Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness

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Our place in the economy is the basis for our place in society. In America, we know that not all men are created equal. The belief that everyone can reach the American Dream with the right attitude is not rational. The wages in America are not as high as they are portrayed. Some people’s beliefs and life choices can affect their place in society. What can we do to change the inequality issues of America? In America, we know that not all men are created equal. The Declaration of Independence states one of the most famous quotes known to man “All men are created equal”, and that we have the rights to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”. In the past, this was a realistic assumption. While all men are generally created equally, they are not all created into an equal environment. Some people are born into royalty with all of the luxuries that exist, while others are born into a bad neighborhood with little to no money. Some people can ease life away in their palace, and ride around in their private jet, while others have to slave away to try to make ends meet. If you were born into a WASP community, you would have the belief that the Declaration of Independence was correctly written. WASPS are born with upper class houses, cars, clothes, friends, and hobbies. They were given all of these things just because of who they are related to. The way that they are raised causes them to believe that they are the normal ones, and that everyone else is just jealous of their natural place in life. If you were born into a lower class family with no money, no food, and scarce job opportunity, you would think differently than the WASP community. You would have to work day and night just to attempt to feed yourself and your... ... middle of paper ... ...rting that cause. The inequality issues of America are becoming severe. Not all men are created equal. The belief that everyone can reach the American Dream with the right attitude is not rational. The wages in America are not as high as they are portrayed. Some people’s beliefs and life choices can affect their place in society. The level you are at in the economy has everything to do with where you fall in the social pyramid. Works Cited Ehrenreich, Barbara. Nickel and Dimed. Holt: New York, 2001. Print. Longo, Don. “Wal-Mart Supports Communities.” Are Chain Stores Ruining America? Greenhaven Press: Detroit, 2007. People Like Us: Social Class in America. Dir. Louis Alvarez and Andy Kolker. Center for New American Media, 2001. Film. Smialek, Jeanna. “Waitresses Stuck at $2.13 Hourly Minimum for 22 Years.” Bloomberg, 24 Apr 2013. Web. 15 Dec 2013.

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