You Can Get Rich, But You'll Die Trying.. :p
If you look at prime television these days and look at the types of programs that are offered you will see an apparent pattern. The shows are either: Reality shows, Crime shows, Dramas, Game shows, Celeb-Reality shows or the Pop News like Entertainment Tonight. It’s all about entertainment, and the “Real World Issues” out there are spun up by corporate media, who alter, modify and focus the reports and situations in the ways that they please. But today, my issue is with the Game shows.
If you look at the type of programming on TV for game shows, you’ll see: 1 vs. 100, Deal or No Deal, The Rich List, and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Oh yeah, and Jeopardy, The Price Is Right, and Wheel of Fortune is still running around too. The problem I have with these shows is that, they continue in the tradition of the out-dated American dream.
The American dream is essentially a fantasy because it has the assumption that a person can make something of themselves and be on the level of the millionaires and television stars that they see on TV. Now, I think that first generation Americans and individuals who come to this country to work and become successful embody what it means to be American, and I respect these people.
But the AMERICAN DREAM IS TO BE RICH, not just RICH, but insanely WEALTHY with lots of property. To have more than others, to live in the mansions and drive the cars, boats and trucks that they see as being the symbol of success. It’s very sickening. We, as Americans, are obsessed with status and that is what the American dream is.
But the truth is that the only people who actually live this lifestyle are: Musicians, Actors, Politicians, CEOs, and Athletes.
Because if you’re an American and you think that you can get rich, honestly, it’s better to keep dreaming. Especially during this time in history it’s increasingly hard to leave your economic level. It’s very difficult to escape the pit of poverty because if the key to uplifting oneself is through education, how can one truly pay for it?
According to figures presented by college board.com, http://www.collegeboard.com/student/pay/add-it-up/4494.html
The costs of attending a 4 year public university per year are $5,836 dollars, and while one may say, that is not a lot of money per year to pay for an education, it adds up really quick, and
$23,444 dollars for the whole college experience is daunting, especially, If you’re a person without experience, making minimum wage (5.15/ Hr), after taxes (20%) and such, that equates to about $8927 dollars per year in salary.
So unless a person can save half of their salary for a year, they can pay for their tuition, but in truth they must have $2918 every 16 weeks to pay for school, and when your take home pay is $172 per week, that $2918 (172 * 16 = 2752) looks very far away from you, unless you don’t own an apartment, have children, and don’t wear clothes, transportation or EAT. College is out of the question.
If the key to uplifting oneself is through experience, how can a person get experience? How can a person gain the knowledge it takes to advance themselves and their situation in America? Conservatives are complaining that the immigrants, who come here to work, drag down the economy because they stay in the same economic conditions and it stays generational. Of course that’s true, and it’s true in tons of neighborhoods across America. But the problem is a two-pronged issue, the first prong being, the absence of any way to elevate oneself from poverty, and two) the absence of any education on telling people to better their situations.
These conservatives don't care about the poor, the black, and the sick people in America. They could care less and are seen as the invisible minority in America, just as muslims were before 9/11.
On a very big note though, that individuals in the most impoverished regions are not taught within their own communities, schools, and by their own governments that they need to advance themselves and get away from that type of environment, by the best means necessary. And they are helped not to do so inadvertedly.
The economy is terrible right now because people who are affluent, tell you to get an education, get a good job, work hard and the rest will follow. But truthfully, that doesn’t happen. If you work to get an education, what experience do you have? How can you get that good job? If jobs are making it a requirement to have a bachelor’s degree and its getting ever-so-difficult for the working class to attain that degree, how can the poor get to that level?
My problem with the economy is that, a person must have experience for these ENTRY-LEVEL positions. I myself have asked employers, “How can I get experience if this job is an entry level position?”
The only jobs out there for poor individuals are either through construction, auto repair, retail or restaurants.
The true face of America is obscured by the Anglo veneer of prosperity, of immense wealth, and of peace.
And the point to all of this is that people shouldn’t expect to be rich and famous, and loved by many. And have numerous cars and leisure time to go along with that.
You won’t be that person, I won’t be that person and you shouldn’t hold on to that dream as if it will come true. Just focus on bettering yourself through any means necessary and working to become a better person.
Most people work all of their lives, and work very hard to survive, while others who have the wealth, extend more of it to themselves, to their kids and to their friends.
Case in point, the opportunities to move from poor to middle class to upper class are falling very fast.
The American Dream is a lie to keep us working, while the CEOs take our hard work to the bank, and on golf tournaments. Keep Dreaming.
An article in Commondreams.org, exclaims the exact tone and posture of corporate America.
“The United States long has had the industrialized world's largest gap in pay between chief executives and blue-collar workers. CEO compensation swelled from 85 times what workers earned in 1990, to 209 times in 1996, and 326 times the following year. .In 1999, CEO pay surged to a record 419 times the average worker's wage, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
U.S. CEOs' pay rose 313 percent from 1990 to 2003, UFE said. By contrast, the Standard & Poor's 500 stock index rose 242 percent and corporate profits gained 128 percent.
During the same period, average worker pay rose 49 percent while inflation climbed 41 percent.
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0412-10.htm
If you look at the type of programming on TV for game shows, you’ll see: 1 vs. 100, Deal or No Deal, The Rich List, and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Oh yeah, and Jeopardy, The Price Is Right, and Wheel of Fortune is still running around too. The problem I have with these shows is that, they continue in the tradition of the out-dated American dream.
