I think that according to Stephen Cruz, the American dream is not the glimmering dream that everyone thinks it is. Most people coming to this land, who have either crossed borders, like Cruz, or have come from across the globe. They all have one thing in common; they are all looking for a better life.
In this reading, Cruz says that there are stereotypes in this country. One of which is that Mexican people are happy to be around, but at the same time emotional. This was the case when he worked at Proctor and Gamble, and he was only allowed to interview people, and worked very hard. He had 14 job offers, and at that time, he probably thought that it was because he was smart and he earned it. He was wrong. It was not because he was smart, but I think it was because he made the company look good, and he was good just not good enough for management. This made him think that the American wasn’t fair, and businessmen weren’t fair. Was this because some people were still racist? I think yes, but I think that they are only thinking about how to get ahead. I think that this is a very fair assumption to make, since I would feel the same way if I were in his position, cheated out of any chance of success.
Later on in other jobs like Blue Cross, he soon realized that even minorities are just as bad to one another. Yet again, the management did nothing, and it was at this point when he realized that people tend to go by their own rules. I think that this is not always the case in our modern society, but that people in a business do what they can to get ahead. But, at the same time, wouldn’t he be one of these people? I think that this is a curious question, since he can be considered to be one, but at the same time, he is just like them. The only difference is their heritage.
During these jobs, his bosses kept telling him that he had the right “Ingredients” for management, if only he would “fall in line and stay within the fence.” This is going back to that stereotype that Mexicans are emotional, which I think is not very fair, since one man cannot be judged by his race. If I were him, I would’ve quit right there, since I would’ve put in the same workload as everyone else in the business.
He then worked for a consulting firm, which were said to have been saving a lot of businessmen. The main difference about this firm was that there were no minorities, but you had to work in order to get ahead. This is where he finally realized that the American dream was defined by power and fear, and the dream was not to lose. This is what drove him to get to the consulting firm, where he finally got ahead, but then left to become a professor at the University of Wisconsin. I feel that if I were in his position, I would feel his pain, not for a lack of money since he had a lot, but to find out that America still had segregation. This is not only sad, but I feel that it steals away the idea of what America should be, all because a couple of businessmen want to get ahead. What Cruz doesn’t realize is that he was living the stereotypical American dream, making $30,000-$50,000 a year, but that is not the real American dream people think of.
I agree with Cruz, but since we hardly see discrimination, it is hard to know that it exists. But this piece is the perfect example of discrimination, even though it is an outdated piece. I also think that the American dream is hard to achieve for people who have to face discrimination. But, it is harder to achieve it when they see it but have no idea how to get there.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
"What Cruz doesn’t realize is that he was living the stereotypical American dream, making $30,000-$50,000 a year, but that is not the real American dream people think of."
I would have to say that he does in fact realize that he is living somewhat of the American Dream merely because of the fact that outsiders would point out the fact that "The American Dream has treated you beautifully. So just knock it off and quit this crap you're spreading around." The simple fact that he was making lots of money and making something of himself in and of itself is the stereotypical American Dream, and I would have to say that he would have had to realize that that was his situation at some point. You make a very good point in saying that this is not necessarily what everyone envisions when they think of what would be their own personal American Dream. Very good analysis.
Elise, you are hinting around the idea of 'not losing' what success he has. that plays in to whether or not Cruz actually feels successful. He doesn't feel he can ever be happy with the stereo-typical American Dream because he only achieves it on a technicality and he is only allowed to keep it through complacency.
Post a Comment