An Inconvenient Truth: We Are Not All Free

Even in America, we are not all free. In a capitalist society, money is the reason behind not only economic decisions, but also social and political problems that decide the future of many Americans. Throughout my childhood, I was always taught that America is the land of the free, and that all men are created equal. Recently, especially since sixth grade, I’ve been learning that this is nowhere near the truth, and so I began investigating the sad but undeniable fact that we are not all free.

From the lens of a lower-middle class family, getting their eighteen-year-old son through four years of college seems impossible. Even with need-based scholarships, the additional tuition money on top of housing and schoolbooks is just too much. In our country, it seems that only the rich have the unconditional opportunity for good education.

This is the most severe of our freedom issues in America; we do not have equal opportunity to education. Not only are we not free, but by basing our educational system on income, we are fostering a new generation where the same issues will occur. The same families will remain in the upper classes, and the same families will continue to struggle. This truth is evident in the African-American community. The shadows of slavery and segregation still affect the socioeconomic standing of African-Americans.

This troubled me in sixth grade, and it still does today. How can—under the same laws and jurisdictions—some people have different opportunities to basic rights than others? Growing up in an upper-middle class family, I have been largely unaffected by these inequalities, which is the exact reason why I am so bothered by them. I feel guilty that I have the freedoms that some families so not have.

But there are even more inequalities than this! Healthcare has been the subject of furious debate in America because many people see it as a human right, and therefore it should be cheap, or even free. This issue again goes back to capitalism. A competitive healthcare system encourages greed and denying care, in which the sick cannot get the care that they need more than anyone else.

The truth that all men are not equal, even in America, implies that there are serious problems with our current “equality doctrine” that need to be addressed.

But there is hope! Many need-based and merit-based scholarships are emerging around the country, despite rapidly inflating education costs. Also, many lower-middle class citizens are going to college and getting better jobs, which is helping to reshape our economic and social systems in this country. The concept of universal healthcare, too, is gaining momentum in Washington.

For me, and I believe for many other Americans, the best way to come to terms with the truth that we are not all equal in this country is to accept that inequality is fluid, not defined. Out of the ashes, many lower class citizens are becoming prosperous businesspeople that will one day produce a thriving family. We must accept that inequality is the nature of capitalism, but the glory of capitalism is that these people can someday become more wealthy and successful than even Bill Gates!