The last two months of D.C. life have taught me quite a bit about the American society. What I’ve observed, learned, and seen is that America is like a two-edged sword. On one hand, there is materialism, a lotta money, bling-bling, expensive cars, Louis Vuitton, Dior, Juicy Couture and what-not, and then, on the other hand, there is homelessness, poverty, rejection, discrimination and rights dismissed.
It is not until you live in the States that you can actually understand how unequal and unfair this country is – how divided it still remains, and how big the gap is between the rich and the poor. It is as if the public side of this huge country is masked in the “living the American dream” -ideal, whereas in reality, the American dream is not accessible to most Americans.
Of course, in this country, there are many people who have it all and who live some kind of a dream according to some Western standards and ideals I might not agree with. But in any case, there are still hundreds of thousands of people that can lose their jobs due to their sexual orientation, or people who are looked down on because of their race.
It is surprising that here in the capital of the United States of America, America’s window to the world, there is so much suffering visible on the streets. Homeless people sleeping in the parks, people begging money, people that are really out of it, people who look like they really need some help. And sadly, most of these homeless people are, in fact, African American. As the weather has started getting colder at night, the homeless people crowd the buses to get some sleep, and to stay warm. Never before have I seen anything like this. The crime rate is higher than in any other city, and as one drives through the Northeast or the Southeast, it is a totally different kind of world. At that moment, it is hard to remember you are still in the capital of this prominent country.
What I have learned in the last few months is that nothing is as it seems. D.C. is a beautiful, fun and interesting city, but behind the scenes, it is not as innocent as it might seem. When the other half of the city dresses up in designer couture and stuffs their faces full of sushi and drives their Lamborginis, the other half tries to make it through the night. It is sad, it is disturbing, but yet, it is the reality here. Everything in this society is divided – it is either race, politics, sex, nationality, or money that rule this country.
I feel privileged to have been able to get a peek into the realities of so many whose voices remain unheard in the international arena. From now on, I wonder the significance of the “American dream”, and do not feel unlucky because I wasn’t born in this country. It is surely a blessing to be a European – because here, there’s still so much work to do in terms of everything. America might be changing, but it is changing slowly. And for now, the two-edged sword prevails.
Anyways, it was great to meet new people and get out of D.C. for a change!