The American dream is essentially a fantasy because it has the assumption that a person can make something of themselves and be on the level of the millionaires and television stars that they see on TV. Now, I think that first generation Americans and individuals who come to this country to work and become successful embody what it means to be American, and I respect these people.
But the AMERICAN DREAM IS TO BE RICH, not just RICH, but insanely WEALTHY with lots of property. To have more than others, to live in the mansions and drive the cars, boats and trucks that they see as being the symbol of success. It’s very sickening. We, as Americans, are obsessed with status and that is what the American dream is.
But the truth is that the only people who actually live this lifestyle are: Musicians, Actors, Politicians, CEOs, and Athletes.
Because if you’re an American and you think that you can get rich, honestly, it’s better to keep dreaming. Especially during this time in history it’s increasingly hard to leave your economic level. It’s very difficult to escape the pit of poverty because if the key to uplifting oneself is through education, how can one truly pay for it?
According to figures presented by college board.com, http://www.collegeboard.com/student/pay/add-it-up/4494.html
The costs of attending a 4 year public university per year are $5,836 dollars, and while one may say, that is not a lot of money per year to pay for an education, it adds up really quick, and
$23,444 dollars for the whole college experience is daunting, especially, If you’re a person without experience, making minimum wage (5.15/ Hr), after taxes (20%) and such, that equates to about $8927 dollars per year in salary.
So unless a person can save half of their salary for a year, they can pay for their tuition, but in truth they must have $2918 every 16 weeks to pay for school, and when your take home pay is $172 per week, that $2918 (172 * 16 = 2752) looks very far away from you, unless you don’t own an apartment, have children, and don’t wear clothes, transportation or EAT. College is out of the question.
If the key to uplifting oneself is through experience, how can a person get experience? How can a person gain the knowledge it takes to advance themselves and their situation in America? Conservatives are complaining that the immigrants, who come here to work, drag down the economy because they stay in the same economic conditions and it stays generational. Of course that’s true, and it’s true in tons of neighborhoods across America. But the problem is a two-pronged issue, the first prong being, the absence of any way to elevate oneself from poverty, and two) the absence of any education on telling people to better their situations.
These conservatives don't care about the poor, the black, and the sick people in America. They could care less and are seen as the invisible minority in America, just as muslims were before 9/11.
On a very big note though, that individuals in the most impoverished regions are not taught within their own communities, schools, and by their own governments that they need to advance themselves and get away from that type of environment, by the best means necessary. And they are helped not to do so inadvertedly.
The economy is terrible right now because people who are affluent, tell you to get an education, get a good job, work hard and the rest will follow. But truthfully, that doesn’t happen. If you work to get an education, what experience do you have? How can you get that good job? If jobs are making it a requirement to have a bachelor’s degree and its getting ever-so-difficult for the working class to attain that degree, how can the poor get to that level?
My problem with the economy is that, a person must have experience for these ENTRY-LEVEL positions. I myself have asked employers, “How can I get experience if this job is an entry level position?”
The only jobs out there for poor individuals are either through construction, auto repair, retail or restaurants.
The true face of America is obscured by the Anglo veneer of prosperity, of immense wealth, and of peace.
And the point to all of this is that people shouldn’t expect to be rich and famous, and loved by many. And have numerous cars and leisure time to go along with that.
You won’t be that person, I won’t be that person and you shouldn’t hold on to that dream as if it will come true. Just focus on bettering yourself through any means necessary and working to become a better person.
Most people work all of their lives, and work very hard to survive, while others who have the wealth, extend more of it to themselves, to their kids and to their friends.
Case in point, the opportunities to move from poor to middle class to upper class are falling very fast.
The American Dream is a lie to keep us working, while the CEOs take our hard work to the bank, and on golf tournaments. Keep Dreaming.
An article in Commondreams.org, exclaims the exact tone and posture of corporate America.
“The United States long has had the industrialized world's largest gap in pay between chief executives and blue-collar workers. CEO compensation swelled from 85 times what workers earned in 1990, to 209 times in 1996, and 326 times the following year. .In 1999, CEO pay surged to a record 419 times the average worker's wage, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
U.S. CEOs' pay rose 313 percent from 1990 to 2003, UFE said. By contrast, the Standard & Poor's 500 stock index rose 242 percent and corporate profits gained 128 percent.
During the same period, average worker pay rose 49 percent while inflation climbed 41 percent.
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0412-10.htm
posted by Alphaprimer at
11/02/2006 09:33:00 AM
2 Comments:
"The American Dream is a lie to keep us working, while the CEOs take our hard work to the bank, and on golf tournaments. Keep Dreaming."
I couldn't agree more. I'm not a big fan of work. I think I could find other ways to fill my time, and be quite busy, quite content, and not be lacking. I think there is nothing I'd rather do less than keep chasing the cheese while I run around this wheel.
By
Cairogal, at 1:05 PM
more like the dream turned into the nightmare. Slaving away just to pay the bills, bills and more bills. Where is the economic freedom in that. Whats highly interesting that here in Egypt, such a 'poor' country people often can afford holiday trips a few times a yr at least, save for their kids colleges in the states, and have enough money to invest in buying property to rent out, Strange dichotomoy. And then people assume america is paved in gold and honey like everyone is rich. Travel the world and you will see life in action. (probably too much drama though lool)
By
ummukatheer, at 3:25 PM
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