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Merriam-Webster defines wealth as: 2 : abundance of valuable material possessions or resources 4 a : all property that has a money value or an exchangeable value b : all material objects that have economic utility; especially : the stock of useful goods having economic value in existence at any one time *national wealth* 1 : a favorable juncture of circumstances *the halt provided an opportunity for rest and refreshment* 2 : a good chance for advancement or progress For this essay I will use the number 2 and 3 definitions of wealth and the number 2 definition of opportunity Using these definitions America is the land of wealth and opportunity. People from all over the world have come to these shores to start a new life and where able improve themselves. This is not to say that everyone has the same amount of wealth or the same opportunities but in general and on average there is more wealth and opportunity here than elsewhere in the world. Politically we are a “free” people we are allowed to vote and to voice our opinions aloud. Theoretically this is supposed to be meted out equally. We have seen throughout history that this was not the case nor is it the case today. People of color, women, Catholics, Protestants, and any number of other groups of people have been mistreated and treated in a way that is both a shame and in direct conflict with the constitution of the United States of America. This is a dark part of Americana but it does not take away the fact that these groups of people still had a greater abundance of wealth and more prolific opportunity than they would have had elsewhere. The feelings of bigots and hate-mongers do not die easily but they are dying. America has progressed politically both in representation and in equality among the leadership. I believe that we are due for more great things from the future generations. This will happen as we continue to improve education which will in turn eliminate most of the ignorance out there that is the root of all racism, sexism, and oppression. Economically this country offers the greatest opportunity and wealth. This is a country that relies on a truly blind system of fairness and equality. This is the apparatus of any capitalistic society, the free market. Under ideal situations this system people will work more productively and longer in direct relation to their perception of possible reward. This last part is the only problem that this has. This is because race, class, cultural, and gender distinctions cause certain groups of people to not utilize their full possible work potential (effort) and therefore not realize their true opportunities and wealth. This situation is similar to the classic psychological experiment in which a salmon is put in a fish tank that is divided into two separate tanks. The salmon is on one side and the types of little fish that it eats are put on the other side. At first the salmon furiously bashes his head against the glass partition tying to get the tiny fish. After a while though this salmon learns that it cannot eat those fish. Then the scientist removes the glass partition and the little fish swim all around the tank. The salmon does not strike at them. In fact the salmon will die of starvation before it will eat any of the fish that are in the tank with it. This is known as learned helplessness. This to me is what a lot of minorities suffered from in the early part of this century. Racism abounded but the partition was slowly being removed. But once it was fully removed these people had already “learned” that their opportunities were less than their white male peers. Although this is obscene and horrible it reduced there will to work as hard as they could have. Today this is slowly being reversed. Education is again the only means by which we can overcome these feelings of inequality that the minorities feel and then everyone will work as hard as they can in relation to what their discount rate of work is. (This is the proportion of work to reward that a person is willing to do) some people have a high discount rate and will do as little work as they can to survive while others will work harder if the rewards are greater. This is more complicated than I can cover in the scope of this paper. In conclusion, in order to have a truly productive society that utilizes its people to the highest possible degree of utility we must make people believe that what is possible for others is truly possible for themselves. Bibliography: Word Count: 851
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