Taking A Stand: American Dream not same for everyone

It’s easy to extend a helping hand to people who are trying to pull themselves up by their bootstraps as Americans have always been rescuers, wanting to help those who want to help themselves.

There’s just something about hard-working individuals who dedicate themselves to carrying their own weight that makes us, as Americans, want to see them succeed. Most of us would, and have, jumped at the chance to help out hard-working folks displaced by disasters such as Hurricane Katrina. We as Americans have opened up our wallets and even in some cases, our homes, to help these fellow Americans who are down on their luck through no fault of their own.

Yep, it’s easy to offer a hand up to a person who is extending a hand, wanting to stand on his or her own two feet. It is, however, a much harder enterprise to motivate one’s self into helping someone who has never hit a lick at anything, someone who has drained the welfare roles all of their lives, someone who is a burden on society while making no contribution, someone who bellyaches and moans wanting someone to hand something to them for nothing while not taking any steps to help themselves.

Now don’t go pointing the finger at others. Many of us, I believe, in the stress and human drama of the Katrina aftermath, made comments about some Katrina victims, saying they were too lazy to move out of the way because the government had always done everything for them. We questioned their criticism of the government when they’ve never lifted a finger to make a living for themselves or their families. Hey, it just seems many Tennesseans don’t have much tolerance for people who live in big inner cities on government assistance.

Hey, some condescending hypocrites have even said it was a judgment from God for the corruptness of New Orleans. I say put down the Wild Turkey bottle and stop running around on your spouse before commenting on the corruptness of others, lest you become a part of the problem yourself.

While I’ve mentioned something which isn’t popular to mention in public, that being how we sometimes treat people differently based on how they live, I’ve also got to point out how important it is we help the good with the bad, the lazy with the enterprising.

We, as individuals and as a society, will be judged on how we helped the least of these. Societies are often either praised or criticized by future generations on how they treat their elderly and downtrodden. It is important we make no distinction when it comes to offering that helping hand because, even more than all being Americans, we are all also humans.

And, let me just say America has, in modern times, been good about not leaving anyone behind. We tend to rally together during times of disaster, regardless of race, social standing or geographic location. When there is a problem, Americans reach out to help other Americans, and Katrina has proven that once again.

Given this track record I think it is important we watch what we say, even in the presence of our friends, when it comes to criticisms of others, reason being, that someday, idle talk could translate into how we, as a society, treat those who don’t fit our idea of the American Dream. Not everybody lives what we believe to be the American Dream, but that doesn’t make them any less or more of an American than you or me.

Duane Sherrill is a reporter for the Standard. He can be reached at 473-2191 or by e-mail at [email protected].