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1ScheperleHannah ScheperleDr. Vander VorsteLAL 10211 February 2021Faults of AmericaEven though the American dream is so highly looked upon, there are a lot of faults in the system that are corrupting it. America is seen as one by everyone in this world as the best country. It represents freedom and democracy. Even though these are things that everyone wants in their life, there are faults that are compromising these to be effective in our society. Some of these faults are going to be looked at more closely that seem to be pertinent to our society throughout time. A few of the faults that I am going to highlight in this essay are politics, wealthinequality, and sexism. There will always be ways to improve our society and its faults. Politicsplay a huge role in the way our society is run. America’s society is governed by a democracy. This means that the people elect their peers into office to represent them. These people are calledpoliticians. Even though the people put their trust in these elected representatives, and they have a duty to abide by the people’s needs, this does not always happen. Sometimes politicians’ judgment can be clouded based on their own egos and personal gains. This results in them doing what is best for themselves instead of the people. Due to this, politicians are using their position in power to create more power for themselves. This is one of the reasons that our society is corrupt and at a fault. Even though we live in a democratic society that is supposed to create a system of government that allows the people to have power over it, there is always something that goes wrong. This has been happening throughout history, not just in today’s age. In Barack Obama’s speech he says, “As we commemorate their achievement, we are well-served to2Scheperleremember that at the time of the marches, many in power condemned rather than praised them”. (504) The people do have a say in whom they want to be elected into office, but the political world changes some of these politicians’ morals. Politics are leading to a corrupt society in America.Wealth Inequality has always been a huge factor in Americans’ quality of life. America isa society that is run on money. Your status in this society is dependent on how wealthy you are. According to Lettieri, “The bottom 50 percent of families own less than 2 percent of total U.S. wealth." This shows that the policies that are put in place are failing low-income families to be able to start up savings and investments. Almost everything in America costs something. Even something as simple as going to a middle school basketball game costs money. These small expenses really add up, especially if you are living paycheck to paycheck with a family to provide for. This leads to wealth inequality. Those that have more money are perceived to have more success than those who are struggling to provide for themselves. There are also so many more advantages that come from having money in America. A couple of examples of this are education, jobs, and overall status. Creating an equal society is impossible but creating a society where there is equal opportunity is the goal. Due to all these unequal opportunities in America, this leads to a society that is dependent on money. This creates a divide between all Americans because we do not all have the same status. This creates wealth inequality in our society. Sexism has always been relevant in our society. Men have always been perceived better than women at everything. They were always stronger, more capable, and smarter than women. This stereotype still takes place today even though it is slowly getting better. Even though this problem is being addressed, it still has a huge impact on society. Men do not take women as seriously in all aspects of life. One of the biggest places that it takes place in is the workplace.3ScheperleMen think that they are superior to women, and it shows in statistics. In 2016, the Bureau of Labor Statistics stated, “full-time, year-round working women earn 82 percent of men’s earnings” (Mortimer, Jeylan T., et. al., 1405). Due to this, women must work twice as hard to deserve the respect of their peers. This has led to a divided society because women do not feel as appreciated as men do. This results in a flawed society that does not give equal opportunities to all people. There will always be ways to improve our society and its faults. There is no such thing asa perfect society that does not have anything wrong with it. America provides a country for people to know that they have freedom, but it is not perfect as shown through these three major faults in our society. Even though America is the dream, there is still a lot of work that needs to be done for our government to live up to its Constitution.4ScheperleWorks CitedLettieri, John W. “The Income and Wealth Inequality Crisis in America – Testimony before The United States Senate Committee on the Budget” Economic Innovation Group, 17 March 2021, https://eig.org/news/the-income-and-wealth-inequality-crisis-in-america-testimony . Accessed 11 February 2022Mortimer, Jeylan T., et. al. “Decline of “the American Dream”? Outlook toward the Future across Three Generations of Midwest Families” Social Forces, vol. 98, no. 4, 2020, pp. 1405, EBSCOHost, doi:10.1093/sf/soz130Obama, Barack H. “Remarks by the President at the 50th Anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery Marches.” Read, Reason, Write: An Argument Text and Reader, 12th ed., edited by Dorothy U. Seyler and Allen Brizee, McGraw-Hill Education, 2019, pp.


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Mizzou ELSP _0300 - Faults of America

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