No Opportunity. No way!

     I believe the other day the conversation which was sparked by the chapter aroused some tensions in the room and many of us were not able to express the entirety of our arguments. Personally, I believe the argument proposed centered on opportunity, who has it and who doesn't. Opportunity, like employment in the U.S., is hard to find. Similar to the concentration of wealth, which is located in the top one percent, opportunity is hoarded just as well with little availability for those in the working class. This particular knowledge is becoming a common understanding among many Americans because we bear witness to the everyday workings of homelessness, poverty, and the daily struggles of our society. However, as a collective people we somehow hold on dogmatically to the ever- promising ideals of the "American Dream" in hopes of one day obtaining our piece of the pie. However, this illusion only serves one purpose, which is to keep the underclass disabled and
un-knowledgeable of the facts, allowing the top one percent to hold control of the greatest power: wealth and opportunity. Being ignorant to the facts continues to foster this rigid belief in anyone can obtain great things, if and only if, he or she works and believes hard enough. Yet we see this is not true, men and women in the U.S. have worked their lives trying to achieve more only to discover in their later years that they are going to die in the class of which they were born. Therefore, believing that one can pull themselves up by their bootstraps alone blinds us to the truth.  The truth being, until change is brought to our economic structure and political ideologies we will continue to be disabled, lacking opportunity, and chasing after a dream that no longer can manifest itself.