Arguments upon the American dream - Essay Example

17 July Assignment Since times immemorial, a large number of people have been migrating to the Unites s of America, both legally and illegally, in search of what they think might help them arrive upon the path of the pursuit for happiness. Some have travelled far in order to get employment and better incomes, some for their education, and some to move to a better and developed nation in order do well in life and live a satisfied and healthy lifestyle in one of the booming economies of the world. However, not all these people that have come from far and wide are treated in an acceptable manner. This paper helps to provide an analysis of the kind of prejudices that Americans have in their hearts against such immigrations with the help of a few key words that have been clearly defined within the scope of this paper. As stated by renowned American author, F. Scott Fitzgerald, in the novel ‘The Great Gatsby’, the American dream is the pursuit of happiness. Every American man has been trying his best in order to do better and earn more by getting a better job. In the novel, the protagonists, or the members of the family try their best to achieve as many possessions as they can as well as acquire wealth and make something of themselves. They each have a dream of their own and try their level best to achieve the status of a rich person. In the modern day and age as well, most Americans share the same dream and have tried their best to climb up on the wealth ladder in order to be able to have a higher purchasing power so that they can earn a higher status for themselves in society and be able to demand for more products. (The American Dream - F. Scott Fitzgerald) However, this very dream has been denounced according to the American people, commonly known as the Whites, because of the influx of a large population that has been setting and establishing itself within America, for a very long time. The Whites feel prejudice within their hearts against immigrants for the sole reason that they feel that the other people have been taking their jobs away and have thus, in the process, taken away their ‘American dream’. Because of this, the Whites are not being able to fulfil their desires due to the shortage of jobs and employment opportunities as well as seats in educational institutions, schools and colleges. The White race within the confines of the United States has also been shifting over the years because of migrations by people from different countries, belonging to different races. According to a number of reports, over the years, the shift has been so much that half of America consists of the Whites now and the rest of it consists of people belonging to other races, mostly the Blacks and the Browns. (Government Census) A race is a line of people measured on the basis of their skin colour; there are a number of people that are ‘racists’ or those that discriminate on the basis of a person’s skin colour and do not offer him jobs or educational opportunities because of the same reason. For a long time, White people have been known to be racists because there has been a history of them discriminating against people belonging to other races. Today in America people belonging to other races have been facing this problem very harshly and are finding it difficult to survive there. The Whites simply mention that they are forced to take these steps in order for them to be able to retain their jobs and other opportunities and not have everything being given away to other people. Being racist is a bad thing because discrimination on any ground is not a civil action to carry out. However, for the most part, there is a certain amount that the country might lose out on by losing a White majority because a vast amount of industrialization has been brought about by the Whites. They have been able to contribute a great amount to the world of modern information and technology with the help of the advent of the internet as well as other global communication facilities. They have set the bar for the world when it comes to handling an economy and creating more job opportunities for people with the help of introduction to entrepreneurship for the rest of the world. Thus, there is a lot to be lost out on if majority of the population of the Whites decrease in America. The economy is however now shifting towards a more mixed race with more and more people from all over the world setting up their homes and workplaces and starting families in America. What the economy can gain from such an influx of the global population is culture as well as more meritorious applicants for job opportunities. There are a vast number of people that have come from afar and have been able to set up successful jobs in the American economy and have therefore helped in the increase of the Gross Domestic Product of the country with the help of their knowledge, skill and know how. A number of such people have also been able to create jobs for others. At the same time nonetheless, there also are a number of people who have not added to the economy in any way and are in fact leading to a decrease in employment factors by virtue of aspects like disguised and hidden unemployment. They are using up the resources of the country and not giving back in any manner, leading to degradation. All this has caused a ‘prejudice’ in the hearts of the White people or the Americans, and is leading to resentment because they feel they have lost out on the achievement of the American dream as discussed above due to their opportunities now being open to a much wider base of people. Works Cited "The American Dream - F. Scott Fitzgerald - The Great Gatsby: Student Text Guide - Epinions.com." Reviews from Epinions. Web. 20 July 2011. . "American Government Census: Race, Religion Etc." Government of the Unites States of America. Web. 20 July 2011. . Read More