This article is not in anyway trying to say America is a horrible country. It is however, attempting to show if the myth about America being so great is actually true. We hear a lot of talk about it being the greatest power in the world, the freest place to live and the land of opportunity. But is that really as true as it sounds? Let's find out.
Let's take apart several statements that we hear from the "patriots" of the country.
1. America is a free country.
Really? This one should really be obviously false. America is by no means a free country, metaphorically nor literally. America ranks the highest in number of people incarcerated. We have more people in jail than CHINA, and they have a population that is three times bigger than us. How does that even make sense? We have about half a million more people in jail than China does. You know what gets incarcerated when you have that many people in jail? Taxpayer money. Yes, that money that you get in your paycheck that conservatives are always crying about.
America isn't free politically either. Despite what you might believe about having control over the "democratic process," the truth is you don't have much of any control at all. The primaries are controlled by the individual parties themselves, not the people. Why? Because they control which delegates vote for which candidate in that party's primary. All you're doing is voting for a delegate, but you have no idea who they're voting for later. The general election is also controlled by the political elite because the electoral college is what's actually essential to winning an election. The popular vote is just a way of getting a feel of which candidates the people actually like. Again, who determines who is voting in the electoral college? I'll give you a hint. It ain't you.The political parties at their state conventions pick the electors. Does the country sound free yet?
2. Minorities have it better here than anywhere else.
That's a nice attempt at a joke. Let's use some statistics to dispel this ignorant rhetoric. African Americans children are three times more likely to be impoverished than caucasian children, and they are more likely to attend high poverty educational facilities. Let me guess. You're response is to work harder, right? Contrary to popular belief, the majority of minorities work very hard. In 2012, it was reported that just as many white people were working as every other minority in the country. It just so happens that those minorities don't get the fancy jobs that white people do. That might explain the discrepancy in average income, yes? In 2012, 39 percent of all white people working had a management or professional job. This is topped only by Asians with 49 percent. There were more minorities doing the more unsatisfactory jobs than white people were during this time, and it still persists today. Oh, but there is no income inequality. Right. African Americans had the highest unemployment rate than any other minorities with a whopping 13.8 percent while whites only had 7.2 percent. That's almost a 100 percent difference. As a matter of fact, since 1972, whites have had among the lowest unemployment rates, competing only with Asians. And for the statement about "well minorities should work harder," believe it or not, white people don't do the most amount of work. And that's not even an insult. It's a statistical fact. Participation rate for jobs for white men was about 71 percent while Hispanic men were at 76 percent. Despite that, white people made over $300 more per week than Hispanic men for doing less work than them. Yeah, tell me about equality now.
3. America's strength has led to more peaceful times
Nonsense. America started two wars with Afghanistan and Iraq, and that has culminated into the religious extremist organization we now call ISIS or ISIL. I'll grant that America's involvement with some wars has led to less drastic conclusions, but to say we are the patron saints of peace is a bit of a stretch. If you must know, we rank 101st in peace out of 162 countries. We're not that good.
4. You can get an amazing education....
.... If you meet the right requirements and have access to a significant amount of money then yes this statement is true. College-wise, America is the bomb. People from all over come to America for university. Primary and secondary education is another story. Also, don't forget what I said about minorities and education status.
5. Justice for all
Can there be a bigger lie? Check this out. African Americans tend to get arrested for drug use and trafficking. However, they only account for 13 percent of drug users, but accounted for more than 33 percent of people incarcerated in 2010. How does that sound like justice? Get this, African Americans have higher rates of juvenile incarceration, but 37 percent of their cases go to a criminal court, and 58 percent of them go to an adult prison. How is that justice? That's unfair. African Americans are also more likely to be arrested for drug use, but they are no more likely to use drugs than white people. They also receive longer sentencing than whites by 10 percent. Know where this really affects people of color? Getting a job and voting rights. Since colored people are more likely to be convicted of a felony, they have higher rates of not getting a job and have a much harder time exercising their right to vote. 5.3 million Americans got denied the right to vote simply due to a felony conviction. This resulted in 13 percent of African Americans being denied the right to vote. Yet there is no discrepancy in the criminal justice system right?
I'm not trying to say that America is the worst place on Earth. But we are not the best either. We're far from it. That is mainly due to the unprecedented level of ignorance that persists in this country today. Stop living in disbelief, and look up the facts for yourselves! Just because it's not in a textbook doesn't mean it isn't true!
