand, even though that of course doesn't always mean you'll have a table held for you once you get there.  And after waiting an hour to get seated, why should you ever expect immediate service? Checking twitter and instagram is obviously more important than serving a customer.  Plus, you're not even hungry, so please let them take their time.  After another thirty minutes, it would of course be ridiculous of yourself to ask about the dishes on the menu.  I mean, how could you not have known that in order to dine here you must know exactly what a "tortano" is or a "shuizhu" is. Silly you! But no worries, next time you'll know to study precisely what each dish is comprised of and come prepared.  And now, after they've only taken another half an hour to get your meal (not long at all) you find that they mixed up your order. Don't worry! You completely understand, after all, it is your fault.  It's often hard to comprehend what you've repeated five times when you asked them, "to please substitute the meat with vegetables". You should have said it at least three more times, I mean what were you thinking? And when you finally get to the check, it's okay that they charged you for a meal you didn't order, you will pay for it anyways.  You know you're so grateful that that they provided you with such wonderful service; how could you have been so lucky? You'll be sure to tell all your friends about their amazing restaurant and especially their remarkable staff. What a great day!

A Measure of Technology

     Our environment is constantly changing around us; the way life was 50 years ago is certainly not how it is

today.  With the advancements in technology, and new discoveries in science, society has become much more fast-paced.  You see kids always on gaming devices, teens on their phones, and adults on their laptops.  Even in my own life I have expereinced this dramatic change in lifestyle.  My mom always said that technology made life easier, but also worse: there is a profound truth in this statement. Sure things are easier and faster to do now, yet society has also changed for the worst in some ways.  Rather than person-to-person communication, everyone prefers texting or messaging. Furthermore, many people are addicted to social media sites and rather than actually living their life, they are living behind the screen of their computer, iPhone, or android.  Networking and technology has become a major aspect of society that cannot be ignored.  For example, recently my android broke and I had to go back to using a phone made in 2010.  It was very simple with just the basic texting and calling features and I was so frustrated with it; however, after a while I realized how much more productive I was.  No more distractions: no snapchats, kik messages, or constant internet use.  I suddenly realized how much time I used to spend on my android, and when I look around, I just see a bunch of teenagers doing the exact same thing.  When I didn't have a smartphone, my life didn't revolve around a screen but instead I connected more with my family and friends. Now I'm not saying that technology doesn't have it's perks because I just got a new iPhone and it's definitely made some things a lot easier, but this experience just makes me wonder: is technology really making our lives better? Or worse?

    

The Puzzle of Child Labor

     Today, most children get to enjoy their childhood by playing with their friends with toys spanning from iPads to pink elephants; however, once upon a time, this wasn't the case.  As industrialization began to rapidly grow in America, companies would often hire children to slave over labor and machines for long hours with poor pay. These deprived kids never got the chance to enjoy their younger days, because instead of having fun they were miserable: they were forced to work 70 hour weeks in horrendous conditions.  Millions of children would desperately pray to Jesus every night to let them get through one more toiling, dreadful day.  As Florence Kelley says in her speech to the National American Woman Suffrage Association, they "will be working in textile mills, all the night through, in the deafening noise of spindles".  Kelley skillfully and cleverly utilizes rhetoric to persuade the audience to stop child labor by appealing to them logically and emotionally.  She states revolting facts and also makes everyone feel guilty for their recklessness by describing how these "little beasts of burden" are going through so much suffering to simply make goods that everyone else can enjoy. Luckily, child labor laws are now in effect to protect kids from ever experiencing those grueling days again. 

Are You Stereotyping?

     People stereotype each other all time, even when they don't know it.  Research proves that even those who proudly acclaim themselves as unbiased, often subconsciously hold very strong prejudices against others. Rather than outright showing it, their biases are shown through their non-verbal behavior such as expressions, eye contact, and how far they stand away others.  One experiment I found very interesting was when people were asked to determine whether a certain positive or negative adjective appropriately fit a person given only their name. These names were common white and black names and the results were very revealing: participants often responded quicker when a positive word was given to a white name and when a negative word was given to a black name.  Even African-American participants themselves demonstrated this common bias which just furthermore proves how stereotyping can affect people without even trying.  So what is the root cause of this problem? Society. Though we may not try to be prejudiced, we are exposed early on to the perspectives of others and the culture that surrounds us; and though we develop our own opinions as we age, these early interactions subconsciously affect our thinking.

     On Friday in my world history class, The Muslim Student Association held a presentation to discuss their culture and religion.  When it came time for questions, everyone had that one stereotypical question on their mind but we were all too hesitant to ask: "Are all Muslims terrorists?".  The speakers even knew what we were wondering and acknowledged it by answering the unspoken question in the very beginning.  They explained to us how a few Muslims twist their religious scriptures simply to suit their own missions of malevolence and then went on to say, "The actions of a few misguided individuals does not define the acts of an entire race".  This candid statement holds a very profound truth: we cannot let ourselves judge a whole race, gender, or religion based on only a few people.  Each individual holds their own, unique personality that we must respect.  Even if we cannot eradicate stereotyping completely, we can absolutely diminish it's negative affects by accepting the remarkable diversity that surrounds us.