Is the “American Dream” Still Alive? Thesis Paper Example

Introduction

Except Native Americans, everyone in America is an immigrant. They may have come from different cultural, ethnic, and national backgrounds but all of them came to America with a dream. Some dreamt of a country where they could freely practice their faith while others wanted to be in a place where they could chase their wildest ambitions. Some simply wanted to be in a country where they could earn their livelihood with dignity while others wanted access to the basic human rights they had been robbed off in their native countries. Some simply came temporarily in pursuit of knowledge but decided to stay because their hearts had found a new home. But all of them did agree that in America you should be judged upon what you do with your life and not where you come from. The essence of American dream is the belief that everyone deserves same rights and access to opportunities no matter what their background is. Unfortunately stereotypes and prejudice still block access to American dream for some.

American Dream

American dream is to have equal chance at success. I remember reading about Warren Buffet where he spoke against hereditary advantage and which is also one of the reasons behind his decision to give most of his wealth to Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation rather than leaving it all to his children. Buffet’s ideals reminded me why America has become the greatest nation on earth and why the country gives birth to more great ideas in almost every field than any other nation on the earth. The simple answer is that America invites everyone to realize his true potential and doesn’t restrict access to opportunities just because someone doesn’t come from a privileged background. In America, one is not given an identity but creates his own identity, unlike a traditional Hindu woman in India whose identity is largely determined by her caste, land, and family among other things (Mukherjee).

American dream is about having access to all the rights that a constitution bestows upon citizens and residents living within American borders. Martin Luther King Jr. warned that America will not be able to become a peaceful and truly model country until its black citizens also enjoy the same dignity and rights that its white citizens enjoy (King Jr.). If King were alive today, he would also stand for the rights of Muslim Americans such as Kurdish immigrant Yassin Aref (Al-Arian) whose are being treated as aliens in their own country just because they happen to share religious background with some fundamentalists. King knew the dangers of stereotypes and he even warned his fellow black citizens not to lump together all white Americans as racist because there are good ones, too (King Jr.). Bharati Mukherkjee reminds us that America is unique in human history for challenging the notion that a nation is a collection of like-looking, like-speaking, like-worshipping people (Mukherjee). Yet discriminating treatment of individuals like Aref by the law enforcement agencies give birth to racial stereotypes that people belonging to certain faiths are less American.

American dream is the belief that one can achieve anything through hard work and perseverance. Angel Luis Cruz’s business is being negatively affected by the new  state immigration law in South Carolina but Cruz is not the one to give up and is still hopeful his business will pick up. But he has not left anything to chance and has even opened up a second branch to compensate for some of the decline in customers (Lohr). America has come a long way since the Civil Rights Movement and when we finally thought that no one is judged in America by the way they look anymore, state immigration laws are leading to ‘unofficial’ racial profiling.

American dream is to live without undue harassment by the government. Some of the earliest immigrants came to America to escape persecution by the authorities in their native countries. A country that has been a beacon of freedom for the oppressed people around the world is now allowing systematic harassment of its own citizens through law enforcement agencies. To thinking minds, it should trigger the memories of WWII when the loyalty of Japanese-Americans was questioned at both the government and the public levels. America is a country that moves forward and not backward yet past lessons have been forgotten so conveniently if the biased treatment of Muslims Americans is any indication.

American dream is the belief that every single person is capable of bringing a positive change in the country. Yassin Aref’s lawyer Steve Downs realized that the decline of the society does not only occur due to the wrong people but also due to the failure of good people to stand up and do something (Al-Arian). This is why he was motivated to stand against what he perceived as unjust treatment of a fellow American on the basis of his religious background. When Martin Luther King led the Civil Rights Movement, he didn’t only call upon racist White Americans to listen to the voice of Black Americans but even invited good White Americans to join him in the struggle for equal rights for all Americans irrespective of their skin color. America promotes individualism because history is full of Americans who single-handedly changed their country and even the world for good.

American dream is still alive but is at the risk of going extinct for some non-White Americans due to irresponsible behavior of certain elements who promote racial divisions to escape personal responsibility for the failures as well as score political gains just as Bharati Mukherjee points out. Mukherjee is concerned that ‘us’ against ‘them’ mentality is again thriving in certain parts of the country and threaten to divide the country on racial lines. Mukherjee reminds us that in this age of Diaspora, one’s biological identity should not become one’s primary identity (Mukherjee).

American dream is also to engage in free speech and not fear persecution for it. In fact, the right to free speech has been guaranteed by the first amendment and covers all citizens. Despite all the progress the country has made since its birth, some of the events over the last decade indicate that citizens enjoy varying levels of free speech and free speech that supports government policies or the views of the majority enjoys preferable status. Even Melva Underbakke, a peace activist and English language translator is concerned that attacks on free speech rights will not remain limited to Muslim Americans but may target other groups as well (Al-Arian).

The founding fathers wanted to create a country that will be the melting pot of people from all over the world. This is why they sought to establish a country without any official religion because they wanted to ensure freedom of religion. Yet the treatment of Muslim Americans after the tragic event of 9/11 demonstrates that religious bias continues to be alive in America and has even made its way into the politics as demonstrated by Cheney’s “1 percent doctrine” (Al-Arian) which significantly suppresses Muslim-Americans’ right to freedom of speech. Today, mere political differences with the government’s policies could put Muslim Americans on the watch list and subject them to round-the-clock invasion of privacy.

American dream might have run into difficulties but it is still alive. Angel Cruz believes he will soon recover his lost business and when Yassen Aref was imprisoned, he didn’t ask Steve Downs to be his lawyer but his brother and even the First United Church stood with him. Bharati Mukherjee first moved to Canada but she didn’t feel at home despite being married to a Canadian and had to convince her family to move to America because American ideals appealed to her. This shows that even those Americans who feel their rights have been violated, have not given up on America because it is American spirit to keep moving forward.

Conclusion

American dream means one or more things to different people. For some, it is access to opportunities while to others it is access to all basic human rights such as liberty, free speech, and the pursuit of happiness. But what is common among Americans is their believe in the power of individuals to make difference in the society and America’s amazing ability to continuously reinvent itself after each crisis. As long as America continue producing leaders like Martin Luther King Jr., thinkers like Bharati Mukherjee, and patriotic citizens like Melva Underbakke and Steve Downs, American dream will continue to flourish as well.

References

Al-Arian, Laila. When Your Father Is Accused of Terrorism. 13 June 2012. 2 December 2012 <http://www.thenation.com/article/168373/when-your-father-accused-terrorism#>.

King Jr., Martin Luther. I Have a Dream. 28 August 1963. 2 December 2012 <http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm>.

Lohr, Kathy. Immigration Law Slows A Family’s March Forward. 14 June 2012. 2 December 2012 <http://m.npr.org/story/154946279>.

Mukherjee, Bharati. American Dreamer. January/February 1997. 2 December 2012 <http://www.motherjones.com/politics/1997/01/american-dreamer>.