Originally posted by Sioubisae

Perhaps there is truth to two Americas
There is no two Americas except for when people want to pick and choose stats to make two Americas.

My parents came to the US with less than $3,000 to their name and hardly able to speak English. They lived in Boston (known for its liberal stances) and faced racism on a daily basis not to mention the EXTREMELY high cost of living in Boston. They struggled every single day to make ends meet, and sometimes, they didn't make ends meet. Trying to make ends meet with two children in a strange country where you don't speak the language is a very rough thing. Insterestingly enough, my family's story is not unique. There's TONS of stories just like that in America.

My parents have busted their ass and worked hard for years to get where they are now. We were way below the poverty rate when we got here, and now we aren't anywhere near it. It wasn't GIVEN to them, though. They worked for it and sacrificed for it. We went from 4 people living in a one-bedroom apartment where we couldn't even pay the heating bill to living a comfortable life where we don't have to worry about money every single day.

Again, this story is not unique. There are tons of people who have lived the same story with just a few of the details changed. So, is there really two Americas? I don't think so. It's ONE America only made into two by people who wish to speak of it that way. It's the America where you can come with little to nothing and work your way up to a comfortable living. The two America concept is definitely a negative one, and it totally disregards the strength of America and the opportunities of America. It portrays people like my parents as people who sit on their asses and eat bonbons all day because they are not considered poor. Sorry, my dad's idea of working a "half day" is leaving from home at 8:00 AM and coming back home at 5:00 PM. Just because someone's not under the poverty line doesn't mean that they aren't part of the "working class". Just because you make more than the guy next door doesn't mean you aren't part of the working class.

It's one America. The two America concept is just a platform on which people wish to create a divisive, adverse conflict in order to get more votes. It's a tool used to create the "us" vs. "them". It only makes the campaign that much easier.

If you're going to be divisive about wealth, how easy would it be to be divisive about race, sexual orientation, education, etc.? Promoting the two America concept is easy politics with negative consequences.