The question of if America is becoming an unequal country has been debated widely. On the one hand, some people consider the country to have made significant steps in ensuring equality and being a complete inclusive society. On the other hand, there are claims that America is becoming biased, preventing its progress from those that do not share the same qualities (Saez and Zucman 5). However, the argument requires moral integrity to understand whether the United States is equally protecting its citizens. Although some citizens believe that America is developing into an equal country where the rights of people are respected, there is evidence pointing to the question of equality within the United States.
Many people believe that America has grown to be a country that values equality and the inclusivity of different groups of people. The government has created laws to enhance fairness for everyone despite the current misconceptions in the country. The notion that the U.S is restricting some groups of people from practicing their civil rights seems completely absurd (Lajevardi et al. 587). Nonetheless, this does not seem ridiculous when people see acts of delayed construction of mosques in areas such as South Carolina and New York (Lajevardi et al. 587). In addition, law enforcement agencies have always penetrated these areas where Muslim people worship because of suspected terrorist activities. The existing stereotype between terrorism and Muslims has been there; thus, it is not surprising to see such incidences (Lajevardi et al. 588). The point is that fear cannot be the main reason for impeding other people’s civil liberties, such as the expression of religion. However, the U.S has made great progress in promoting equality among its citizens, considering that not too long ago that black people were slaves in America, and today it is not anymore (Lajevardi et al. 589). The country has a long way to go to consider providing liberty and justice for all because discrimination of some groups is making it more unequal.
Apart from Muslims facing discrimination, immigrants also experience the same inequalities. As a country built on immigrants, such as Christopher Columbus, who discovered the land, hostility still exists among people who come to build a life and better the state of America (Urzúa et al. 188). Some might say that immigrants drain American resources and must be pressed to leave. However, the truth is that America could not have become successful as it is today without immigrants. Illegal immigrants work under challenging conditions, with low-paying jobs that American citizens cannot accept (Urzúa et al. 188). These people are not given a fighting chance because some laws in certain states, such as Arizona and Alabama, have targeted undocumented immigrants, trying to prevent employers from hiring them and reporting them to law enforcement agencies (Urzúa et al. 189). Therefore, the current discrimination against immigrants is against fair treatment and makes America more unequal.
Inequality in America is also portrayed in how the police express brutality against some people. Police brutality is a major problem in America, and they target a specific group of minorities, mainly black people (Graham 550). White police do the majority of killings committed on blacks, and after the crime, the officer mostly walks away with minor or no charges. A good example is the case of Philando Castile, a black man who was pulled over and was requested to show his identification documents. As he was trying to show them, he was shot and killed. The officer who committed the crime was considered innocent and did not face the law (Nguyen). Cases where white police officers kill black people are not rare. The fact that white police can commit such a crime and go unpunished shows the bias reserved for black people in the U.S (Nguyen). Racial inequality still exists even though America claims the presence of equality among its citizens. Thus, police brutality is making the country more unequal, and the government needs to find ways to fix such issues.
Education inequality is present in America, and the government has let it become a severe problem. The government is always considered the greatest equalizer in society. However, one cannot imagine an aspect of a society with greater inequalities than those currently found in the U.S. education system (Rohlinger 692). For instance, since children from minority families live in lower-priced households and government-run schools are funded through property taxes, disadvantaged children get fewer educational resources every year (Rohlinger 692). Therefore, the variation in the division of educational resources is continually promoting inequality in the country.
Conclusively, even though the government claims that the state of equality is improving, evidence shows that it is retreating to that of a society full of favoritism for certain groups of people. Laws created are meant to enhance equality, but some acts committed by people in power render them useless, such as white police killing black people. Therefore, although the nation understands true reformation needs to enhance equality, America is slowly becoming unequal.
Works Cited
Graham, Amanda, et al. “Race and Worrying about Police Brutality: The Hidden Injuries of Minority Status in America.”Victims & Offenders vol. 15, no.5, 2020, pp. 549-573.
Lajevardi, Nazita, et al. “The Paradox between Integration and Perceived Discrimination among American Muslims.”Political Psychology vol. 41, no.3, 2020, pp. 587-606.
Nguyen, Hao Quang. “Progressive Prosecution: It’s Here, but now What?”Mitchell Hamline Law Review vol. 46, no.2, 2020, pp. 2.
Rohlinger, Deana A., et al. “Framing Dynamics and Claims-Making after the Parkland Shooting.”Information, Communication & Society vol. 25, no.5, 2022, pp. 690-706.
Saez, Emmanuel, and Gabriel Zucman. “The Rise of Income and Wealth Inequality in America: Evidence from Distributional Macroeconomic Accounts.” Journal of Economic Perspectives vol. 34, no.4, 2020, pp. 3-26. DOI: 10.1257/jep.34.4.3
Urzúa, Alfonso, et al. “The Mediating Role of Self-Esteem on the Relationship between Perceived Discrimination and Mental Health in South American Immigrants in Chile.”Psychiatry Research vol. 271, 2019, pp. 187-194.