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Examples of racial discrimination in society
Examples of racial discrimination essay
Examples of racial discrimination in society
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“You cannot give up on the American dream. We cannot allow our fears and our disappointments to lead us into silence and into inaction”(Rubio). The American Dream is still flowing with vitality and vigour to this day, because of the hard work and dedication of the American people. This “Dream” existed over 100 years ago, and it was the driving force that brought over millions immigrants from Europe to this great land. Those immigrants are the people who built up the reputation of America as the greatest country in the world. But in today's day in age, not everyone goes through the same journey as another person. Some Americans have a much more difficult time facilitating their dreams into reality, because of their inadequate amount of income …show more content…
and resources, lack of motivation to pursue what they want in life due to welfare, and the color of their skin. Americans with less money and resources than most people have a much harder time pursuing and achieving their dreams, because they can not afford a proper education, they have to put forth much more effort than the average person, and they have less opportunities to display their talents. According to The University of Kansas’s website, a year's cost for tuition, housing, and books is $25,414 for a student who lives in Kansas. For the 14.8% of Americans who make less than $23,834 per year for a family of four, this number is very discouraging. This is a huge disadvantage for low income families considering the fact that one year of attending college costs more than that person makes in a year. There are other options besides a state school, like a community college, or just entering the workforce right after you graduate college, but those people usually do not move out of the poverty that strikes their family at that time. 42% of people who grow up poor, remain in the same place they are due to not being able to afford a proper education after graduating high school. If one person living in poverty wants to create a better life for themselves and their families, they must work incredibly hard. It is still possible to achieve any goal you set your mind to in America, some people just have to work harder for them. Since our government has a welfare system and gives handouts to those who are very financially unstable, people lose motivation to do things for themselves and become lackadaisical. The United States Department of Commerce says that in the year 2015, 35.4% of Americans were on welfare, and 10,200,000 people were on unemployment insurance, which means they don’t have a job at all and only receive money from the government. The American Dream is all about working hard to achieve whatever it is you want in life. Getting paid while not even having a job is almost the opposite of what society calls the American Dream. The Department of Commerce also announces that there are eight states in the U.S. that pay welfare recipients more than the average salary of a teacher. There is a big problem going on if the government pays someone who does nothing more money than a person who devotes their livelihood to helping our nation's youth prepare themselves for adult life. This statistic should be viewed as disturbing for most people who see it. Many of the 110,489,000 people who receive enough welfare money to live a decent life are sucking the life out of the American Dream, because they are becoming lazy. Not having to work for money makes someone lose all motivation to actually achieve what they want in life. The welfare system in america is not a bad thing by any means, but it does diminish the dream that our great country was built around. Minorities, like African Americans, still to this day have a harder time achieving the American dream than people with white skin, because there is still a very slight amount of inequality in America today.
According to the United States Department of Commerce, 60.2% of all americans that are on welfare are minorities. The American population is 72.4% white. If everything was perfectly equal, then the amount of minorities that are on welfare in America should be 28.6%, since they make up 28.6% of our population. That is just basic math an elementary school student can do. Since all of the numbers do not add up, there must be some sort of problem causing minorities to have less opportunities than whites. A report about advantages of race in america conducted by The Casey Foundation says, “Too often, the resources of public systems serving children and families are spent on programs that lack evidence and without input from the families and communities they are intended to serve” (The Casey Foundation). What this report is saying, is that our public school systems and standardized tests are not taking into consideration key elements of a young person's life that would be very beneficial for further success in life. There was also a study conducted by the government that says students with color are discriminated against in school, with worse teachers than for white children, and they receive harsher discipline. Starting with even a tiny difference with someone else as a
young kid, makes a world of change through the student's life. The harsher discipline and improper education makes achieving the American Dream much harder for minorities than for whites. Langston Hughes says in “I, too, Sing America”, “I am the darker brother./They send me to eat in the kitchen/When company comes,/But I laugh,/And eat well,/And grow strong”(Hughes). Hughes is saying that even though he is seen as a lesser person, he will still live his life to the fullest and be happy. Anyone can achieve what they want in life no matter race, religion or anything else, if you set your mind to something, you can achieve it. Some Americans have a much harder time achieving their goals, because of low income, being lazy, and not having a certain color of skin. People who have less resources and few ways of getting a proper education to make their dreams come true have a rough time in life. Our government gives out money to lose who are very poor, but these hand outs make people lose interest in working hard for what they want in life. Even just being a different color than white makes you automatically be at a disadvantage for others. Despite all hardships and disadvantages, everyone can fulfil their wildest dreams in this great country, because the opportunities are out there. One just must be able to find those opportunities, deal with all setbacks, and do whatever is needed to complete their life long goals to live a happy and enjoyable life for themselves and others around them.
