Does the American dream still exist? Did it ever? Americans once thought that anyone, from any walk of life, could find success, if they worked hard enough. I believe that this possibility is becoming more difficult to achieve, mainly due to increasing economic inequality in this country. Obviously, opportunity exists in America, but people of wealth have much more opportunity than do the poor. Society should be doing more to make opportunity more equitable for everyone. I realize that we can't equalize outcomes for individuals. Some people simply work harder or are luckier than others. However, that doesn't mean that we shouldn't at least try to equalize, as much as feasible, equality of opportunity. To me, this is a matter of social justice. Every human being deserves an equal opportunity to experience success, pursue happiness, and develop their full potential.
Check out this very informative video on why economic inequality is harmful to society:
http://inequality.org/richard-wilkinson-economic-inequality-harms-societies/
By society,(doing more to make opportunity more equitable for everyone)do you lean toward the government or education as the institution holding the greater responsibility/possibility of balancing the scale? Or perhaps, someone/something all together different?
ReplyDeleteWhen I say "society," I am referring to the government and other institutions, such as schools. But, you could equate society as the collective attitude of citizens in general.
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