The House We Live In: Post-viewing Activity

After viewing Episode Three: The House We Live In, please respond to the following question:

> Central to the concept of the American Dream is the notion that anyone who works hard enough will be rewarded—that anyone can “pull themselves up by their bootstraps.” How has this been made more difficult for people not defined as white? What is the long-term impact of that denial? What difference does access to financial resources make in terms of your life opportunities?

21 thoughts on “The House We Live In: Post-viewing Activity

  1. Central to the concept of the American Dream is the notion that anyone who works hard enough will be rewarded—that anyone can “pull themselves up by their bootstraps.”

    That is a good quote. Unfortunately that only holds true to those with better circumstances. Hard work is not always rewarded. Sometimes credit is taken from you, or given to someone else because of your ethnicity. If you try to speak against (to defend/protect your work) you may be silenced (fired/forced leave of the workplace), and sometimes you may or may not win, and sometimes you have to consider if it’s worth your time to do so. These things contribute to how you grow as a person in the workplace. Sometimes these long-term denial can affect us negatively where you grow fustrated and anxious whenever you come to work, or it might change you into a cold and calculating person (I’m generalizing of course). How much financial resources you can access also affects how much opportunities you have access to as well, which most often affects those who have more financial resources, favorably.

  2. Central to the concept of the American Dream is the notion that anyone who works hard enough will be rewarded—that anyone can “pull themselves up by their bootstraps.” How has this been made more difficult for people not defined as white? What is the long-term impact of that denial? What difference does access to financial resources make in terms of your life opportunities?

    In some cases racism has made it difficult for people of minority to have the same opportunities as many white people. So to say that anyone can work hard and be successful didn’t always happen. If there is denial when it comes to this one might always work and work to accomplish something that is never coming and it’s all because of something that you can’t change. If one confronts this maybe you can move on and find a better place to work in where there is no racism or discrimination. The more access you have to financial resources the less stress you are about the standard of living. You don’t have to worry about being able to afford simple things because you have more opportunities available to you.

  3. Access to financial resources creates a difference with those who are wealthy and those who are not. In some cases people defined as white would have more opportunities in money, which would lead to a better education and a better luck of finding employment. This kind of people would end up controlling those who were not as lucky to have an education. The people with no education ends up with two jobs in where he or she is force to do what the boss says, without a doubt. This person could work as hard as he can in both jobs doing everything his boss tells and he still ends up receiving a small amount of money in his paycheck, while the boss gets pay more. This can be unfair because the person with the low income does the heavy work and his boss is receiving the credit.

  4. The gap between races have been planted in the soil since the very beginning. Governmental legislation has purposely set the conditions for the white race to thrive in American society. The notion that if you work hard enough you can thrive in society. What they didn’t tell you is there are two forms of society. The black society and the white society. The conditions set for blacks such as wages, affordable housing, and the social meaning of race have set up the black race for a menial lifestyle. For those not classified as white suffer the same outcome of someone of a black race. The long term denial just solidified the Whites position in society allowing them to have better neighborhoods and financial security from the homes they owned, which would protect future generations of Whites down the line only to progress them further allowing them to have debt free lives. So the level of hard work they may have to do might be equal to that of someone of a black race just with the added benefits while non-whites have to work twice as hard to share equal financial security, I would say equal lifestyle but that’s legally impossible. So if you work hard you can thrive in the society Americas government has set up for you.
    This reminds me of “A Gardeners Tale” The part where the whites would move out because the town became populated with Blacks. They saw it as something economically bad believing it was impossible for a Town to be diverse and economically stable. The pink flowers wanted to assimilate but the red flowers wouldn’t have it..

    This was a very interesting film.

  5. How has this been made more difficult for people not defined as white?
    not-whites were denied the citizenship and as the consequences, they had no rights to have houses, or land, or vote. They could be only the fuel for the melting pot, not the ingredients for it.
    What is the long-term impact of that denial?
    people had no rights, they worked hard, lived in horrible conditions, had no medical care, cant buy property and couldnt vote, to change somehow their living.
    What difference does access to financial resources make in terms of your life opportunities?
    I can take a loan and get education (what I have done). Also I cat get a loan to buy property, etc. The access to financial resources help me to reach my goals.

  6. The term “American Dream” came about when American soldiers returned from war and there was a shortage of houses, so arrangements were made for them to get wonderful and modern houses in comfortable locations. These houses were very inexpensive but only white people had the rights to purchase one of them. This is not how you would expect returning soldiers, men who fought for their country, to be treated. This level of partialness was mainly due to race. White communities were well developed with fantastic resources and separated from the rest of the country. To show how unfair the system was, of the 120 billion dollars which was suppose to be used to construct houses, less than two percent was given to non- whites. This piece of statistic is very shocking. Non- whites were forced to live in slums, and when they finally for the chance to move into more comfortable neighborhoods, the white people sold their houses for little amount of money, just to avoid having black neighbors. This meant that these developed communities were left to disintegrate since non- white were not getting the support to keep them maintained. The houses that were occupied by non- whites also had little value and that has come to affect today’s generation. These people were not able to work large sums of money, so they had little savings to contribute to their children’s future. Even if they were to sell their houses, enough money would not have been generated to make a fair contribution to their children getting a proper college education. There are very brilliant Minorities who suffer because they can’t afford to get the level of education that they would have wanted, and many end up turning to risky ways of earning a living. You might see many black people today and believe that they haven’t planned their lives properly, but the past has to be explained for one to understand. I think the hierarchies were to be blamed, because they were the ones who lead from the front. It can also be said that the American Dream is available for everyone, but we all have t endure different difficulty levels to achieve it.

