Must Be Dreaming

As written in James Truslow Adams' 1931 book, The Epic of America, reprinted in the Library of Congress, the "American Dream" is "a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain the to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable... with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement (Adams). Looking exclusively at the bolded words, "social order, shall be able to attain the fullest stature according to ability or achievement." More simple put, if one has ability or achievements, they should have no problems in achieving the social order in which they so desire. Is it that simple though?


I'm writing this post on a MacBook Pro Laptop. Any endeavors I've ever wanted to pursue have been accommodated by my parents. My parents. The emphasis on parents is crucial in these circumstances. A New York Times article reported that "children generally follow their parents' educational trajectory, that premium increases the importance of family background and stymies people with less schooling." The conclusion that can be drawn from this article is that since children follow their parents' educational trajectory, a child's parents depict a large portion of which social class they fall under as adults.

My parents provided me with the opportunity of attending New Trier High School, one of the most renowned schools in the entire country. This opportunity they provided me with has given me a world class education, which greatly increases my odds of staying in the upper class as an adult. As I am writing this, our family's landscapers are working outside. One worker jumped out at me in particular. A boy. Appearing well younger than I am, he is mowing my lawn. Something I have never done in my life and frankly, don't know how to do. Tonight is a school night, as I am working on my school work, he is doing manual labor, working presumably for his father. His father, another landscaper, probably didn't receive a high-class education, which created this cycle for his son to most likely follow.

Without a question of a doubt, this boy has ability and the work-ethic apparently required to achieve the social order in which James Truslow Adams so clearly laid out. However, it's just not that simple. America is largely on a vicious cycle where upper class families remain in the upper class and lower class families keep steadfast in the lower. The American Dream has revealed itself to be a myth: something that looks good on paper, but isn't legitimate.

The opportunities presented to me in my life have basically made certain my continuity on the upper class path. The most brutal part about the American "caste" is even if the working boy has more talent, desire and ability than I do, it's incredibly unlikely that he will surpass me in social order. This ever apparent cycle is a brutal realization made clear to me by the work of this one boy.

What do you think about social order in America? Do you feel it is predetermined based on the opportunities presented to you in your life? Share your thoughts!

The (Ridiculous) Last Meal

In continuation of my last post about the treatment of inmates on death row being too soft to be a deterrent, I feel that the "Last Meal" is a reasonable idea in concept, but with individual states and our country as a whole in so much debt, ridiculous. 

Given, the cost of a meal may not seem to be really anything at all in the scope on the incarceration of an individual preparing for death, but some meals requested are absurd and again, not a deterrent for prospective murderers. If criminals understood their fate before committing crimes, like consuming life-sustainable food, but nothing enjoyable, crime rates would decrease. The last meal of their lives, which, in my opinion, shouldn't exist, consists of prison-approved foods, though the list must be very extensive. Although restrictions are placed in some states in regards to cost limitation and allowance of said meal, there have been historically outrageous fulfilled requests that do not serve as a deterrent in the slightest degree. 

Ronnie Lee Gardner was convicted of burglary, robbery and two counts of murder. The murdered people obviously aren't capable of getting any requests fulfilled now that they are dead. In my book, Gardner should not have any requests fulfilled as well. However, he was allowed a meal of lobster tail, steak, apple pie and vanilla ice cream. All while watching the Lord of the Rings Trilogy!

One of the most outrageous requests that was fulfilled has to be the request of John Wayne Gacy. Gacy, dubbed the "Killer Clown", sexually assaulted and murderer at least 33 young men and teenage boys in the Chicagoland area in the 1970's. This psychopathic and ruthless murderer, who shoved raped, dead bodies in his crawlspace in his basement, was allowed a literal feast. A feast to the tune of 12 fried shrimp, a bucket of KFC original recipe, french fries and pound of strawberries. 

These last meals and many more, found on this webpage, show the freedom of choice that I don't believe prisoners on death row should have. For the pain and suffering they have inflicted on the victims, their families, loved ones and friends, such privileges should not be permitted. Not only for the sake of equality, but also for the sake of deterrence. 

What do you think about last meals? Should prisoners have this freedom of choice? Leave a comment with an opinion!

Capital Punishment: Level of Deterrence

An Arizona jury is currently deliberating on giving convicted first-degree murderer Jodi Arias the death penalty or life in prison. Arias was convicted of killing her then-boyfriend in a gruesome matter. Stabbing him more than twenty times and shooting him in the face. She pled self-defense in the matter, but the jury didn't agree  For more on her prosecution and implications, check out this article.

Looking further into the issue though of life in prison versus the death penalty though has me thinking. I truly don't think that the death penalty or life in prison is a deterrent for criminals. If one is to be sentenced to the death penalty, the execution doesn't occur quickly to say the least. Prisoners on death row are held for longer and longer periods of time, as shown by the picture below. 

Although it is hard to see, the average time spent on death row was about 15 years in 2010. This figure is up from about 6 years in 1984. The time these prisoners spend on death row is something "laughable" according to New York Poster writer Andrea Peyser. In her article, she noted that a professor went to the Connecticut Death Row and was "appaled" by the treatment the inmates receive. A man convicted of raping and burning a family to death, now on death row, has the leisure to take afternoon naps at his leisure, watch color television and eat junk food like Hershey's chocolate bars. 

I may seem somewhat brutal when I say this, but I want to see convicted murders suffer. I want to grow up in a world where I need not worry about violent crime. If prisoners started to be treated like prisoners and not like privileged children, I know that crime rates would decrease. I am certain that criminals would avoid committing crimes, conscious of the punishments that lay ahead. For now though, life in prison and even on death row may be a better alternative to the lives some criminals live. Until a change is made, I don't think the United States will see a significant drop in violent crime. 

What are your opinions? Do you think treatment to inmates on death row and prison is too soft? Share with a comment below!

So Easy, A Woman Can Do It!

During a commercial break of Sportscenter, an ESPN show, one commercial in particular really stood out to me. The lengthy version of it is below, though the only part shown was really the beginning.

That's right. A woman was using the lawnmower. Although this may come across as a little ridiculous, I inferred some deeper marketing meanings. I have never seen a commercial featuring a woman using a lawnmower; men were always the feature. Mowing the lawn is normally a job done by a man, which is why the commercial means a whole lot.

I am often intimidated by the commercials advertising lawnmowers. They seem somewhat confusing to operate, especially with the ease the men featured mow lawns with. In this commercial though, a woman was mowing the lawn with ease.

This casting choice by Cub Cadet definitely taps into men across the country. I believe Cub Cadet made a conscious decision to slip in the message: "Shouldn't everything a woman be able to do, a man do too? If you think so, then this lawnmower, which is easy to use because even a woman can do it, is perfect for you." Now although it may not be as explicit and harsh as what I stated, I know this was a subliminal message.

In American society, men are so often the breadwinners and the macho type. Showing off something a man normally does with a woman doing it should subconsciously prod at men, which is exactly what I thought Cub Cadet was trying to do within this seemingly innocent commercial.