AWOL - Assignment #3 - Final Draft

American Way of Life – Final Draft Assignment 3
Melanie Dionisio
October 12, 2008

Is the American way of life fragile or sturdy? For most Americans, and their way of life, find their way of living non-negotiable. One can agree that their American way of life is to strive to be successful and to make money; a positive way of living by benefiting one’s self. However, it is often that people view the American way of life negatively as well. Usually one complains about the government, like Anthony, a middle-class teen, explained that the American way of life is to “stabilize America’s economy and the social issues concerning the war in Iraq.” American citizens go out of their way to not only survive in society, but to also clean up the government’s “dirty work”. In any given situation, “Americans try to help themselves, but by doing so, they are hurting other people in the process.”

Other than the government, a middle-class Asian mentioned how the way of living in the city alone is different, in comparison to those who live in the suburbs. “The American way of life in the city is career oriented, while in the suburbs, the way of living is more family oriented.” Geographically speaking, a person’s way of living is different in a certain household. And their way of living is the way he/her survives in American society. He says that “in the past, the American way of living was for families to immigrate to the states and to live freely.” Now, “Most people are working hard for money, usually taking the money they make for granted.”

One of the good aspects about the American way of life is the “opportunities one has when trying to pursue a career, or dream.” In comparison to those who live in third world countries, the American way of living would consider to be a ‘great’ way living, in terms of having a job and providing for him/her self. The Asian male added that he “feels lucky, in a way, to be able to walk outside freely.” With that being said, he added that “people sometimes abuse the American way of life by taking advantage of the materialistic things”. People do not realize how gifted they are in America, while others are actually struggling in other parts of the world, which would consider to be a bad aspect of the American way of life.

Another bad aspect about the American way of life is the way Americans are “fueled by the media”. The same Asian male argued that the American way of life “is relied on the media, and how it is sudden that hip-hop became a new ‘culture’ opposed to being Asian, Hispanic, or other ethnicities.” In each culture are certain morals, while in the new culture of hip-hop persuades one to ‘brand’ his/her self with expensive clothing. The ‘moral’ of the hip-hop culture is to think about how you carry yourself, to impress others of what you have, while other cultures are morally involved with family and religion.

A person familiar with the hip-hop culture is a Hispanic teen who explains that the American way of life involves three things, “Money, power and respect.” In his opinion, he finds that having respect by gaining a ‘title’ in society, or among friends, will help one survive for being known for what they do. Money and power are similar in ways that the more power one has, the more money he/she receives for having that kind of power. The Hispanic teen adds that it is some what of a privilege to have the power, the ability, to do something he/she is good at and get paid for it, and it is likely that after one gets paid, it is priority to provide for others whether it is for family or friends, before one’s self. In most cases, in society, money does buy happiness, only when it involves food, shelter and education—a good aspect about the American way of life.

However, the Hispanic teen leaned more toward the bad aspects of the American way of life by explaining how it is more of a racial issue to survive in America. He said that the ‘white man’ in society usually is viewed to have more power than the ‘black man’ who strives to be as successful as the ‘white man’. It is difficult in most situations when a black-male, or female, is underestimated for what he/she does, because of the color of their skin. Though laws have been passed against discrimination, unfair judgment still exists today, even outside of working class citizens.

Aside from defining the American way of life, I asked the same people whether or not they lived the American way of life. Among the three people who answered the previous question, two of which agreed that they do while the Asian male said he would like to distant himself from living the American way of life. He felt that although he has many privileges in America, the way of living does not seem to be as ‘great’ as most people may view it. He thought that it does not seem to be a great way of living when people in America are taking the things that are easily given to them, for granted.

Meanwhile, both Anthony and the Hispanic teen feel that they do live the American way of life for the simple fact that they are young adults living in the country. Who is to deny the American way of life, while living in America? America has opened a wide range of jobs for people to work and places for people to live. There are many organizations, public and private, that provide for those who need help, which supports one’s needs.
Though America does have a bad image when it comes to the media and America’s concerns with Iraq, the people living in the country are living the American way of life which has benefited them by providing him/her with plenty of opportunities—as cliché as that might sound.