In our current social aftermath of the 2016 Presidential Election, many people have already began to speculate what lies in the future for our country. With Donald Trump as the President-elect, standing with a conservative Congress, both the Left and the Right have shared their worries (and positive hopes). But all this talk about the future makes me feel like we are ignoring the present. Our current economic state isn’t very good, and we should accept that and do all we can to fix it before we watch somebody only worsen it.
Source: Flickr (Donkey Hotey)
Is the American Dream dead? Obviously, there are two sides to this argument:
No, the American Dream is alive and well, only today it is more focused around smart saving rather than lavish living. Those who can save, manage, and invest their money better will slowly see higher returns and safe growth.
Or (and this is the one I would have to agree with)…
Yes, our current economy makes it very difficult for different socio-economic classes and ethnic groups to “save smart” for a higher education, placing numerous people at a disadvantage.
Here’s the issue
In his article, “RIP, the middle class: 1946-2013”, Journalist Edward McClelland claims there are, “only two classes: aristocracy and peasantry. It’s an order in which the many toil for subsistence wages to provide luxuries for the few.” In other words, he agrees with Marx’s claims of the battle between the bourgeoisie and the proletarians. The “aristocracy” always has the upper-hand in opportunity. This is an economy where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.
All of this ties back into education. There is no denying that, generally, people with a bachelor’s degree make more money than those without. Stephanie Owen and Isabel Sawhill support this in their report, “Should Everyone Go to College”, stating that, “23-to 25-year-olds with bachelor’s degrees make $12,000 more than high school graduates but by age 50, the gap has grown to $46,500.” These figures show how our economy rewards those with a higher education, which is completely fine. Skilled/specialized laborers should be able to make high returns on their educational investments, it promotes a healthy economy.
Source: Wikimedia
This is not the case, however, when the majority “peasantry” class struggles financially to make and maintain this educational investment. There is just no arguing that the student debt crisis is something we can just dismiss. I mean just look at it. Mark Kantrowitz’s article, “Why the Student Loan Crisis Is Even Worse Than People Think”, reports,
“Average student loan debt at graduation has been growing steadily over the last two decades. In 1993-94, about half of bachelor’s degree recipients graduated with debt, averaging a little more than $10,000. This year, more than two-thirds of college graduates graduated with debt, and their average debt at graduation was about $35,000, tripling in two decades.”
The accumulation of this debt scares people, causing them to drop out or not even peruse a higher education.
Source: Flickr (Donkey Hotey)
So, we live in an economy which rewards those with college degrees, but at the same time financially discourages the lower and middle classes from pursuing them. This creates the vicious feedback loop where more and more wealth becomes concentrated in the hands of the few, rendering the people and their democracy powerless.
The lower and middle classes, if they even chose to pursue a college education, start at a disadvantage, and end with a disadvantage. McClelland claims, “24 percent [of young people who graduated from college] defined the American dream as ‘not being in debt.’ They’re not trying to get ahead. They’re just trying to get to zero.” What kind of image is reflected on the country when a large portion of the country’s future leaders see the highest achievement in their nation as simply not being in debt?
What has to be done
Unless you have business ties with members in Congress, I doubt you can get any piece of legislation out single-handedly and in a speedy manner. However, we are the future of America. We must make our voices be heard. Whether you call your local representative, take to social media, or protest publicly, just make sure you are being heard. A system which suppresses millions of students as harshly as ours does does not deserve to go this far under the radar.
This socio-economic system is destroying our future and our American Dream. And if we stay quiet, we will be hit harder and harder and then it’s too late. Don’t let the people which are currently in power write our stories. If we want our future and freedom, we have to take our own reigns while we still can.
Photo Sources:
www.flickr.com/photos/donkeyhotey/24394211100
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Household_income_in_the_United_States
www.flickr.com/photos/donkeyhotey/6304808136