The American Dream And African Americans Essay

, Research Paper

What is the American Dream.

To many people across the globe, the United States of America appears to be a place where one can be proud of. America the land where dreams come true and there is always a chance for any person to succeed. People who are not from the United States have been painted a beautiful picture of what life in our country is like. Not only do they think that there is a special place in America for them and the perfect career for each individual, but unfortunately this is not always true. The American dream is not necessarily to get rich quick, it is more along the lines of a hard worker having an opportunity to be financially stable and to live a pleasant life. The dream is that their sons and daughters will not have to suffer the same things that they did. Their children will be better off in the long run because of their hard work.

Why hasn’t the African American community been able to reach the American dream

In America everyone is guaranteed the opportunity to succeed and reach the American dream. In many instances, American citizens have been deprived of such a dream because other fellow citizens are prejudice. This bigotry suppresses the African-American people in the crime filled ghetto in which few blacks make it to old age much less with a decent home and a retirement fund.

Many things impede the African Americans’ quest for their dream, such as the media and music. “The history of the Black American is largely the story of their struggle for freedom and equality” . Since the dawn of time the color black has always signified something Dirty, soiled, evil, wicked, disgraceful and without hope. Unfortunately for the African American community this definition does not work for their advantage. The black man has long been associated with ignorance and crime, and the lethargic attitude of many African Americans does not help . Many people have been taught to be careful around a black man because of many reasons: Millions have been taught that a black man is liable to steal, attack, or murder a person based on their skin color. Of course this is not stated as directly as it once was, but nevertheless parents are still subconsciously preaching this to their children. These myths have been passed from one generation to the next and is negatively affecting blacks. As a consequence, millions accept and act out stereotypical images .

There are three stereotypes offered today and taught to many: the angry black stereotype: Always pointing his finger at the rest of the world and had appeared so often that it was all that people knew. The noble Negro, who was always victimized by whites and could only be saved by the good will of other whites. And the urban outlaw stereotype, which is the violent or criminal outlaw that is most popular today. What is left out is the middle class, the people supporting a family, volunteering at school, attending church, and seeking the American dream .

The black male has often been depicted as a thug, hoodlum, a gangster, and as a man with an itchy trigger finger. This is obviously why many young people have grown to be subtly racist their toward fellow Americans, while others have grown such hatred that they form radical organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan, Neo Nazis, and skinheads. Hate crimes are still evident and not as uncommon as many people believe. Great masses of African Americans are victims of a brutal and inhumane system of enslavement . Although these are stereotypical, and often false, representations of African Americans many people believe them because of what they are fed through what is a very important weapon against blacks: the mass media. “For blacks in America, the weight of media stereotypes is an enormous burden to carry every day” . At many times when a black man is portrayed on the television he is usually wearing baggy pants, waving his hands in the air making gang signs, talking about the ghetto lifestyle, and making anti-police remarks. What they do not realize is that the only thing they are doing is making life harder for other blacks, the middle class seeking the American dream. This happens because other people see this and will make a judgement on black people only by what they have seen, not what they have experienced. The media will always be a problem for African Americans. It is not until the whole world changes that blacks can finally have a piece of the American dream. It would be much easier if the black man would change, but the media also gives the message that nobody likes change. People want to live their lives believing that all black people are evil, and that they are dangerous. People need a scapegoat, someone to point their finger at so they can say to themselves “look how good I am, and look how bad they are.” Some people have never even experienced the company of a black man, some people only know about African Americans what they have seen on the television and heard on the radio, which is usually not positive. “The historical and cultural legacies of Africans and Americans of African descent have been distorted by massive propaganda campaigns based on mythical stories and notions, commonly held to be true but without factual basis” . A good example of this is rap music. Rap music will forever be connected to the streets, drugs, and the ghetto. In the late eighties the popularity of rap began rise to the top