Children of the Mountain
When growing up, we all hear about, “The American Dream”. The idea of a happy and successful life to which all may aspire. Nobody said you could only achieve that dream if you lived in a certain area. They say that the American dream is the individual’s responsibility in whether they are successful or not, but there are several social factors that can influence a person’s individual opportunity. Can we honestly say that we are all equal? Why do we judge someone we just met because the way they look? The people of Appalachia mostly live crammed several families into one home, trash in their yards, soda or beer in their hands, cigarettes in another, and teeth missing. Why is this not a concern instead of a way to judge? …show more content…
In the documentary, one of the young men that was being interviewed was a star athlete. A very good football player, and performed very well in his academics in high school. Although he is the only one who has ever made it through to graduating high school. Due to the lack of his family’s social class, the economic conditions, or the access to jobs, he was unable to finish out or continue to attend college because he couldn’t afford to go to college, even with a scholarship. He had no money for his clothes, food, supplies, or anything he needed. So when he returned home he had to mine for coal, illegally, as many of the Appalachian residents did, due to the lack of job opportunities. What few “jobs” they did have in Appalachia were not considered to be jobs, which led to individual factors that destroyed the American dream. They were drug dealers. In Appalachia drugs and alcohol were major problems and continued to grow and spread. The Pharmaceutical Company Purdue misled the doctors, as they prescribed OxyContin to ail everything from back pain to arthritis. People of Appalachian got addicted to the drug and either became dealers or an addict. This caused a split in the road, so to speak. Either you turn left to do the drugs, or you turn …show more content…
With social factors come the individual confidence you need to succeed. That is a learned trait, but if you don‘t have the necessary resources to have the sturdy social structure, then you won’t be able to have ability to build yourself up. The young man who was a star athlete is a prime example. He was the first of his family to graduate high school and even attend any sorts of higher education. He lived in his truck to get away from his family and try to better himself and get away from the fight and ignorance that was in his household. If he would have had the social structure to better himself, he would of sky rocketed out of there and maybe even into the NFL, but who knows. The poor boy will never know because he never had the actual chance due to the lack of opportunities in
When growing up, we all hear about, “The American Dream”. The idea of a happy and successful life to which all may aspire. Nobody said you could only achieve that dream if you lived in a certain area. They say that the American dream is the individual’s responsibility in whether they are successful or not, but there are several social factors that can influence a person’s individual opportunity. Can we honestly say that we are all equal? Why do we judge someone we just met because the way they look? The people of Appalachia mostly live crammed several families into one home, trash in their yards, soda or beer in their hands, cigarettes in another, and teeth missing. Why is this not a concern instead of a way to judge? …show more content…
In the documentary, one of the young men that was being interviewed was a star athlete. A very good football player, and performed very well in his academics in high school. Although he is the only one who has ever made it through to graduating high school. Due to the lack of his family’s social class, the economic conditions, or the access to jobs, he was unable to finish out or continue to attend college because he couldn’t afford to go to college, even with a scholarship. He had no money for his clothes, food, supplies, or anything he needed. So when he returned home he had to mine for coal, illegally, as many of the Appalachian residents did, due to the lack of job opportunities. What few “jobs” they did have in Appalachia were not considered to be jobs, which led to individual factors that destroyed the American dream. They were drug dealers. In Appalachia drugs and alcohol were major problems and continued to grow and spread. The Pharmaceutical Company Purdue misled the doctors, as they prescribed OxyContin to ail everything from back pain to arthritis. People of Appalachian got addicted to the drug and either became dealers or an addict. This caused a split in the road, so to speak. Either you turn left to do the drugs, or you turn …show more content…
With social factors come the individual confidence you need to succeed. That is a learned trait, but if you don‘t have the necessary resources to have the sturdy social structure, then you won’t be able to have ability to build yourself up. The young man who was a star athlete is a prime example. He was the first of his family to graduate high school and even attend any sorts of higher education. He lived in his truck to get away from his family and try to better himself and get away from the fight and ignorance that was in his household. If he would have had the social structure to better himself, he would of sky rocketed out of there and maybe even into the NFL, but who knows. The poor boy will never know because he never had the actual chance due to the lack of opportunities in