As H became fully aware of the dark reality of the US, her American Dream gradually began to die.
H grew up consuming a plethora of American media throughout her childhood in West Europe. She became deeply exposed to the American Dream and soon would manifest her own dream of moving to the US in order to live a truly American lifestyle as a liberated, successful migrant. When the time came to continue her education, she decided to study in university. However, H would soon come to realize that for someone like her, the American Dream does not come to fruition.
Throughout her time in the US, H faced harsh discrimination. Firstly, she realized that despite the perceived economic strength of the US, she as an international student would receive very little financial aid. This came as a surprise to H as the US always was painted as a place very accommodating and welcoming to migrants, so she expected some form of financial assistance that would never come.
Additionally, she faced a great amount of harassment and discrimination for being a woman of Middle Eastern descent. She would often hear comments about her race stating how she looked ‘exotic’, comparing her to famous Middle Eastern women, some even asking her if she is Muslim, which she is not. This, combined with the anti-Middle Eastern rhetoric constructed by Mr. Trump led H to feel incredibly alienated, as she now felt like an outsider not only in terms of her nationality, but her race as well. Similarly, she was subjected to forms of sexual harassment such as men yelling derogatory slurs at her, consistently not leaving her alone, and more which led her to feel alone and fearful simply for just being a woman in the US.
H felt that she was neither free nor equal as the US preaches all its people are, but rather that her identities of her race, gender, and nationality actively worked against her. The American Dream, what she once saw as her future, soon revealed itself as nothing more than an American marketing campaign to falsely portray the US as a place of economic opportunity and true freedom for all, in place of the realities of wealth inequality, social injustice, and systemic discrimination that has plagued the nation since its creation.
H is…
- 23 Years-Old
- Female, Cisgender
- West European
- Agnostic
- Upper Middle Class
- Bisexual
