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Example research essay topic: Propaganda Vs Real Life In America - 2,720 words

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Propaganda vs. Real Life in America By Winston Wu () As we all know, the media propaganda in America is that our country is a land of freedom and opportunity where anyone can be what they want to be, live their dreams, be the best they can be, become rich and successful, and live the American dream of owning a home. This idea is incessantly conveyed by our culture, media, education system, and political establishment. It is a necessary illusion to keep everyone functioning in their place. And we are constantly fed success stories of individuals who thrive here. However, despite the ideals of this image, here's the big picture about how things work in America and how people live.

The reality is that in America, only a few people truly live the American dream. Those at the top who control the flow of economic resources and production capital (in socialist philosophy terms, they are referred to as the haute bourgeoisie class) are also the ones who get most of the resource flow even though they don't need it. And it's not just with the CEO's. The top sports players and top Hollywood stars in this country who get 20 million dollars per film or per season are easily getting extraordinary amounts of money that they don't even need. That's how things have always worked, especially in a capitalist country.

Karl Marx's prediction that capitalism would fail might have came true if a middle class hadn't been created in this country to act as a buffer zone between the high and low classes, giving the low class an incentive to move up to something higher so that they won't overthrow those in power. (Some intellectual historians have even argued that colleges and universities were created to create a middle class. e. g. Zinn, Chomsky) In reality, the majority of people in this country live in slavery to their jobs just so they can keep up with never-ending bills and make ends meet. They never live the American dream. And the myth of individual freedom for all in America is just that, a myth, perpetuated to appease and motivate the masses of people, making each person feel important.

Most people in America work at least 8 hours a day at a full time job, and what little time is left at the end of the day is spent at home with their families, making dinner, getting children ready for bed, and then going to bed to start the next day the same way again. There isn't really enough time for people to develop themselves intellectually or spiritually. And thats why mainstream Americans do not seem as evolved or enlightened as mainstream Europeans for example, to put it bluntly (no offense to anyone intended). Europeans in general obviously have a lot more soul and intellect than average Americans, particularly among the young population. In fact, here is what the typical life of the typical married stable man in America is like, as I would describe it: The ideal life of the typical married stable American man: He has a wife, some kids, a mortgaged house, two cars or SUVs, many bills to pay, and a stable job to support all of it. Each morning, he and his wife get up, get the kids ready for school, make coffee, and then they both go to work (or at least he does).

After a 8 - 9 hour workday, he comes home and tries to relax in front of the TV, but often has very little time to do so, because he might have to help make dinner, talk to his wife and kids (which usually consists of cliches pep talk around the dinner table), help do household chores, help the kids with their homework, get the kids ready for bed, and then go to bed himself, often still exhausted. The next day, the same routine simply starts all over again. On weekends, he gets a little more freedom, but not by much. Instead, he has to spend a large part of the weekend catching up on household chores, cleaning the house, or doing yard work.

If he can manage to do a family outing, it is often too stressful to enjoy. Not only does he have to constantly watch and discipline the kids from getting out of hand, but he has to think about his budget for the family outing, driving and planning where to go, humoring the kids, lecturing them and giving them cliches pep talk, making sure his wife is pleased with the outing too, and making sure they get back home in time before the kids bedtime. Thats why these family outings are usually exhausting and more stressful than fun. Sometimes, he and his wife also go out to social events sponsored by schools, companies, churches or the community. But even then, these events tend to be rigid, routine, dull and cliches. In addition, around the people at these events, he puts on a contrived pleasant face to be polite, regardless of whether he likes them or not, and others at the events do the same to him as well.

People at these events dont deeply enjoy them. Instead, they simply pretend to. Deep down, they know it is just a light distraction from the routine monotony of their daily lives. In the background of all this are the constant pressures and demands of the bills he has to keep up with as well as the savings he has to allocate. He has to deal with the big house mortgage payments, utility bills, taxes, car insurance payments, medical insurance bills (unless his company pays all or most of it), food and gas expenditures, credit card bills, entertainment / luxury item expenditures, the needs and wants of his kids and wife, etc. In addition to all this, he has to also try to save up some money for his retirement or his kids college fund.

