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Improving Dialogue Meaning of Dialogue continued from bellaciao.org--from Discussion Page "Let's Talk America" further information Motivator |
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Conversation Cafe Discussions A New American (usa) Dream 1-1-2004 Another ''American'' (usa) Dream Dec 2, 2003 The American Dream was an idea that meant that any person could do well monetarily in the usa if she/he was willing to work hard for it. It is now far from a reality, indeed it is a dream. Many people work very hard every day and these people of the us, the workers, have found that their real wages (worth of money today versus worth of that money years ago) has dropped below the levels of 1970. In other words, $5.00 in 1970 would be worth maybe $4.00 today. The money you earn today won’t buy you as much as it would in 1970. Of course if you are a CEO in America today your salary compared to the employees salary/wages is 450-500 times higher. More to the heart of my message is the idea that in the usa today one has trouble finding any article of clothing that was not made in another country and this means that the shopper will go home, and if they are aware of the present state, (or current excuse) for the moving of American (usa) business overseas, they will realize that they have just contributed to the ongoing usage of sweat shop labor. This means, very possibly, that children 12 and 13 years of age will continue to be hired to work a mandatory 14-16 hour day for 6 or 7 days a week for a wage that alien labor in the usa would turn away from. The sweatshop will likely find some way of punishing any worker who mentions joining or starting a union in order to better her situation. Children have worked so hard that they wear themselves out and cannot work anymore. There are many other garish facts about this practice of sweatshop labor. And we are supporting it. When CEOs of NIKE reap tremendous profits from the sale of sweat shop produced running shoes have they lived the ''American'' dream? When the CEOs of Toys-R-Us rake in all their money from the sale of toys made in the sweatshops of China have they ''earned'' their salaries. What would you say about the ''under-the-surface'' spirituality of the usa as a great nation. That ''beneath-the-surface'' feeling of pride, what has happened to it? Many Americans (usa) have always felt a pride in their country for the ways we help other countries and also for our basis of freedom that we enjoy. Can this still be true? I don't think it's widespread. Can it happen again? Can we get (or elect) the leadership in this country to reign in big business and begin to bring back honest values to the usa. And can we really help other countries and reverse our current reputation among members of our own country and other countries’. Can the richest country in the world (richest in material wealth) once again have a proud people who are rich in giving, rich in spirit and wholesomeness for ourselves and the world? That is what the ''American''(usa) dream would mean to me. I believe in a world where all are fed, where all are respected, where all can find a life of dignity. By all, I mean everyone on the planet. -By John Hartmann, johnhartmann@iglou.com |
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