When the Soviet Union collapsed, I recall a former KBG agent telling an American news reporter that the difference between the Soviet people and their American counterparts was that the Soviets knew they were being lied to, whereas the Americans believed the propaganda they were being fed. American propaganda influences people domestically and worldwide; that’s why so many come to this country each and every year. The land of opportunity is nothing more than a land of lies filled with liars who spin a yarn we call a dream. Remember, dreams are not reality.
When I taught high school in a suburb of Phoenix, Arizona I had a fair number of undocumented students.
Most were here because their parents left their country of origin for a better life in the United States. What many eventually discover is a life where work takes priority over family and monetary success becomes a dream that turns into a nightmare. We are a country obsessed with individualism.
Our obsession is driven by status and appearances.
It leads to the abandonment of community to stay afloat upon an ocean of false promises. Straddled by debt for pursuing higher education including transportation and housing needs while coupled with credit card debt, often leaves those chasing the American Dream trapped by a system they thought would bring happiness and security to their lives. Not to mention the environmental impacts of pursuing “the dream” life where resource consumption increases significantly on this path. Those of us who are privileged have time to contemplate these things while those looking from the outside of a privileged life become trapped in survival mode.
When we begin to peel back the layers of American propaganda we see the underbelly of a nation built upon genocide and slavery.
We see a nation that continues its violent pattern by invading countries, changing regimes in the name of democracy, and air-striking civilians into oblivion. We see troops stationed in every corner of the globe and a foreign policy that is all about maintaining American empire.
The lure of this country is not surprising.
Walk through any box store, drive down any commercialized street, stroll through any mall, watch any television program or advertisement and you’ll see a nation that survives by devouring anything and everything in its path; including the lives of immigrants and its own citizens. It all feels so good at first.
The United States is very good at highlighting the aesthetically pleasing and hiding the unpleasant.
When immigrants, migrants or refugees come here they have been attracted by seeing or hearing about the aesthetically pleasing aspects but are quickly introduced to the unpleasantries of American life. The disdain for new arrivals, the slave labor forced upon them, the inability to pursue opportunities and the fear of being deported, all come with their arrival. If they chose to pursue legal entry the odds of a person with brown skin gaining entry are slim to none despite the propaganda machine’s claims.
Those seeking a life free from direct violence are often subjected to a life of peripheral violence and false hope.
The few that find success are put on a pedestal to be celebrated by the countless faces who will never navigate such a lottery system. I don’t blame folks for pursuing a life here. Oftentimes it’s considerably better than the life they’re leaving behind. Unfortunately, it’s often not the life they perceived or dreamed about. It comes with a steep price; their soul.
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