Money and the Corruption of American Society
The American dream
Sweet as a new millionaire
The American dream
Pre-packed, ready-to-wear
The American dream
Fat, like a chocolate eclair
As you suck out the cream
Luck by the tail
How can you fail?
And best of all, it's for sale
The American dream - The Engineer (Miss Saigon)
Money is very important in American society today. Your status in America is greatly influenced by how much money you make. We see the effects of money while reading the paper, wathshing the evening news, and in Micheal Moore’s movies.
As we see in all three of Micheal Moore’s films Roger & Me, Pets or Meat, and The Big One, money can affect a society in horrible ways. The major corporations such as GM closed the doors in their plants and left 30,000 American’s without a job. Only to move their plant to a far off country and pay people a fraction of the hourly wages to produce more profit than the billions they were originally making (Moore 1989). Even as Micheal goes to the CEO of Nike, Phil Knight, and talks about the conditions of his factories in Indonesia, nothing is done. Phil is well aware of what happens in these factories and chooses to do nothing about it. He is also well aware that Americans are without jobs but continues to build factories in other countries because his overall profit will increase (Moore 1997).
We also see a how money affects people in Katherine Newman’s “American Nightmares”. In this reading we hear about a group of people called he downwardly mobile. They are people who were once secure in their jobs and then for some reason they lose them. They begin to fall down the social ladder. Because money is such an important factor in their lives, once they begin to lose their money they begin to lose much more. They start to lose friends and more importantly their self-dignity. They are like the people we see in Moore's movies. They lose everything and don’t have anywhere to turn.
In Peter Marin’s piece “Helping and Hating the Homeless”, he tells us that the homeless “were people more or less like ourselves: members of the working or middle class”. This is very ironic because we think of ourselves as much better than the homeless. But money is truly the only difference between us.
America’s form of representative democracy came as a result of the transgressions Britain committed against their colonies. Several hundred years of salutary neglect served well for those living an ocean away from their motherland. Realizing the prosperity that colonies had obtained through a semi-free market society, the King of England and the parliament began enacting many taxes and acts. Taking away the colonies freedom was unsettling amongst the colonists and eventually led to a revolution. This revolution secured freedom from Britain as well as founded a new nation with the first ever constitution. Although the process to achieve democracy in America was a long, laborious road the freedom, prosperity and equality of opportunity shared by those amongst the states could not be denied.
They use up their time playing on their $700 cellphones, only to try and blind themselves from reality in the virtual one. People need to get their heads out of the dark and start dealing with this problem one person at a time, and if everyone did it, the problem would be solved overnight. The problem is that, we as people, keep turning the homeless “into an issue, not a collection of human beings”. We, as a group of successful individuals, need to take notice of those individuals in need, treat them like the people they are, and stop dehumanizing the homeless. All they need is a shove in the right direction, and with a little help standing on their own, they will flourish as individuals and become just as successful as the
Coleridge, Samuel Taylor. “Kubla Khan.” Literature: A Pocket Anthology. Ed. R. S. Gwynn. New York: Addison-Wesley. 2002.
In “Brother, Don’t Spare a Dime,” L. Christopher Awalt says that homeless people are homeless on their own accord. He believes “many of them seem to have chosen the lifestyles they lead” (Awalt))).. This article states that most homeless people would prefer to escape responsibility rather than fix their social and economic problems. Awalt uses an example of a man who had been on the streets for about 10 years. He provided this man with resources to improve his life and within four months he was making progress. By the sixth month the man had checked himself out of the hospital and was back on the streets drunk again. Awalt does show a few people are the victims of tragic circumstances and will bounce back in a short period of time. Awalt believes homeless people have become dangerous to the public, and they do not deserve our money to help them out of their predicament. We do not agree with Awalt’s assumption that the majority of the homeless people in the United States are there because of their lack of responsibility. There are many causes of homelessness that cannot be avoided, and the majority of the people that become homeless will not be on the streets for long.
Political philosopher, Jeremy Waldron, argues that homeless people are less free than people who own homes and other material resources. Freedom can be defined as the opportunity to do what is wanted for oneself. Waldron is stating that people with valuables and homes have more freedoms than the homeless since they have more opportunities and a better chance of doing what they please. In this paper, I am supporting Jeremy Waldron’s argument that the homeless people are less free than others with material resources.
