Tim Zarak

17, October 2017

COMM 100W

Kendall Sooter

My America

The United States is one of the greatest nations to be built on freedom and patriotism. We

dared to break away from Britains support and control and become independent. Our founding

fathers created a democracy, one which has stood strong and even been taught and accepted by

other countries. The United States is a model nation to other developed and developing countries.

Which is why many immigrants from all around the world travel to the US to start a new life. We

are a leading superpower in our growth in technology, business, and military. The Silicon Valley

in California, is a powerhouse in developing new and advanced technology. It doubles in

advancing big businesses like Apple and Google, as well as incubating growing start-ups like

Uber and Lyft. The United States military is a forced to be reckoned with, its vast highly trained

soldiers and arsenal of nukes and unmanned vehicles has every country wanting our help in war.

Americas economy has taken hits, but has bounced back and allowed us to achieve the

marvelous feats described above in a relatively short amount of time. However, all this success

and model behavior is only superficial. A look on the inside shows that the United States is in a

state of chaos. A few of the problems I will be going over include; the controversy happening in

the NFL, jobs after education, as well as the new social norms and how they are affecting people.

A popular case going on right now in America, is the NFL players protesting police

brutality against black and colored people. It all started a little over a year ago with Colin
Kaepernick sitting down during the national anthem and then moving to kneeling to show respect

for veterans. His reasoning behind it being, I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag

for a country that oppresses black people, and people of color. Few players followed suit in his

protest and it eventually costed him his job as the NFL doesnt want to sign him to a team.

However, the protest really gained momentum when president Trump said that NFL owners

should fire the players kneeling during the national anthem at a campaign rally in Alabama. Not

only were there Trumps rants about the NFL, but the tragedies in the Charlottesville protest

displaying white supremacy fueled this fire. This was that catalyst that swayed more players and

fans to kneel during the anthem. The view has shifted from a protest against oppression of

colored people, to a protest against Trump.

However, I believe this protest is a lot bigger than what is being perceived. If rules are to

pass that you no longer have to stand and put your hand over your heart, then where is the

patriotism? Standing up during the anthem shows your respect and unity for the country that you

live in and the veterans that help protect it. Look at the futbol fans of Brazil or Spain or any

European team, they all sing their anthem in unity and with pride as they root for their team. If

everyone didnt show pride for their country then are they even a country? Or are they just

people living on a strip of land.

In todays society, ads for online education pop up everywhere from the television to

online ads. Some ads say want to make more money? Go back to school and earn twenty

thousand plus more than you are right now. Growing up, millennials have always been told by

their parents to get good grades in high school so you can go to a good college. In 2016, 69.7

percent of high school graduates listened to their parents and enrolled in college. College by

itself is no easy task, and unless you are one of the lucky few, you will probably have a part time
job. The US federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour, and varies depending on the state. For

instance, Californias minimum wage ranges from $10.50 to $12 an hour. A typical college

student usually pays for their rent, books, and food. Working part time barely covers those

expenses.

Finally, you make it through your four to five years of college and you graduate with

your bachelors degree. It is time to find a job because, you are now one of the 44 million

Americans who owe a combined total of 1.45 trillion dollars in student loan debt. The problem is

the job market is competitive and according to a survey by GradStaff college grads dont know

how to apply their skills in the workforce. Seventy percent of the grads that took the survey were

either unemployed or working full time at a non-professional job to make ends meet. Another

twenty percent of the grad had full time professional jobs but were unhappy and looking for a

new one. These grads were told to go to college to get a good job, so why cant they get one?

The problem is that students focus on completing school, but while attending they get little

career coaching and counseling on what to do after. A big problem is that grads dont know what

jobs to apply for with the major they have. They get stuck with jobs that they could of got out of

high school, making their degree useless and college a waste of time.

Lastly, Americans are facing a problem with how we socialize. With this age of

technology, people are more focused on their electronic devices and social media than they are

with actual human interaction. Instead of the face to face interactions that past generations were

built on, this generation is interacting face to screen. The benefit of this, is instant

communication and being able to keep connections with people youve met throughout life.

However, there are a lot of draw backs with social media and electronic communication. When

people go out with friends these days, interaction between them is minimal as most of the time
they are on their phones putting their focus everywhere but their friends. This type of interaction

has even extended into families. Xfinity advertises their wifi as having a feature to pause it so

families cant use their devices, and are able to have an actual conversation. Social networks, are

not only hindering real social interaction, but have also been known to cause depression and

anxiety in people. People who use more than two forms of social media have three times the risk

of having anxiety or depression than the people who use fewer. This has a major impact on the

youth of America, because they are unable to distinguish nonverbal cues made in conversation. It

has integrated itself into our daily lives, so much so that businesses have put blocks on social

media sites so employees can remain productive.

My America, is a place where people have respect for each other, as well as respect and a

sense of unity with the place they live. My America, is a place where getting a college degree

means having a professional job where you can put that degree to use. My America, is a place

where social and electronic interaction coexist in harmony instead of hindering on another. My

America, can be the great place it used to be if people would take a step back and see the

implications their actions are taking.

Clark Mindock New York. Taking a knee: Why are NFL players protesting and when did they
start to kneel? The Independent, Independent Digital News and Media, 25 Sept. 2017,
www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/taking-a-knee-national-anthem-nfl-
trump-why-meaning-origins-racism-us-colin-kaepernick-a7966961.html.

This Is How Many Americans Will See a $15 Minimum Wage by 2022. Fortune,
fortune.com/2017/06/30/15-minimum-wage/.

LaBombard, Robert J., et al. I dont know what to do with my major and other reasons college
grads cant find jobs. CNBC, CNBC, 15 Dec. 2016, www.cnbc.com/2016/12/15/why-college-
grads-cant-find-jobs-commentary.html.

U.S. Student Loan Debt Statistics for 2017. Student Loan Hero, studentloanhero.com/student-
loan-debt-statistics/.

College Enrollment and Work Activity of 2016 High School Graduates. U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 27 Apr. 2017,
www.bls.gov/news.release/hsgec.nr0.htm.

Using Many Social Media Platforms Linked With Depression, Anxiety Risk. Psychiatrics
News, psychnews.psychiatryonline.org/doi/full/10.1176/appi.pn.2017.1b16.

What Impact Has Social Media Truly Had On Society. Business 2 Community,
www.business2community.com/social-media/impact-social-media-truly-society-
0974685#7LGe00W17UTC5RGV.97.

The Impact of Social Media Use on Social Skills. New York Behavioral Health,
newyorkbehavioralhealth.com/the-impact-of-social-media-use-on-social-skills.