American Society

A destructive way of life that is based in excess. American people are programmed to have an undying lust for material goods and services. An American person will spend more money in one day than a poor South African person will spend in an entire year. Mediated images everywhere instill a general sense of insecurity in all people. This insecurity causes people to buy consumer goods to compensate for their perceived personal imperfections. Our very self-esteem is wrapped around meaningless material things. A black guy can never have too many pairs of air jordans. A white girl can never be skinny enough. A white guy can never drink enough beer. A black girl can never be light-skinned enough. Images in the American media are not an accurate reflection of the lives of average citizens. Most people portrayed on TV and in advertisements are young, beautiful and in excellent physical shape with tons of money. These people have it all. In reality, most Americans are unhappy, lonely overweight people with hefty credit card debt and economic woes. In fact, about 25% of all American people are obese. Most American people have little to no close friends either. According to a 2006 study, 20% of American people have no confidants. Many American people are unfriendly by nature. Kindness and friendliness are perceived to be major personality flaws. There is no real sense of community in America because of our country's over-emphasis on independence and self-reliance. Americans are heavily reliant upon automobiles. In many areas around the country, you can't go anywhere without driving. This is very unrealistic because the price of fuel has increased drastically in recent years. However, American people refuse to change their excessive lifestyles. Instead, American people resort to piling up credit card debt or selling drugs to afford this increasingly expensive lifestyle. American society is deeply rooted in Capitalism. Money has become so important to us, that even interpersonal relationships are based in a brand of cost-benefit. Sex has become a material commodity that can be bought and sold like an illegal drug. A beautiful woman is a status symbol with a huge price tag like an exotic car. American society is undeniably racist at its core. America is a country that was built on the blood, sweat and tears of oppressed minorities. Compared to many Latin American countries, America is very far behind in terms of race relations. Upper class whites are the ruling class in society that hold the vast majority of the nation's wealth. The impoverished underclass of society is comprised mostly of black people. Segregation is very intense in the states. Many neighborhoods are either all white or all black or all hispanic. People make huge efforts to segregate themselves socially as well. Many white people have no black friends and many black people have no white friends. If you are black, you may get lynched if you go to a rural area. If you are white, you may get shot if you go to an inner city area. People judge each other by their physical features rather than by the content of their character.