Wants of an Average American - Essay Example

In the United s, the average citizen holds a number of socio-economic, political, and cultural ideals that can be interpreted as being what the average American wants. The majority of Americans fall into the middle class, which means that they make a comfortable living and are able to properly shelter, cloth, and feed themselves without any assistance. The average American wants the potential for upward social movement, a fair and democratic political system, and the ability to enjoy things that are culturally significant to the United States as a whole or to the particular region in which they live. Unfortunately for the average American, he or she has not been permitted to attain what he or she wants, as the economic elites have made it nearly impossible for the middle class to get out of debt or become actively involved in the political process, and the government has created a great deal of confusion about what is acceptable culturally within the country. The average American knows what he or she wants, but will be unable to achieve it unless significant changes are made. From a socio-economic standpoint, the middle class is constantly looking for social and economic mobility. This mobility provides hope that these individuals will be able to better their situations over time, even if their situations do not appear to be overly bad in the first place. This social mobility is done through job promotions and the belief that those who work hard will be rewarded. Even if this mobility is within the middle class itself it is significant, since the middle class is so vast. The current problem, however, is that the middle class does not have the same amount of power as the elites, despite the fact that it is far superior in numbers. What this does is cause a significant discrepancy between what the average American wants and what the average American has. There is no doubt that the average American would want to own a house with an affordable mortgage and be able to send their kids to a good school so that they can have similar chances for economic and social advancement. Currently, however, this is not occurring within the United States, as “in their desperate rush to save their children from failing schools, families are literally spending themselves into bankruptcy“ (Warren and Tyagi 33). This is because the middle class is in a constant competition with the corporate world and this is a battle that it cannot win. The corporate world lives off of the money that is generated by the middle class, since it is the middle class that buys its goods and services. As the middle class becomes more diverse, the money that the corporate world will demand from it will continue to grow because “Americas newfound Luxury Fever forces middle-class families to finance their consumption increases largely by reduced savings and increased debt“ (Warren and Tyagi 16). Therefore, corporate greed will not allow for the middle class to achieve what it wants, but will rather attempt to keep the middle class in debt, as this will prevent the middle class from rising to the level of the elites. This shows that there is a significant contrast between what the average American wants from a socio-economic standpoint and what the average American has. Politically, the average American wants a system that speaks to the needs of the people by allowing for the citizens to have power over their own country. On the surface, this is the way that the United States is run, as democratically elected leaders are placed in charge of the government and are supposed to make the decisions that the majority of the people would want within the country. Political ideologies are largely based on social and economic standing but many times, the actual voting does not follow along the expected lines because “today, both major political parties are far more supportive of corporate and special interests than the will of the majority” (Dobbs 44). This is because corporation invest in political parties and in candidates and these investments can alter the parties policies and the direction that the government takes once elected. In fact, a “fundamental criticism of the economic theory of democracy is that most people are not wealthy enough to control government, not that they are uninformed” (Ferguson 231). What this means is that the average American does not have a whole lot of say in the political system and is rather left to vote for whichever elitist candidate comes the closest to his or her values. This is not a fair way to control a political system, but there is very little that can be done about it in the United States because corporate contributions are how elections are driven now. This is viewed as an investment for these corporation that they will eventually profit from through tax breaks and other possible government contract work in the future, as “corporations have taken the spotlight as latter-day English-speaking conquistadores” (Phillips 412). The average American cannot make a significant contribution to a campaign and, therefore, is not valued to the same extent by the politicians. What this means is that the average American does not have the desired political landscape, nor does he or she live in the completely democratic environment that is looked-for. Once again, what the average American wants and what the average American has are completely different. From a cultural standpoint, the average American wants to be able to integrate their own cultural beliefs into their family life in a manner that will prevent past cultures from disappearing. This is because the United States is a country that is made up of families that were immigrants at one time or another, so it is a country that is very diverse culturally. Many times, however, these diverse cultures are not celebrated and can even be repressed. The United States has created a melting pot type of mentality where cultural differences are looked down upon, rather than embraced and are eventually forced to assimilate into the American way of life. It could, however, be argued that this is what the average American wants. If the average American is a middle-class citizen with a decent job and no worries, then it is possible that he or she does not wish to experience other cultures coming into his or her neighborhood. The thing is, there are so many different regional cultures within the United States that achieving a society with a similar culture throughout is next to impossible in a country this size. Therefore, it can be argued that the average American would want to be able to take his or her regional culture with him or her if he or she had to relocate to another part of the country. Currently, the average American does not know what to expect culturally, as there are ongoing issues throughout the country. The average American would agree that when it comes right down to it, the United States should come first. At the same time, however, the average American would believe that every individual has the right to have any opinion that he or she desires on the subject and, therefore, should not be forced to have this America first attitude. This cultural issue is very complex and there is no real consensus amongst Americans about what the average American wants other than the choice to adhere to one’s own culture, as “the choice is not between isolationism and assimilation, but must be engagement with the society, taking America at its promise and working within the system to breach the walls of the other“ (Haddad 40). Currently, however, various laws within the United States have made it very difficult to be of Arab origin and this somewhat takes away from an Arab’s right to have his or her own culture, as “legislative provisions aimed at combating terrorism had an impact on Arab American activism and violated the rights of some Arabs living in the United States” (Elaasar 21). The United States is currently in a situation where the average American generally knows what he or she wants, but is unable to achieve this for a variety of reasons. From a socio-economic perspective, it is very difficult to attain any sort of economic or social mobility because the corporate giants that control the economy do not wish to see the middle class rise to their level. Therefore, they keep the middle class in debt and do not let them succeed to the point where they will become a threat. From a political perspective, the country is also controlled by the economic elites, as they invest money into political parties and candidates in order to sway their political and economic policies in the future. This takes the democratic power away from the majority of the people and places it in the hands of the elites. All the average American wants is to have a say in the politics of the country, but this has not happened as of yet. Culturally, the average American wants to be able to celebrate any culture differences that he or she may have, but this is only acceptable for certain cultures right now, as the worldwide political landscape has created a situation where certain cultures are oppressed. The average American knows what he or she wants, but is currently unable to achieve this because of the hierarchy that is in place in the United States. Works Cited Dobbs, Lou. Independents Day: Awakening the American Spirit. New York: Penguin Group. 2007. Elaasar, Aladdin. Silent Victims: The Plight of Arab & Muslim Americans in Post 9/11 America. Bloomington, Indiana: AuthorHouse. 2004. Ferguson, Thomas. Golden Rule: The Investment Theory of Party Competition and the Logic of Money-Driven Political Systems. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. 1995. Haddad, Yvonne Yazbeck. Not Quite American?: The Shaping of Arab and Muslim Identity in the United States. Waco, Texas: Baylor University Press. 2004. Phillips, Kevin. Wealth and Democracy: A Political History of the American Rich. New York: Broadway Books. 2002. Warren, Elizabeth and Tyagi, Amelia Warren. The Two Income Trap: Why Middle-Class Mothers and Fathers Are Going Broke. New York: Basic Books. 2003. Read More