Since the beginning of time man has competed to be better than his counterpart. It is this competition that causes Cain to murder his brother, Abel; it is what separates Abraham and his nephew Lot; and it is what drives gluttony in the minds of people like Bernard Madoff. Most people when they think of the “American Dream” they think of money; more often than not, it is the power that blazes the trail to their success or failure. A common thread shared by the rich is ostentation; no one wants to be subtle with his or her wealth, it must be flaunted so others can admire the attainment of the “American Dream.” Even though it may seem that money is the hallmark of the “American Dream” it is only one of the factors and sometimes not at all. In the pursuit for success one might find that he or she also discovers money; yet in a quest for money one may never find success.
Wealth is exhibited on every street in America; even in the inner cities; it is the most dangerous and most sought after commodity. Man’s success is not measured by his affluence, although some people may argue to the contrary. Everyone knows that selling drugs is a very lucrative business, a thug who makes his or her living by selling drugs and lives in Hollywood in a four million dollar house, drives a Rolls Royce, shops on Rodeo Drive, and wears Armani suits is still a thug and would not be a welcomed member of the celebrity group nor would his or her fortune be appreciated. Nonetheless, if this same person decides to acquire land in an inner city neighborhood and build a mansion and live there he would be revered in the community; why? He or she is living among his or her kind and everyone knows that his or her success is ill begotten; sooner than later members of this community will become hopeful that they will share in this “American Dream.” A well dress Colombo, Cullen and Lisle ed, well-spoken man who drives a new Toyota Corolla and lives in a modest house at the foot of Beverly Hill will never be a part of the Beverly Hill’s circle. According to Colombo, Cullen and Lisle, the American society is a community driven by success, everything we do has an underlying agenda, the motive behind our actions is success. We spend time and money learning how to become and how to look successful (255). Even people who come by their wealth illegally cannot help flaunting it, notwithstanding the treat of going to prison. Some of us want success so bad that we fake it with the best imitation of the real thing. We are a society of shallow people.
Race is one of the most compelling issues in deciding who succeeds and who does not. “Rooughtly 10% of white Americans, 21% of Latinos, and 25% of blacks are below the poverty line” (Colombo, Cullen and Lisle. 2010 254). This is always the trend of success and money in America; blacks have always been majority when it comes to poverty in America. Until the fight for equal rights in the sixties and onward, few blacks thought it worthwhile fighting for their liberation. Even in this twenty-first century, some of them still hesitate to claim what is theirs. The impact of slavery is not easily destroyed and a hundred black presidents are not going to make it less visible. Blacks were treated less than second class: they were told where to live, where to eat, where to shop, and if any of them were brave enough to pursue post-secondary education, they were told which school they could attend. As time progresses the opportunities for success in America becomes attainable more so for the blacks. Nonetheless, they are those who remain in their ghettos and refuse to believe that they can amount to anything; therefore they maintain the life of their parents and fore-parents. In these neighborhoods more often than not, parents do not teach their children to excel, but it is hammered in their heads that they are black and certain things are not theirs to achieve. “Moreover, it is extraordinary difficult to escape poverty if you’ve ‘chosen’ the wrong parents; 95 percent of children born to poor parents will themselves be poor all their lives. Even for more fortunate Americans, the recession that battered world economies in 2008 made maintaining the comfortable lifestyle of the middle class seem increasingly dependent not on hard work, but on gobal economic forces” (Colombo, Cullen and Lisle. 2010 254). Fortunately, not all parents do this and that is the reason why today we have a black president and First Lady. Mrs. Obama constantly says in speeches that nothing in her life prepared her for the role she now plays. The Obamas are great role models for black youth. Everyone can rise above his or her stations and become successful. The Obamas did not seek riches; they sought success and got both.
The effects of slavery have not been completely dealt with when juvenile delinquent raised its ugly head. This is demon worse than slavery, if one does not believe this, check the ratio of ethnicity in the community jails or prisons, Majority of these inmates if placed elsewhere or raised in a different neighborhood would not have feared this way; they are products of their environments. Usually the ultimate goal of these people it to gain money and given their lock of self-esteem, they cannot see the timely results of striving for success, therefore they struggle for money; unaware that money without education rarely last, the reason prison becomes a revolving door for them. One may look on these statistics and feel sorry for black but what they need is not pity, but someone to give them the tools for success and elevate their self-esteem.
. This is the plague that haunts several blacks, so often they have been beaten down, particular those in the inner cities, that they are contented to have money rather than success. To fix this the problem must be nipped in the bud; that means catching the potential juvenile delinquents. The mayor of these cities should set up task forces that meet with the youth and hear their opinions; put into action their suggestions and make them be a part of fixing their communities; of course they should have responsible adult supervision but give them the chance to watch their idea mature. Many times young people get involved in crimes to earn money; therefore cities can also provide work for these youth by giving them jobs to cleaning up the cities’ streets or helping older people in the neighborhood with odd chores. Having the youth take charge is a great booster to their self-esteem, and if the youth are positively focused they will stay away from bad influence. Less youth becoming delinquent means less adults going to jail and ambitious youth will become ambitious adults geared for success.
Work Cited
“Criminal Justice Fact Sheet.” Web. 26 June 2013
Colombo, Gary, Cullen, Robert, and Lisle, Bonnie Rereading America, Cultural Context for Critical Thinking and Writing 8th Edition ,2010. Please and publisher and city of publication. 254. Print
