American Pluralism Essay

Throughout history the United States has had immigrants flock to the united states in hopes of better opportunity. In the eyes of many ,the United States was land of prosperity and opportunity. This dream of becoming successful from nothing was known as the American dream . It built this nation into what it is today, which unfortunately is tainted with many negative aspects. President Clinton once said â€Å" The American Dream that we were all raised on is a simple but powerful one – if you work hard and play by the rules you should be given a chance to go as far your God-given ability will take you. † This coming from a man who was the president . However Clinton has neither â€Å"played by the rules† nor did he work hard. Clinton has made 80 million just off speaking , as well as his breaking the rules, which he is so famous for. Then how was this man, not hardworking and adulterous, become the American dream? Solely because the American dream is a myth, a fixed calculated lie. The American dream is just a notion to distract the less fortunate people that race, gender, and class control how much money you are going to make. A huge factor hinder people from acting out this dream is race. Race is socially constructed concept where groups of people of similar features and cultures are labeled . However races in our country still to this day are not treated as equals. For example, the average salary of a white person is above 45 according to the office personally management while ,a Hispanic is at 36 , black is at 37, and Asian is at 42, all for the similar jobs. However this is for the minorities who make it through the other hardships. For example one of these other hardships is â€Å" the school –to prison pipeline†. It is a foreign idea to most people because of how abstract it sounds. However the difference of funding in students directly affect attitude , dropout rates, and criminals. These students lack resources, qualified teaching, and rigorous advanced classes. Minorities are also punished worse, black children are suspended at least 2. 6 times to whites, thus leading to their 6 times more than whites rates of going to juveniles. In the eyes of an minority, school is a joke or a dream. Consequently there are few legal jobs that pay enough for a living without a high school diploma. This example is perfection under the school –to prison pipeline, giving the wealthy white leverage over minorities. Adding insult to injuries these injustices are replied with white advantages. as detailed in White privilege †White privilege is like an invisible knapsack of special provisions, maps, passports†(McIntosh. 45) In a just and perfect society we would all be equal, however the world we live in is very unequal. Not only is our world not economically equal , but racial either. Throughout America’s history there were an inequality among races. For example as a white person , you can be assured that the color of your skin wont effect the type of college you will be accepted to, as a minority that guarantee doesn’t exist. Thus how is a person of color supposed to make a proper and wealthy life for themselves if that door of education was never opened? This control of education keeps whites as the wealthiest race, and as such becomes a privilege only for them. How can such laws be kept in play if they hinder other races? The answer lies in politics. Due to white privilege, white people can expect to have people of their color to be accurately represented. This gives an huge hand in any legislature that can possibly effect minorities. Even in all these privileges, there’s an negative aspect that becomes paramount in our modern day society. These privileges cause a strenuous tension between races , because of the fabricated superiority that it gives whites over minorities. Hence, this so called â€Å"invisible knapsack† is only invisible to the user , and is in perfect sight of the oppressed. This just adds to the ocean of oppression felt by minorities proving race hinders the completion of the American dream. Male or female, seems like a simple question. However there is a world of connotations that come with such labels. Men and women have these values that are pushed upon them by society, confusing them to who they truly are. This Severely effects people who are confused on who they are ,because these â€Å"transgender† might just people who are just different personality wise. Furthermore it affects you more than mentally but also affects you economically. â€Å" The more economic resources such as education and job opportunities , are available to a group, the more they tend to be monopolized by men†(Lorber 246). The author is stating that women in general are qualified yet underpaid. This is entirely true , through every field of work you see women being paid less for the same or less work. Lorber believes socially that gender is a process of assigning rights and responsibilities. Men and woman see what is â€Å"expected† of them and assume the role is theirs, whether it be fair or not. This contradicts the American dream, because it preaches economic prosperity for all who work for it, and statistically women cannot reach that level. Hence, they hardly attempt to reach that high. How did they get to this point what defined these roles to one another , the answer lies among media. Advertisements, commercials, magazines. We are constantly bombarded with these pictures, voices, and idols . Anyone who looks normal or acts different is assumed to be a joke or outcast. Through these images we show our children how to act and to assign themselves personalities because of what their genetic makeup is. † It is this link with violence that makes the objectification of women more serious issue than with men. † (Kilbourne.263) This violence factor directly correlates with dominance. If you look through photos or magazines you can pick up a specific trend of nudity and pornography. Even more so , there is a constant jab at women , making them â€Å"inferior† With this sort of image growing up why would there be any motivation to be more than in those pictures? What is better than becoming rich? Being born rich is the most logical answer and this is how this 1 percent lives. The majority of this money, the . 1 % is old money. This money has been accumulated for hundreds of years and will be for hundreds more. The correlation of class and achievement of the American dream has been time and time proven. â€Å"Reality 6:All Americans do not have an equal opportunity to succeed. Inheritance laws ensure a greater likelihood of success for the offspring of the wealthy. †(Mantsios. 320) Yet another prime example of what class does for your chances at the American dream. The converse can also be enforced, without class it is a abnormality to live â€Å"the American dream†. The â€Å"American dream† is just something we can strive for but not truly reach. The American dream was known for our idea of Manifest destiny so we killed thousands of Indians because we thought of them as second class citizens. We have supposedly progressed ,transcending racism and sexism into an extinct ideas. However they just exist socially and economically now, just changing its brutality. These issues can’t be stopped through intellectual movements or programs, laws need to be enacted to change these process. These political figures need to stop thinking with their wallets and speak from their people. Without our changing of the law how are we supposed to become a more equal society. We live under a living document called the Constitution, if it promises our pursuit of property, now happiness , why can’t it assist us in the American dream. MLA Work cited page McIntosh, Peggy . White privilege: Unpacking the invisible knapsack. IndependentSchool. 1990 Mantsios, Gregory media magic :making class invisible. Rothenberg P. S. , ed. â€Å"Race, Class and Gender in the US† 3d ed. New York: Martins, 1995. Lorber, Judith. â€Å"Night to His Day: The Social Construction of Gender. † Yale University press. Yale college. 1994.