Money is America

Money is America. America is driven on the principles of wealth, economic prosperity, and the “American Dream”. With that being said, those who possess those core principles are favored by the country. The rich get substantial tax breaks. The rich are favored by the law. The rich are loosely regulated by the government. Because America was founded in the platform of democratic capitalism, it is evidently concluded that money is America. Through literature, first hand documents, as well as second hand sources, the argument that America runs on wealth becomes very prevalent.

    For my junior theme, I evaluated the reasons why teenagers were vaping at such a young age. Factors like peer pressure and celebrity influence played a key role, but they weren’t the main reason young juveniles were becoming nicotine addicts. Electronic cigarette companies were directly advertising their products to the youth. Juul, the largest e-cig company, posted “thousands of ads” to a “youth-oriented” audience (Vox). Not just hundreds, but thousands of advertisements were sent directly to “youth”. Why was this done? Juul could profit.

By attracting hundreds of thousands of teenagers to their product, Juul would receive an incredible spike in profit. Unfortunately, that would be at the expense of teenagers harming their lungs. However, money was the most important outcome for the San Francisco based company. Congress blatantly dismissed the charges that Juul was advertising to kids. By doing that, they essentially permitted Juul’s nicotine campaign towards minors. They did this because Juul was an American company. Juul was living the American Dream, starting from nothing and building an empire. Juul was gaining its economic prosperity. Through Juul it is evident that money is America. In this case, the government allowed a company to harm minors in order to economically prosper.

    America valuing its wealth is not only embedded in the real world. It is embedded in fictional American literature. In “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, there are numerous examples of the upper class being prioritized in society. Tom and Daisy are a prominent couple in the novel. Tom was born into enormous wealth, and his wife, Daisy, married into it. The couple lavishly flaunts their luxuries, and constantly puts down lower classes. At one point in the book, the couple is described as “careless” individuals who “retreat” back to their wealth and let others “clean up” their messes (179). Tom and Daisy are “careless”, meaning they act in the moment and don’t think about the outcomes of their actions. They can “retreat” - hide behind their money, because they know that others can “clean up” the mess. Meaning, people below Tom and Daisy’s social class will be left with the consequences of the couple’s. Why can Tom and Daisy do this? It is because they’re rich. America enables the wealthy to be shielded behind their success in order to get out of trouble. The rich can buy their way out of consequences, and leave the bad fate to the poor. In the novel it is also quoted that “the rich get richer” and that the poor just get “children” (95). Basically, that quote is stating that in American society, people with money gain money. The economy is set up in their favor through opportunity, low taxes, and loose regulation. “The rich get richer”. On the contrary, people without money gain “children”. I interpreted that as the poor get things that suck their money away. Heavy taxes, out of pocket health care, etc. The poor get poorer. This concept elaborates on how America revolves around money. If one has money, they are able to succeed in American society. If one does not have money, they can’t climb another social class and prosper very easily. Money is America, and without it, the odds are stacked against the poor.

    In Tobias Wolff’s “The Rich Brother”, the mentality of the rich is examined. The book begins by introducing the main characters, Pete and Donald. Pete is a self made rich man, through selling real estate he is able to support a lavish lifestyle for his family. His brother, Donald, bounces from job to job, and constantly needs economic support from his brother Pete. One day Pete and Donald are driving, when they see a stranded man on the road. Pete insists they pick him up. The man is in Donald’s position too, possessing a low income as well. In the end, Donald gives that man some money. Pete is furious. He tells Donald, “you don’t have the money”, and exclaims how the money given was his own. Pete was extremely frustrated when his money was donated. He makes it clear that it was his money, as his brother couldn’t afford a donation. His brother says that Pete “treated [the poor man] like a bug.” Most people don’t treat bugs as things with feelings, so Donald exclaims that Pete didn’t treat the man like he had feelings. Pete didn’t want to donate money to the poor man, even though Pete had a lot. Donald wanted to donate money to the poor man, even though he had none. This is an example of how money is America. Those with money keep it to themselves. Although a majority of the upper class donates to the poor, they still possess an incredibly large net worth. The upper class thrives in American society because they have money. It is theirs. Their wealth gives them substantial comfort and security.

    Through countless sources and examples, it is obvious that those with money prosper in the land of wealth. And those who just make ends meet live a less comfortable lifestyle. Could this have been avoided in American society? Could money not be America? Absolutely not. America was founded on capitalism. It was founded on the principles that one could obtain as much wealth as they worked for. Through capitalism, the rich became richer, and the poor, poorer. To this day, capitalism has led us to the biggest class divide American society has ever seen. The rich have more money than they know what to do with it. The poor need countless social programs to keep them fed and sheltered. Whenever the rich are attacked for their money, they flee quickly and are reluctant to give it up. America needs to find an effective solution to helping the lower class. At this rate, the poor are only getting poorer. If nothing is done, even more Americans will find themselves homeless, starving, and without proper healthcare.