The American life is a life of greed, it is a life where no amount of money is enough, where happiness can only be found by earning more and more money. This system is exemplified in America’s world of business. America’s
In this story, poverty and homelessness is the underlying problem. However another problem discussed is whether or not the potential loss of funding sources to help the homeless justify not standing up against policy that negatively affects the homeless population by causing unjust criminalization (Pg. 100). In my heart, and in a perfect world, I would never want to sacrifice my beliefs of fighting for the greater good of all people, but I understand that it is more complicated than this in real life. There is no doubt that we are all born with different opportunities. Our text explains some of the personal factors that determines who is homeless. Some of the contributing causes of homelessness include addiction, disability, mental illness,
Homeless individuals are known for taking hand outs and they prefer to plead for money rather than to go work for it. People assume most of the the money that is given to homeless people they spend it on drugs and alcohol because of the fact that many homeless people have drug and alcohol addictions. It is not uncommon to come across homeless youth and older homeless population that are known to abuse substances like drugs and alcohol. Because of the fact that homeless people have substance abuse problems, they tend face illnesses and infections. Many hard working Americans ask themselves “why don’t homeless people just get jobs?” The assumption is they are just lazy and unmotivated. Homeless people choose to live the life they live. Everyone goes through problems but not all people take the path homeless people do. The problems homeless people face is not an excuse for them to be helped and maintained by other hard working people. Although homelessness might be a choice to some, no one knows the hardships these people have gone through. Some assume these people are just lazy but in reality a lot of these homeless people have jobs of their own, they just can’t afford housing and a decent life. Everyone has their own opinion on homeless people, but that does not change the fact that one should still serve the homeless. Not because homeless people need help but because we are
There are many other cases of why the homeless are homeless like domestic violence, mental illness, addictions, and unaffordable health care. Homelessness is a problem which has been caused by many different aspects but mainly money because of massive unemployment rates. A hidden aspect to homelessness that we may not think of is ...
“Homeless is more than being without a home. It is tied into education needs, food, security; health issues both mental and physical, employment issues, etc. Don’t forget the whole picture.” (“Boxed In” 2005 pg. 108)
The role of money in people's day-to-day lives is quite amazing when it's put into perspective. The primary reason most Americans get up in the morning is so they can go out and make money. Money buys things; money influences people; money keeps us ali ve; money makes us happy. Or does it? In Fences, by August Wilson, the Maxtons get their money when Gabe's head is shot in the war. In A Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansbury, the Younger family gets their money when Walter's father dies.
Everyone has a family, rather it is with your biological relatives or long-time friends. A lot of people have been raised in different types of households rather it is with a grandparent or a foster parent. Everyone has their own individual story of their particular support system. In most cases, people have been raised with both parents, which is ideal in this society. As years gone by, a lot of changes have occurred within raising a family, whether it be getting raised by a LGBT couple or being raised by a sibling. The most common change that has occurred is single-parenting. A lot of children are being raised by either just their mother or father. In most cases, the mother is the single parent. Being a single parent can be a blessing and a curse at the same time. In this essay, I will explain the ups and downs that come with being a single-parent.
Thompson, Victoria . "The Disadvantages of Being a Single Parent & Raising a Child." Everyday Life.
Reviewing single-parent families, the challenges seem to outweigh the advantages. Since a majority of single parents are mothers, all the burdens normally carried out by two people fall upon women (Lauer, 2012). Raising a child with both parents is a hard enough task, but being on your own creates issues within issues, no matter what your race or
According to information disclosed in the 2012 U.S. Census Bureau, the number of children raised in single-parent households continues to skyrocket. Children with two parents in the home, earning two separate incomes, tend to have better financial, societal, educational advantages. The effects of a single-parenting on a child’s behavior can be extensive and impact multiple ranges of life in a negative or positive way. In the United States alone, the effects of single-parenting on children fall into two categories: (1) those credited to the lower socioeconomic standing of single parents and (2) the short-term repercussions of divorce that temperate over time. The passage of time, the quality of the relationship with the parents, and the magnitude