Hello ladies.and gentlemen. Today I would like to welcome you to America, home of the free and land of the brave. A place where a dollar and a dream can turn you into a millionaire!
But what if I told you that dream wasn't obtainable to all of us.
See in a capitalistic society where they preach equality and freedom it is actually the exact opposite. Where equality is judged by your skin color and then by your bank account. And freedom is only an illusion to distract and confuse the poor. Although we live in the same country we all have very different views. To some, America is the land of opportunity; to others it's a place of constant hurdles.
Rap superstar Drake once said " we stay in the same building but we got different views."
So today I want to do a little experiment.
Imagine America as a hotel, not just any hotel but the Waldorf Astoria. She's grand and luxurious but with any structure there are always flaws within the design. Now the objective is to imagine that America is a hotel and we all live in it. Your social status is defined by where you live inside of said hotel. There's the penthouse, then the suites, then the double rooms, and so on. And every room has a different view; some overlook the city, some see the shops, some face an alley, while others are simply forced to gaze at a brick wall.
So from the start some of us are already at a disadvantage!
The penthouse is exquisite, it has all the bells and whistles. It also has a marvelous view of the city's skyline. The person who stays here is very successful. They're wealthy, smart and because of this he or she has a lot of influence on the day to day operation of this establishment. Their view of the world is solely focused on making money. They rarely focus on the everyday plight of the working man.
Then there's the people in the suites. These rooms are very fancy as well. They overlook the shops while also giving the tenant a beautiful view of the vibrant people walking the busy streets.They too are rich and have a lot of input on how things are run within this establishment. Their views are mainly focused on their own personal agendas and social standards.
Now when it comes to the double rooms these are often very basic accommodations. They're usually facing an alley staring directly into a brick wall. If you're lucky you may get one with a nice street view or a balcony. The people who reside here are not rich or wealthy. They are your everyday working Americans. Most have saved just enough to enjoy a couple nights stay. Despite making up most of the hotel's occupancy they have the least amount of cachet. Making them dispensable and easily removable from the hotel altogether. No different than modern day gentrification. Their views are drastically different from the other two groups. They are just trying to survive and make ends meet. How is this possible?
How could a place created for everyone treat everyone so differently?
Someone please tell me how there's poor people in a place with 724 billionaires and 22,000,000 millionaires? There has to be a way to close this economic divide. I know someone is going to say if you work hard then you can change your circumstances and that is true. But how does one become free in a nation built off lies and false narratives? Because honestly, keeping up the hotel's pristine image is more important than protecting the people in it. Ultimately forcing them to survive in a world with minimal information and no infrastructure to support them.
See, all humans are creatures of proximity. They adopt or adapt to the things that are conducive in their environment. From the beginning of this experiment the living arrangements were not the same. And the environment they saw around them was vastly different. Even though they are in the same luxurious hotel each individual's view is drastically different. Access to the floors with more resources and accommodations are off limits to those who are perceived to be less than. Giving the wealthier people all the power and influence.
Which begs me to ask the question: how does one reach the mark when the bar is being constantly raised? This hotel is an exact replica of our governmental system right now. And this system has been running flawlessly for over two-hundred years. Remember earlier I said all structures have flaws within the design.
Well most are put there purposefully!
This country has always employed a system that makes the rich richer and the poor well you know! So how do we change this when the people on the bottom floors feel neglected. And the guests in the penthouse don't think there's a problem at all. Until this building is torn down and rebuilt equally for all we will continue to face this conundrum.
Since we all stare out of a million different windows no one viewpoint is ever going to be the same. We will continue to go back and forth endlessly about who's right or wrong. Now's the time for conversations to be had and legislation to be changed.
We all believe that what we see is real.
So while a small portion of people are seeing through rose colored lenses the rest of us are left staring at a harsh reality. Truthfully a nation is only as strong as its people. So until we truly become united we are destined to fail.
The great Malcom X once stated " There is no such thing as a second class citizen either you're a citizen are you're not!"
So once again as Drake said, "we in the same building but we have different views." Now it's up to us to shake up this building or build a new one.
You decide!