This is America

In today’s society, it comes as no surprise that people are just as, if not even more, obsessed with power than ever before. Citizens viciously compete for affluence, authority, any tangible proof that they are above the others, and go out of their ways to demonstrate it. We see this not only in the classist ideals that motivate people to attain power, but also in the corrupt ways in which those in power take advantage of their position above other people. On a day to day basis, the news is flooded constantly with stories of corrupt businesses, police brutality, hate crimes. To me, as I look around and see the disarray that our nation has descended into, I feel that America is simply a land of megalomania. 

Perhaps America's most evident proof of its citizens' desire to prove their power are in the capitalistic and classist values upheld in the country. This obsession is highlighted in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, when Tom Buchanan and Myrtle Wilson get into a disagreement about Tom’s wife: "...Tom Buchanan and Mrs. Wilson stood face to face discussing, in impassioned voices, whether Mrs. Wilson had any right to mention Daisy's name... Making a short deft movement, Tom Buchanan broke her nose with his open hand" (Fitzgerald, 37). As Tom and Myrtle are introduced, their power imbalance is made clear as the Wilsons are quite poor and low-class, while the Buchanans are just the opposite. Tom openly strikes Myrtle across the face in front of multiple other people, as if to prove that he could do anything that he wanted to her without having to face any repercussions because she, unlike Daisy, isn’t from a well-respected or wealthy background. Their overly-privileged lives are even commented on by Nick when he says, "They were careless people, Tom and Daisy--they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made" (Fitzgerald, 179). When he says that they "retreat," Nick is referring to the fact that both Tom and Daisy were born into their wealth and thus never experienced the struggles of poverty; they’re completely ignorant to the plights of those around them. They "smashed up things" or destroyed the lives of others--literally causing the deaths of Myrtle and Gatsby, but also indirectly contributing to Mr. Wilson’s suicide, and then “let other people clean up the mess they had made” by dropping everything and leaving everyone behind to start over. Not only establish that the two of of them are wealthy enough to be able to fund such short notice moves, but it also proves that Tom and Daisy are fully aware of the fact that because of their money and status, they will almost never actually have to face any major repercussions for their actions. Our country relies on status and wealth as a measure of one’s greatness, and we as individuals are so insecure that we constantly feel the need to prove to ourselves and others that we are above them, whether it be through social destruction or physical violence.

Naturally, those in a position of power feel the need to exercise it and establish their dominance over those they view as inferior. In The Rich Brother by Tobias Wolff, we see this as Donald recalls with his brother Pete how after his operation, Pete would hit him in his stitches in an attempt to kill him: "'...I couldn't have anything happen to me where they sewed me up because then my intestines would come apart again and poison me... And you used to hit me there every chance you got" (Wolff, 80). Pete has always had power over Donald--throughout their lives, Donald had always been the sickly, weak younger brother while Pete was the successful man who took care of him. Following his operation, Donald was likely given more attention than Pete from their doting mother, shifting the power-dynamic that had always been in Pete’s favor. Hoping to reclaim his position as the golden child, Pete attempted to get rid of his competition. Even if he didn’t intend to actually kill Donald, it’s clear that Pete wanted it to be known to his brother that he would not let go of what power he still have over Donald, who would forever remain the weaker brother. Those with strength prey on the weak, and this abuse of power is still seen and demonstrated throughout the United States today. I recently read an article stating that "New York is one of 35 states in where consent may be used as a defense when a police officer is charged with raping a person in his custody" (Bodde and Lorshbough). This defense is completely illogical as police officers are in a position of trust and authority over anybody they’re holding in custody, therefore making it impossible for that individual to give consent. Despite this, police officers use their standing within the legal system to get away with assaulting those who are unable to do anything to retaliate, knowing that because the victims are criminals, their allegations are less likely to be taken seriously and the outcomes will always be biased towards the perpetrator. As comforting of a delusion it would be to believe that those in power will use it for good, the facts have remained painfully bleak throughout all of history.

Ultimately, it is simply the nature of mankind to struggle for power, and even more so to abuse it when it is finally attained. Not only is our culture’s entire idea of success built upon the idealization of power, but we see those values being reflected in the actions of citizens across the country. The poor glorify the attainment of wealth and status, but the rich taint their success with iniquitous demonstrations of their power and yet, they face no consequences for their actions and as our selfish history continues to repeat, we're left wondering if there was more we could have done to change it.