The article Keeping The Dream Alive by John Meacham is addressed to people who feel the American dream has died. The author compares historical events and today’s issues to encourage the reader that a simple call to action can revive the dream. Towards the end of the passage he quotes John Adams’ proclamation, “’If the American dream is to come true and to abide with us… it will, at the bottom, depend on the people themselves.” Assuming the reader is waiting on the government to provide a solution, Meacham presents ideas that encourage the readers to make the change themselves. The arrangement of historical feats and beliefs persuade the readers that the future of the American dream is in their hands.
The United States has always been viewed as a land of opportunity, where one could achieve anything they put their mind to, no matter who they are. Freedom and economic stability are the factors that make our country appealing. People are hopeful that the opportunities the country holds will help them achieve the American dream. This dream consists of achieving financial success, but time has proven that the American dream is a rare occurrence. Unfortunately, ambition, hard work, nor perseverance are enough to be successful in America. No individual is guaranteed success or destined for failure, but it is apparent that women, people of color, and those born into poverty will face greater obstacles than others,
The American Dream has always been a driving force in the lives of Americans. It has become a foundation of ideals and hopes for any American or immigrant. Specifically, one of the ideals that always exist is the dream of America free of class distinction. Every American hopes for a society where every person has the opportunity to be whomever he or she desire. Another ideal in the American dream is the drive to improve the quality of life. As one’s idea of the American Dream gets closer and closer, often times political and social ideals of America cause their American Dream to take a turn for the worst.
People who work hard enough become successful and build a good life for themselves and their family. Millions of Americans and others who admire America have believed this for generations. However, is this still true? Brandon King debates his interpretation of the American Dream in his published work, “The American Dream: Dead, Alive, or on Hold?” During his essay, the speaker highlights how important the American Dream is to the economy and providing a distance from inequality. The speaker emphasizes his belief that the American Dream is still alive within America and that people must work hard to achieve it. When discussing the American Dream, King will agree that the idea is alive and thriving in the minds of Americans; yet, I argue that the idea is on hold within American society due to lack of upward social independence and economic mobility.
The American Dream provides Americans hope that if they work hard, they will eventually be successful, no matter how penniless the person. To understand the construction of this topic, there is a need to understand the circumstances involved. The Epic of America, The narrative in which the American Dream was constructed, was produced in the nineteen thirties. During this time, the Great Depression was at the height of destruction, and the new president Franklin D. Roosevelt created the “New Deal,” which inspired newly-found hope. In his Second Inaugural Address, he voiced his vision for the expanded role that the government would take in American's lives by stating, “The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little” (Franklin D. Roosevelt). This began the facade of hope towards the impoverished folks attempting to achieve success. In reality the optimism and dedication given towards this dream is disproportional...
The American Dream is so important to our country and especially for our generation to take seriously. The American Dream is the opportunity to reach the goals one sets for themselves. It is about having your dream job and life you have always fantasized about. The dream is also about having freedom and equality. The American Dream was much easier to attain a few decades ago compared to today. However, it is still possible. The economy was better fifty years ago than it is today. People are in greater debt now and the United States is in higher debt than it was fifty years ago. The American Dream is still possible despite the lack of improvement within social mobility in American society over the past years. The American dream is achievable by being able to live a middle-class lifestyle and that lifestyle is obtainable through hard work and perseverance, even in light of obstacles such as racism. “The American Dream is still achievable, however, the good news is that people at the bottom are just as likely to move up the income ladder today as they were 50 years ago” (O’Brien 1). The ability to attain the American Dream is hindered by race, the middle class, and giving up facing adversity.
There are various individuals throughout the world who believe that the American Dream cannot be achieved by all people. Those who agree with this view believe that our culture contains too many roadblocks and obstacles. Some of these obstacles include prejudice, poverty, and social inequality. Another view on this matter is that others believe that America is the “Land of Opportunity”. They also believe that if you can believe it, you can achieve it. Back in the early 20th century, The American Dream meant something to people; nowadays it is a term that various people loosely throw around. The American Dream is not realistic because it is not attainable to everyone like Cal Thomas presumes and although education, budget cuts and lack of employment may seem of some concern to only a small group of people, it should in fact concern anyone who cares about the status of the economy.
