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Jaysen Noah Velazquez
Mr. Tsuyuki
English 101E
27 September 2024
Picking Up the Pieces of America: Solving the Systems that Divide Us
Envision a world free of systemic bias, where the equality of opportunity is genuine and
present without any caveats. This vision is one countless Americans dream of; yet it is far from
the truth. Currently, America is a country that is divided and continues to go against the very
fundamentals it was founded on. The founding of this country preached equality, freedom, and
the pursuit of happiness, but what has been seen time and time again is the opposite; however,
over time that dream seems progressively more achievable, though many of the most integral
systems to democracy prevent it from becoming true. The economic system stands out above the
rest because the inequalities it causes fuel racial injustice and perpetuate political polarization
that separates citizens from one another, keeping them divided and unable to close the gap.
Rendering one of the most effective tools for change ineffective due to this cycle of
fragmentation in society. However, it can be resolved by tackling this singular issue that restricts
the equality of opportunity. By addressing economic inequalities, mending political polarization
and voting for policies to reduce division, we can bridge the differences dividing America.
Economic inequalities are a primary factor in the fragmentation of society. Out of the
plethora of contributing factors to the wealth gap, the American tax system exacerbates these
discrepancies, highlighting the long-standing bias toward the upper classes. The burden of the
country's expenditures has been dumped upon the lower class, which has put significant strain on
them as opposed to the favored upper-class “elites”. Joseph Stiglitz's essay, “A Tax System
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Stacked Against the 99 Percent,” explores economic policies that favor the wealthy but disregard
the lower classes. This allows the rich to grow richer while the poor continue to be oppressed,
which prevents them from moving forward, and this is exemplified by the fact that “America . . .
has the highest income inequality and the least equality of opportunity” (143). The discrepancy
between the rich and the lower class continues to increase due to the ineffective tax rates, and
this unfair system furthers the divide by dissolving the trust in democracy, fueling resentment in
those victims of this biased practice. To lessen these discrepancies, a more progressive tax
system is necessary, with the government evenly distributing this burden of the country's
spending. This will allow for more opportunities for citizens to progress up the social hierarchy,
experience wealth, and lessen the political polarization resulting from the degradation of trust in
democracy.
The systems that organize society have many deep-rooted issues that further separate its
people. Economic inequality is a driving factor for perpetuating discriminatory practices, for
example in the justice system. Michelle Alexander’s essay, “The New Jim Crow,” delves into the
way governments use a multitude of tactics to achieve social control. She focuses on the War on
Drugs as the most recent ploy that has been implemented to carry on the legacy of Jim Crow
laws, furthering discrimination. This war on drugs has led to a plethora of repercussions, like
mass incarceration, that exemplify the use of it to discriminate against minorities. Despite the
fact “all [races handle] illegal drugs . . . at similar rates” (93), African Americans are
disproportionately incarcerated as opposed to white youths who are “more likely to engage in
drug crime” (93). This illustrates that predominantly African Americans have been targeted by
mass incarceration, and this supports the systemic racism that prevails in the systems of the U.S.
Many issues have resulted from mass incarceration that linger and further debilitate African
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American populations because “once . . . labeled a felon” they are discriminated against (85).
Being marked as a criminal allows people to legally discriminate against those “offenders,”
which can be done by lowering the opportunity of employment. This perpetuates the cycle of
poverty by preventing minority groups the opportunity to move forward. By addressing the
disparities presented by racial injustice, the incarceration rate can be reduced, yet more needs to
be done to provide equal opportunities to those incarcerated to allow them to move forward in
society.
The degradation of trust in democracy can be seen throughout the rural regions of
America. Political polarization has taken hold in these regions because of the financial bias
towards more-developed urban areas, leading to an increase in resentment towards the urban
people, further diminishing the effectiveness of voting. Robert Leonard’s essay, “Why Rural
America Voted for Trump,” provides insights into the reasoning behind rural America's political
choices. Leonard provides many reasons behind their choices and explains the marginalization
felt because “most investments in infrastructure” focus on urban areas (136). These rural
Americans are alienated economically and neglected by most politicians because most funding is
allocated to urban areas, so their trust in democracy has diminished. Resentment has increased
from being neglected, so they tend to support those in politics who go against the status quo of
ignoring their communities. This politically polarizes them, and to fix such an issue, economic
relief will not suffice; instead, new policies need to be passed that benefit rural communities and
allow for equal opportunities in these regions. In doing so, the resentment in these communities
would decline and enable them to become less polarized politically, unlocking the potential of
one of the most excellent tools for change. This tool for change would be voting, and it is the
most accessible way to pass such a bill or even reform our systems; former president Barack
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Obama exemplifies this claim in his “Howard University Commencement Speech.” Obama
delves into the necessity for progress in America that can only be achieved by participating in
democracy and “bring[ing] about structural change . . . voting” (159) is necessary because it is
the only way to reform the economic system that burdens society. Voting is the solution to
bridge the differences in America; by voting, citizens can agree on reforming the economic
system to allow for a higher degree of equality of opportunity, and in doing so, would allow for
those impoverished to leave restrictive communities that are victims of the justice system.
Through voting, a more progressive tax system can be achievable, which can improve the lives
of many, shorten the gap between the wealthy and the lower 99 percent, and reduce political
polarization in communities.
To bridge the differences that divide America, the economic system must be reformed
through voting to achieve a more equitable and less-separated society. Still, countless have
strived to achieve this throughout the years but have yet to achieve it. There is a high likelihood
that the political polarization is far too deep-rooted to be dismantled. If that is the case, this
solution is far out of reach, and the 20 percent who vote will continue to control who governs the
country. This would allow the perpetuation of the burden of economic inequality to tear a rift in
American society further. It is allowing the impoverished minorities to be persecuted by the
justice system, allowing those of the lower social classes to be further distanced in wealth while
the rich get richer and the poor struggle, and allowing for the unequal distribution of funds to
rural communities to enable the resentment to build up. The equality of opportunity will degrade
as the opportunity to advance dwindles. Making a change requires cohesion of all citizens, but
when America is as divided as it is, there is no way to unify them.
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Works Cited
Alexander Michele. “The New Jim Crow.” The Citrus Guide to Reading and Writing, WW
Norton & Co., 2018, pp. 84-04.
Leonard Robert. “Why Rural America Voted for Trump.” The Citrus Guide to Reading
and Writing, WW Norton & Co., 2018, pp. 133-39.
Obama Barack. “Howard University Commencement Speech.” The Citrus Guide to
Reading and Writing, WW Norton & Co., 2018, pp. 150-67.
Stiglitz E. Joseph. “A Tax System Stacked against the 99 Percent.” The Citrus Guide to Reading
and Writing, WW Norton & Co., 2018, pp. 140-49.