Nickel and Dimed: On Not Getting By in America by Ehrenreich - Essay Example

Section/# Book Analysis of Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America Whereas there have been many social issues which constraint the ability of the American citizen to realize a degree of success as well as the American dream, it is the opinion of many individuals within society that each and every one of these constraints has magically vanished within the past several decades. The Civil War paved the way for the abolition of slavery, the women’s suffrage movement paves the way for a greater level of feminism and women’s rights within America, the civil rights movement pays the way for further level of African-American integration with society, and subsequent campaigns of a variety of shapes and sizes have helped to increase the level of diversity and respect that different groups received. However, one of the salient points that Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America makes is with regards to the economic disparity that continues to pervade so much the US system. Although it is the wealthiest nation in the entire world and its GDP eclipses other nations by multiple times, it is the assertion of this particular documentary that a large number of workers in the United States are ultimately in a new form of slavery: wage slavery. Within such a form of slavery, the individual is not only barely able to survive and provide for their own needs and the needs of their family, but they are also robbed of any and all energy and/or spare time that they might utilize as a means of finding additional work. Further, from a more strictly economic standpoint, the reader should note the fact that individuals within the United States find their overall net worth, in real terms, necessarily decrease as compared to the generations preceding them. This creates a unique situation in which for the first time ever, the overall quality of life and wealth that the previous generation was able to enjoy will most likely not be reflected within their children. This relatively mundane realization helps to strike at the very core of what the American dream represents. As such, any changes with regards to the reality of the mechanisms through which individuals can better themselves and the ability of one generation to surpass the next which fundamentally impact on whether or not the American dream can be realized any further within the modern world. A further reason that hinders low and middle income individuals from climbing up the economic ladder is due to the high and unfair amount of taxes they have to pay compared to the high income groups. Former presidential contester and a multi-millionaire, Mitt Romney, acknowledged that he only pays 13.9% of his income as taxes. Compare this to the 30% of taxes that most middle class Americans pay (Wage Slaves). This makes us question the “equality to all” promised in the American dream. Another reason that the American Dream is currently suffering is due to the fact that the real estate market is in such complete and total disarray. Once upon a time, it was believed that the American Dream could be realized by working hard, saving, and investing in a home of one’s own. However, as the feet have fallen out from underneath the current real estate market as a result of the economic difficulties of 2007-2008, such a dream finds itself in dire jeopardy (Ehrenreich 23). Moreover, for those individuals that have already purchased their own homes and have saved and paid off their mortgages in the belief that such an investment would greatly benefit them in the future, they ultimately find themselves deluded and holding on to a house that is oftentimes worth far less than they paid for it (Downs & Stetson 675). This strikes at the very core of the American Dream as it is has always been understood that regardless of economic factors, having a home that has been paid off represents the ultimate freedom and dream that everyone can and should ascribe to. A further cause for the ailing American Dream is with regards to the difficulties that exist between moving from the lower class to the middle or upper middle classes. Whereas class mobility has always been an aspect of the American Dream which has been touted as unique in all the world, the fact of the matter is that the level to which this mobility is possible within the current era is greatly reduced from what it was before. Part of the reason for this is the fact that our grandparent’s generation was able to go from having little to no education to becoming highly successful in a given field or trade. However, in order to even obtain a job as a secretary within the current era, it is necessary to have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree which does not come at a very low cost. Moreover, these educational requirements continue to cost more and more as the years go by; making it exceptionally difficult for those within the lower classes to pay for a college degree which will only provide them with a job that pays slightly better than minimum wage. Children are told that getting a college degree will land them a good job and that they can live the American dream. But many college graduates are disappointed by the fact that they cannot find proper jobs as soon as they finish college. In fact, 17 million college graduates do jobs that do not require a college degree. Unemployment numbers in the United States are at record highs. People who are willing to work hard and get a better life do not have the opportunity to do so. An additional salient issue is with regards to wage slavery and the fact that the individuals who are oftentimes trapped within it are some of the most vulnerable within society. Whereas younger individuals that come from the middle or upper class background can seek to better their lot in life simply by attaining a college degree and/or leveraging the connections of their family or friends, individuals that are oftentimes trapped in weight slavery do not have any such opportunity. As the documentary points out, wage slavery is not a new dynamic – it has existed for decades. However, the economic slowdown that has been persisting within the past few years has compounded the level of frustrations and difficulties which these individuals must live with. One of the ways in which wage slavery directly impacts the individual is by removing any possibility or chance of discretionary income being saved, or discretionary income existing in the first place. Due to the fact that these workers necessarily operate in or around minimum wage, each and every sense of the dollars that they earn is put towards the bare necessities of life: rent, food, child care, car payments, fuel, electric bills, cell phone bills, etc. With this comes an unfortunate situation in which the individual is locked and chained to the particular form of employment in which they currently engage, unable to achieve any form of higher education, barely able, if at all, to meet their debt obligations and provide for their families, and being short of any energy and/or time that they may utilize to find better or more appropriate work. Works Cited Ehrenreich, Barbara. Nickel and dimed : on (not) getting by in America. New York: Picador, 2011. Print. Wage Slaves: Not Getting By in America. Perf. n/a. 2006. A&E Entertainment, 2006. Film. Read More