Tuesday, February 18, 2014
American Dream Turned Nightmare
In Cal Thomas' reading "Is The American Dream Over" he explains that the "American Dream" has faded away due to "budget deficits, the non stop war-fare overseas.." and I agree. Many people do not see how bad of shape the USA is in right now but still continue to believe some fantasy that if you work hard enough it'll pay off.People need to open their eyes and see that the "land of opportunity" is damn near close to running out of opportunities to make a living. "Americans will never until we realize how much trouble we are really in."(Herbert).
In Robert B. Reich's "Why are the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer" he gives several examples of how the opportunities presented in the American Dream have faded away. He says that mass manufacturing jobs that used to be in the USA have been outsourced over seas because they'll manufacture the product at a fraction of the price. This in hand caused millions of Americans lose jobs. He also explains that technological advancements such as automated car washes, robots that will serve as telemarketers, heck in some Jack in the Box's have machines that will take the order for you have started to appear. Next he explains that waves such as the baby boom and people living longer also have a play into why the economy has taken a turn for the worse. Basically I believe he's saying is to be rich you must specialize in fields such as being a doctor, inventor, get lucky in the stock market, etc. The opportunities are getting lower and will continue to fade so it's our duties as Americans to up our game.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Mayowa i do agree with what you say about Cal Thomas " Is the American Dream Over" My personal belief is that in todays society the american dream has not necessarily become harder to achieve but instead there are much more ways around it. For example in past decades they were raised to work hard because that was the only way to be successful and take care of your family. Now a days we have so much going on that there are so many distractions if you would that lead you away from what the real american dream was. Drugs, illegal activities, stripping, all that sort of stuff have become more known and there actually is a business in those. Thats not the american dream but yet if it's part of your life or the way you were raised your gonna pursue it because for some people that is the only way of making money. This lack of motivation comes purely from the way are youth are more poorly raised than in the past decades. Motivation is key in todays society without that like i said there are so many distractions that will leave you away from the american dream. Another reason is that now more than ever there are so many diverse and various jobs that people could use as sort of an out if you would. As americans to better our society we need to focus more on the upcoming of raising our offspring and shaping them into strong motivated individuals.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I agree and disagree with you. Yes, maybe now more than ever is more difficult to achieve the american dream but its not impossible. You need to work hard and you will get there. 5 years ago my family and I moved to America from Mexico because of how unsafe it is. We came with some money my dad had and after about 5 months of living here my dad opened a restaurant in the Rio Grande Valley called Garabato's grilll. The restaurant has been a great success and now is worth a good amount of money. I was able to go to college here and I think we have fulfilled the american dream thanks to my dads hard work. I think that is a reallly good example of it. In the other hand, I agree with the author when he says that people dont realize in how much trouble america is. America is experiencing a decline economically wise and jobs as well. i also agree with you when you say that the opportunities are getting lower because I hear workers talk go hard it is to make money.
ReplyDeleteFirst off, love the title! I also agree with what Thomas is saying about the "American Dream" and that it has faded away. I also agree with the reasons he said this is occurring, placing most of the blame on a dysfunctional government. However Mayowa, I believe that people do realize (to an extent) how bad the U.S. has gotten, yet no one wants to do anything about it. Our nation is lacking and has lacked strong-minded individuals who will step up and promote change, saying, "Enough is enough." Everyone nowadays in waiting on someone else to make a difference that is why things will continue to remain the same and most likely even worsen. In "Why the Rich Are Getting Richer and the Poor, Poorer" author Robert B. Reich's goes into depth about the cause for the uneven distribution of wealth in America. Here I also agree with you and what Reich is saying because I believe that outsourcing jobs is gravely hurting us as a nation. Americans have lost hundreds of thousands of jobs to oversees workers who will perform the same job for a fraction of the cost. The diminishing of blue-collar jobs hurts the poorer working class, while the rich company owners are making more profits and getting richer due to the cheaper labor. Outsourcing is only one side of the problem, on the other hand is the revolutionizing of new technologies that replace the need for workers. With each passing day, technology is improving and people are finding new/better ways of getting tasks done. This has also lead to the diminishing of jobs since robots are now able to work faster and more reliable than actual employees. Lastly Mayowa, I'm going to have to agree with your conclusions of what Reich is saying. He seems to be promoting that if you want a reliable and well-paying job, you need an education that specializes you in a white-collar job. The more effective argument between Thomas and Reich is very close, but Reich provides better concrete evidence and examples to support his claim. Looking at the two essays from a literary analysis standpoint, Thomas presented his argument in an easier to understand way that got straight to the point, but it lacked actual evidence of his claims, which hurt his argument
ReplyDelete