Each day that goes by, each week, each month, each year, etc. is pretty much like the above. Thats life for him. Eventually, he may start asking himself Is this what life is all about?

Is this all there is? Then he may start feeling like a robot leading a mechanized life with no freedom. Not only is he a slave to his company, but he is a slave to his wife, kids, house, cars and bills as well. Sadly he learns that there is no true freedom in all this.

Not only is this life routine and stressful, but mind-numbing as well. Eventually, he may start to long for the life he had before when he was single and could do whatever he wanted without his current stresses that enslave him. He may long for the time when he was young and single and could choose from many paths in life without anyone tying him down, as well as his freedom to pursue sexual or love conquests with new and exciting women. He may still love his wife and have affection for her, but the romance and passion may be long gone, and they stay together simply for financial commitments and for the sake of the kids. In fact, he may even start to envy the life of the traveling backpackers to overseas countries who, although are poor and on a budget, nevertheless live a life of adventure and mind-expanding freedom. To cope with this mind numbing routine and stress, he may find ways to distract himself.

He may seek acceptable forms of escape such as becoming a sports fan and watching football, baseball, or basketball. These spectator sports provide a temporary distraction from his inner emptiness. Or he may develop other hobbies such as reading, or becoming a handyman on cars and houses (like Tim Allen does on the sitcom Home Improvement). And of course, he must constantly convince himself that his life has meaning because he is doing what God and his country told him he is supposed to do by raising a family, and that it is all for the good of his kids and wife who are depending on him.

No matter how dull, stressful, or mind numbing his life is, thats what he has got to tell himself every day in order to tolerate and endure his conditions. The above is a sad grim picture but this is the case with many American males, and this is all under reported by our media of course. Some may find this routine lifestyle comfortable, but others loathe it because they realize that their minds and souls will never be expanded by it, but instead contracted into robotic conformity without freedom. Nevertheless, Americans generally live mind-numbing lives in mind-numbing environments (especially in suburban America) that do not cultivate intellectual or spiritual growth. Contrary to the US propaganda about itself, in reality the American lifestyle for the most part is MIND-NUMBING and ISOLATING.

All most people pretty much do is go to work and watch TV at home. They have few real interests. So much for the American lifestyle. There arent many experiences or interactions to expand your mind and soul like there are in other countries. As a result, for people like me who seek to expand their mind and soul, the American lifestyle constantly SUFFOCATES us.

Its conformist culture CONTRACTS ones mind and soul rather than EXPANDS it (hence those who feel suffocated by this contraction do not feel free to be themselves in America). The reason is because America is a generally stable and conformist-oriented country. Its economic system is dependent on people who rigidly conform to it. It is the kind of country where those who cant conform and / or are misfits are deprived of almost everything, while those who conform well are rewarded.

And differences are treated and seen as taboo (despite our propaganda) rather than as attractive or interesting. In order to keep them motivated with these conditions, people in the US escape into TV at the end of their days. They are encouraged to go to church (as black slave owners in the 19 th century also encouraged their slaves to go to church, using religion to give them something to live for and feel content in their position so they wouldn't rebel), read self-help/New Age books, go out and buy material things (sometimes on credit) that give them a temporary fleeting sense of satisfaction, indulge in junk food, and are given daily network media entertainment in the form of television shows that are complete trash in quality and substance. These are all ways that our society distracts and stimulates the majority of people so they can maintain their meager existence in a mind-numbing consumerist society, and serve the interests of those at the top. Many people in the country feel empty, and seek distractions in shallow stimulation because they don't know what else to do.

