Wednesday, May 1, 2013

What Is An American? English 112


Jabari Stafford
English 112
Professor Brandon
2/1/2013                                  

     What Is An American?
 What is an American? Many believe America to be a place of opportunity, freedom and happiness. But there are also many cons as pros while being an American citizen. I am definitely not saying America is not a great place to live, but it is most certainly not the perfect country. I truly enjoy being a legal American citizen. If you are not very familiar with America, I promise you it will be one of the best experiences and a beneficial change in residence. There are a medium amount of cons while living in the United States of America. First of all, everyone is sure that pretty much every country has a crime rate. Statistics show, the United States of America has one of the highest reported crime rates in the world. Usually a human being does not want to live in an area where there is too much trouble and crime. Although, there is a high crime rate it does not completely defeat the fact that America is a great place to live. Second of all, America is strict on charging for health care. In a few other countries they are not strict on healthcare. In America, there are stereotypical individuals who have paradigms about immigrants. A paradigm is a preconceived perspective by a person towards another. For instance, someone is from Italy, goes to a restaurant in America, and is asked “would they like some pasta.” This is a prime example of stereotypes, but just not as intense and offensive. This is not right but it is something that happens often in America. These are also one of the most detrimental cons. There is a very bad disadvantage for green card holders because they do not have the right to vote. These are the only few reasons to not live in America to the best of my knowledge. On the other hand there are many advantages to living in the United States of America. In the United States a legal immigrant from another country can come and stay as long as they feel they want to. There are also many attractions in many different cities. Places such as New York, Orlando, Los Angeles, Honolulu, Philadelphia and many more states. There is always something new in every state. For example, Las Vegas, Nevada, has many casinos, Orlando has Disney World, and Washington is known for having the white house and many memorial parks. Once you visualize all of the attractions, you probably may consider becoming an American citizen because there is much entertainment depending on which city you decide to visit or stay in. Another great reason to consider America a beneficial country is the opportunities available to individuals. The main reason the United States is a place of “opportunity” is because of the businesses. When there are many businesses, there is a much greater chance for success. I believe it is also because of the better chance of getting employed in America. Another reason, which I have mentioned before, is the “freedom” in the United States. Freedom meaning there are many things you can do which you will not be able to do in another country. This includes, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of press, and many more freedoms. Freedom of religion, meaning you are able to believe whatever you would like and will not be criticized or penalized for it. In some countries people are executed and tortured just because of their beliefs. It is definitely the wrong thing to do because no person should be punished or hurt for their way of life. Freedom of speech, meaning you and anyone else is allowed to say what you feel. For example, if there is someone you are not familiar with and do not like, you can say, “I don’t like you.” I feel freedom of religion, and freedom of speech somewhat tie into the same category. Both are telling you that you can say what you feel, and feel what you would like to say. Freedom of press is slightly different because it is dealing with electronics, such as radios, newspapers, television and many other sources of media.  For example, I could have a radio interview, and I could tell who I voted for, and express why I made the decision. Yes, there will be people who do not agree, but it does not matter because it is my opinion. There is also freedom of movement, which means we can travel to Antarctica or Australia whenever we would like to. Some of the travelers may have certain conditions put on their visa until they are on Australian citizen. There is also another great freedom. This is freedom of assembly, which is quite similar to freedom of speech but is just acting on it. It also has to be in a non-violent manner which will not infringe on the rights of others in any way. You cannot trespass on private property or public property either. All of these freedoms makes America somewhat a better place. Without these freedoms there is now way we would be able to communicate, or express our feelings at all.  These five most important freedoms are some of the main reasons I would recommend a foreigner to come to America. In America, technology plays a huge role through all of these freedoms. Without the technology many tasks would not be able to be completed.  Some may prefer not to utilize technology because it can get complicated for certain individuals although once you learn and grasp the skill it would make life much easier. Another benefit America has is clean water. In some other countries there is contaminated or dirty water. You cannot drink water from the lakes or oceans as you possibly can in the United States. This also leads to seafood that is not good to consume such as fish, oysters, and shrimp. It could possibly cause you to become sick or possibly even worse result in death. In America it is usually safe to drink water. Another advantage is the right to obtain a United States passport in America. Immigrants in America can increase the workforce and also diversity. They have a great impact on America’s overall economy. From my personal experience I could say America is one of the best places to live. In conclusion, the important benefits would cause many people to have the desire to come to America. As of now, I personally would not want to move any place else. There are so many attractions and entertainment that different individuals would be interested in visiting. Every city has something new to capture your attention. Although, there is much crime there is a low chance of me being involved in the incident. I enjoy being able to speak up for myself and expressing my opinion of someone else even though somebody may or may not like my statement. I am grateful to live in a country where there are not as much worries as there are in other countries. There are a vast amount of benefits, advantages, and profit in America and these are reasons to live in America. I would definitely consider living in America because it will be a joyous experience. It is a lot different from the many other countries in the world. An American is an individual who lives where there is freedom and opportunity which opens doors towards success. I am truly proud to be a citizen of The United States of America.

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