The end of American Dream

Responding to my opponent's case: 1. Immigrants find American life difficult I'm not sure how far back into history my opponent is trying to reach with this one. Is he talking about the Chinese and Irish experiences during the 1800's? Most immigrants who come to America do so because of the American Dream. As horrible as some of our historical treatment of immigrant groups was, the fact that so few of them left to return to their countries of origin proves two things: 1. Their lives, although they were discriminated against and mistreated, were likely better here than in their country of origin (because of the economic opportunities they gained) and 2. That they believed in the American Dream – that eventually American ideals, as expressed in the Constitution, would overtake the reality of their present situation. They believed things would change. In addition, this does not represent the experience of legal immigrants today. Remember the Fareed Zakaria evidence I cited before that many immigrants come to the great American educational institutions and decide to stay because of the American Dream. These immigrants enjoy a great deal of success in the United States since half of all Silicon Valley startups are owned or operated in part by an immigrant. The current experience of Americans who are of the Islamic faith is truly troubling to me. It, however, does not mean that the American Dream is dead or has come to an end. Now is a good time to mention that my opponent's project in his most recent round to prove that "many Americans have trouble realizing the American Dream" does not prove an affirmation of the topic he chose, which is that "the American Dream has come to an end." If hard times spelled an end to the American Dream, it should have ended with the Great Depression or the 9/11 attacks. Dreams are an aspiration, and they are forward-looking, not obsessed with the present tense. If they were obsessed with the present tense, Martin Luther King's famous "I have a dream" speech would have instead gone something like this: "I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.' I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." [1] "But none of these things have yet come to pass, so my dream is dead." (Note: I inserted only the last line) 2. Military expenditures/poverty The United States does spend a great deal of money on its military power, but it does so to help itself and others realize the American Dream. Many international relations scholars believe that America's military advantage prevents regional rivalries from flaring up, and our "command of the commons" keeps sea-lanes open and helps maintain global trade. In addition, our current wars are designed to deny safe havens to terrorists, such as Al Qaeda, who actually would like to see the American Dream come to an end. Obama has also tried to meet many of my opponent's objections to American politics, to the point where he is being branded a "socialist" by the conservative right. Obama implemented a number of unemployment related benefits in the stimulus package, as listed in this Employment Law Update article entitled "Stimulus Bill Contains Numerous Employment-Related Provisions." [2] One such benefit is the COBRA plan, which provides insurance for people who recently lost their jobs. Obama also passed a bill aimed at achieving universal health care. So the situation in America is improving for the nation's poor. And by my opponent's standard that "as long as poverty exists then the American Dream is dead," then you would be forced to conclude that the American Dream never really existed at all. An essential characteristic of the American Dream is that it is so persistent and difficult to extinguish. The American Dream is the embodiment of hope. And as The Architect said to Neo in the second Matrix movie, "Hope is the quintessential human delusion, simultaneously the source of your greatest strength and your greatest weakness." Hope is everything that makes us human, and it is the only thing that makes all of us more powerful than mere automatons carrying out their pre-determined programming. Hope is what allows us to aspire to, and thus achieve, a better life. Yes, sometimes we risk everything we have on hope (supposedly our greatest weakness), but doing so allows us to mold a more perfect Union (our greatest strength). I leave you with Martin Luther King's famous words, once again, because I think they perfectly refute my opponent's position and perfectly uphold my own: "Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends. And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream." Negated [1] http://www.americanrhetoric.com... [2] http://www.dcemploymentlawupdate.com...