Some don't even realize that they feel empty, because they just get keep busy distracting themselves with something. And plus, you aren't supposed to feel empty if you have a job, house, and family, which represent the ideal life. Nevertheless, many in the US live a thin line from becoming depressed or mentally ill. Now, I dont blame the American people themselves for this. It isnt their fault, but rather the system they live under. Like everyone else, they are just trying to make the best out of their circumstances according to the system set in place.

As a consequence, people who thrive on the intellect or soul often struggle and feel alienated in mainstream America, because the lifestyle, environment and conditions dont cultivate such things. Instead, they cultivate a staunch conformist and materialistic consumerist mentality. Just look at the general architecture in America such as suburban homes, strip malls, corporate buildings, franchise stores, etc. and you will see that it all symbolizes and represents a conformist creed and mentality.

America in comparison to other countries seriously lacks both culture and soul. Its all about materialism and conformity. Most peoples primary interest is money and business, and their youths are wasted slaving away for the production capital owners just so they can retire in their 50 s or 60 s. And the school system in America is designed to prepare children to become dollar commodities, rather than helping them grow as human beings at all. And thats because in America, people are judged by their productivity to the economic system.

These things are well known to many foreigners. For example, a Russian girl from Moscow had this to say about the USA: Elvira: To be honest i don't like usa at all, i can move there but only if it is strongly needed (if i fall for an american). Many of my friends was there (with families or for student exchange Work&travel usa) and say something similar to: "they have no culture, but the money... money and nothing more is interesting for them", Doesnt sound inspiring... In addition, an Ukrainian American lady on my email list had this to say as well: There are many things that can be said about main stream American culture (or non-culture, I should say), but the bottom line is that it is a paper plate consumer focused culture... All things are judged in value according to their "use" or productivity, and then thrown aside when they are used up or no longer producing...

Usually, the corporations decide what is to be valued, and the people, with blind faith and obedience, look to the corporate conglomerates' commercials and their commercial sponsored media for the answers to everything... There are no parents in America; there are only property owners. There are no children, spouses, partners, friends, or lovers; there is only property. Americans don't really have freedom or independence; they have dependence and bondage to their cars and other properties. Also, back when I was in college, a fellow student from Greece that I was friends with used to tell me: Americans have no inner life. All they do is consume, consume.

He had a good point. Our consumerist-oriented society constantly focuses on material desires and perpetuates our pursuit of them, our general focus becomes on the outward rather than the inward. As a result, we lose touch with our inner selves, have no true self-confidence / self -esteem, and therefore have fragile egos that get insulted or offended easily. Thats why Americans seem to feign outward happiness, rather than have true inward happiness, due to our society's focus on outer material desires. Ive heard it said that there seems to be an inverse relationship between inner happiness and material assets. In fact, according to studies, the country rated with the happiest people in the world is Nigeria, which is a poor country by materialistic standards.

Perceptions like the above are a lot more common than you might think. Ive heard many such views from Europeans. And Id estimate that about 80 to 90 percent of Europeans feel that way about our lifestyle. Now, America may be a country founded on great ideals and principles about democracy and freedom. However, the way people actually live in America is quite different. Most people spend most of their time in cars, houses, and corporate buildings.

They have no time or interest in cultivating their soul or intellect. And the few who do cultivate their souls or intellect are seen as weird and nonconformist by the majority. In America, CONFORMITY is the bottom line. It is at the true root of its culture. Not freedom or individualism, but conformity. The materialistic system in America from every angle pretty much PRESSURES and DEMANDS us all into CONFORMITY.

Whether its conformity to your school, workplace, team, peers, friends, etc. the fundamental underlying principle in American life, business and politics is conform, conform, conform! Otherwise, you feel in danger of feeling unaccepted and inadequate, as if youre not a complete person, which is what most people fear. If you look at the big picture of how things are in America and the lifestyle of mainstream people, you will see how the principle of CONFORMITY is at the root core of almost everything we do. And you will see that individual freedom and self-expression is just hyped garbage that has nothing to do...


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