Everybody has their own definition of living the “American Dream” and although they have their own definition, they all end up saying the same thing. A big house, a family, enough money to feed their family and do other things around town, a job, success, peace, love, and happiness are all things that qualify one for living the American dream. Some people, however, do not believe in the American dream because it is hard to achieve, even if you are taking all the right steps to achieve it. In these two articles “What is the American Dream in 2016”, and “The American Dream is Alive – These People Prove It”, you will be able to identify both attitudes towards the American dream. In the article, “What is the American Dream in 2016”, by Sean Bryant, he writes about how the American dream barely exists.
In today's society, the American dream is hindered by issues involving gender discrimination, racial discrimination, and weak economic mobility. The influence of money has broadened in our society, creating an elite group of winners, and leaving the rest as losers. Our government has been intoxicated under the influence of those holding a paper with a handful of zeros scrawled on it.
Years ago, the United States of America was the prime example of prosperity and opportunity. In recent years, in the worst recession since the Great Depression, unemployment and interest rates have skyrocketed. The “American Dream” is an idea that was once a commonly accepted ideology in this country. It has since become only a fallacy. The “American Dream” is no longer an attainable idea, only a fantasy. The “American Dream” is not a true dream that will ever be equally attainable by everyone.
Black people are paid almost half of what white people are paid, which forces them to live in low income communities which tend to be unsafe, and also put their whole family in danger. Due to their low income, they might not be able to afford health care which causes them to “lose more work because of illness, have more carious teeth, lose more babies as a result of both miscarriage and infant death…” according to William Ryan from Blaming the Victim page 648. People who have low income due to the wage gap tend not to be able to afford college compared to white people, which hinders their future and their ability to succeed. In fact, on page 214 in Shades of Belonging: Latinos and Racial Identity, Sonia Tafoya states “Hispanics who identified themselves as white have higher levels of education and income and greater degrees of civic enfranchisement than those who pick some other race category.” This shows how minorities are mistreated in society unlike white people. In the end, it doesn’t matter what your abilities are because if you are not white you are not treated equally. “If you’re not white, you’re black,” (141 Sethi). Anyone who is not white in the United States are seen as inferior. If you’re not white, you 're not treated as an equal. Non-whites are judged based on their appearance and are made fun of due to their accents. Numerous non-whites are harassed and are told “you are in America, learn how to speak English!” When in fact, there is no official language of the United States. According to Sonia Shah in Asian American? on page 217, Asians are paid less in the workforce even when they have the same level of education as whites. Regardless of whether non-whites receive the same education level as whites, they are still not equal, not even in the work
The American Dream is known to be a hope for a better, richer, happier life for all citizens of every class. For almost all Americans, this entails earning a college degree, gaining a good job, buying a house, and starting a family. Although this seems wonderful, a large amount of the American population believes that the Dream has changed immensely because of increased prices in today’s society, the price of tuition being highly unaffordable, as well as the unemployment rate skyrocketing and weaker job growth. While some American citizens believe it has changed, others believe that the American Dream has not changed, but point out it is harder to obtain.
America is in a Great Recession, and the American Dream seems to be dying (if not already dead) for many Americans. I don’t think that the American Dream is dead; it just needs rehabilitation due to the injuries it sustained at the hands of an unregulated government. Though we are in a Great Recession, every American can progress their lives for the betterment of themselves and future generations. Brandon King (2011) in The American Dream: Dead, Alive, or on Hold? : “.the most worrisome problem is inequality: that wealth is concentrated into the hands of a rich minority.” Because of this, many Americans and politicians are arguing about either “raising the taxes on the rich” or “supporting the richest sectors in America” (Thomas, 2011) to stimulate the economy.
There is a sagacity in our states that the American Dream is not what it originally used to be. Study has revealed that it’s quite hard for juvenile or youths Americans originating from poor households to move to middle life status. Thus, many American citizens believe that the decline in economy mobility is leading to an increment or rise in income inequality. Income inequality has revealed a huge impact towards achieving the American dream; the rich keep getting rich while the poor get poorer (Clough, pg 15). Initially, the American dream was a realization towards the economic problem solution but frankly all this has changed. We can say there is such thing as the American Dream still existing. In my essay, I will illustrate more on the American
The American Dream can obliterate any prospect of satisfaction and does not show its own unfeasibility. The American dream is combine and intensely implanted in every structure of American life. During the previous years, a very significant number of immigrants had crossed the frontier of the United States of America to hunt the most useful thing in life, the dream, which every American human being thinks about the American dream. Many of those immigrants sacrificed their employments, their associations and connections, their educational levels, and their languages at their homelands to start their new life in America and prosper in reaching their dream.