  7. How has this been made more difficult for people not defined as white?
    *Well, according to the film its not that easy. “Whites” had it easier to own a house and own land.It was all up to the court on who was considered “white”. I picked up during the film that the court would tell you what are not the categories that fits in being “white” but not what being white actually means.
    What is the long-term impact of that denial?
    * The people that were not considered whites would have to work twice as hard and be living in conditions that they should deserve. Some would have the standards and better education than whites but if the court dose not approve ,it basically didn’t matter.
    What difference does access to financial resources make in terms of your life opportunities?
    * I can work and have an income based on my education and not my race. I have the right to take out loans and create a business of my own if desired.

  8. Central to the concept of the American Dream is the notion that anyone who works hard enough will be rewarded—that anyone can “pull themselves up by their bootstraps.” How has this been made more difficult for people not defined as white? What is the long-term impact of that denial? What difference does access to financial resources make in terms of your life opportunities?

    This concept may have been a thing that some people in their lives could do but the same does not go for everyone. This idea has been made more difficult for people not defined as white in this day and age because of stereotypes, geography, and opportunities. The long term impact of this denial to opportunities is that there has been a separation of socioeconomic status based on race. In this world people that are classified as white start with more opportunities in life that every other race because most families defined as white live in better places, better school districts, and better towns. These days not everyone can just work hard and achieve the American Dream.

  9. People not defined as white in the United State were hard working people. There’s no difference between white and non white, They all created equally, but the white treated other race as low status people. White people only sees white race as their kind of people, White gives less opportunity to non white, this cause an unfair status in society. No matter how hard a non white works, but their rewards is still blurry. The long term impact of that denial is injustice because people will lost their equal right and opportunities, which leads to an unbalance status in society, other races will have to work harder and experience many discrimination without having any reward at the end. financial resources is the main resources of the people, with money and support, peoples could educated their self then they could provide a better opportunity for their children and their next generation.

  10. Central to the concept of the American Dream is the notion that anyone who works hard enough will be rewarded—that anyone can “pull themselves up by their bootstraps.” How has this been made more difficult for people not defined as white? What is the long-term impact of that denial? What difference does access to financial resources make in terms of your life opportunities?
    I think we still doing behind them despite which class the put up in the society,we accomplish so much with the little we have. Regardless how much we have the fundamental of race would remain the same.we work very hard but always retain with so little.We can be qualify for a job or score high but a person who is white has a higher chance of getting the ob instead of a person of color.

  11. > Central to the concept of the American Dream is the notion that anyone who works hard enough will be rewarded—that anyone can “pull themselves up by their bootstraps.” How has this been made more difficult for people not defined as white? What is the long-term impact of that denial? What difference does access to financial resources make in terms of your life opportunities?

    I think that anyone who works hard enough for something they can achieve it but it will be more difficult if you are not considered white. Doors open for you if your white by themselves but if your not you have to kick them in. Legally it is not more difficult but because of the generations of injustice and improperly educated people we create a bias subconsciously towards each other and it has become second nature. It is to the point that people have to make a conscious decision not to be racist or stereotypical when that should be natural. All of this and through the media coverage all affect the American Dream and humanity as a whole. The long term impact is different for everyone some people just accept it and adapt while others stand up for there rights and equality. Our life opportunities are directly related to our financial resources more money simply means more choices and as your financial resources increase so does your quality of choices.

  12. Turns out the American Dream may not be for everyone. Recent Census Bureau data shows that white Americans have 22 times more wealth than the other racial groups. This wealth inequality is due to many factors including the implosion of the real estate market along with higher unemployment rates among minority groups. Civil rights still have to be defended. Jobs have to be created and fairly allocated. Racial gaps in education, employment and wealth reflect the disproportionate representation of black families at the bottom of the income scale.

  13. It’s been made more difficult for people not defined as white by them taking all of the credit of the hardworking people. Many Caucasians are usually ranked up top on the ladder of the working company so sometimes they make the people below them do all of the work, and take the credit for it. Regardless of race, Caucasians in some cases will get hired over any minority even if it’s the same class or education status.

  14. It’s supposed to in this way that whoever works hard should be rewarded. People with same education and skills should be given equal opportunities. But in reality, that’s not the case. Some studies have shown that people who are white and have criminal record has better chances to get a job than a black or colored person with same education but no criminal record. Even if they get a job, there is difference between pay. Discrimination can cause them stress; racial inequality can cause low self esteem and self worth. It is also important to have connection with people who can help you in getting job. Access to financial resources does help in many ways. First, people who doesn’t have financial problem, might get a college degree without having burden of student load when they graduate. Thus less stress of getting job or working at 2 or even three jobs to pay the loan.

  15. Central to the concept of the American Dream is the notion that anyone who works hard enough will be rewarded—that anyone can “pull themselves up by their bootstraps.” How has this been made more difficult for people not defined as white? What is the long-term impact of that denial? What difference does access to financial resources make in terms of your life opportunities?

    The concept has been made more difficult for people that are not defined as white to actually progress in society like owning land. Access to anything has been limited for non whites was the long term impact for them, as they “capped” at a certain level of resources for them. This also has a impact on today’s society, for example, job hunting, house owning in specific communities, and a lot more. The resources that non whites dont have access to severely cuts the life opportunities that whites have.

  16. > Central to the concept of the American Dream is the notion that anyone who works hard enough will be rewarded—that anyone can “pull themselves up by their bootstraps.” How has this been made more difficult for people not defined as white? What is the long-term impact of that denial? What difference does access to financial resources make in terms of your life opportunities?

    This concept has been made more difficult for people because not everyone is treated equal like it says they should. A lot of people work hard for things in life. And not every one of them is rewarded for their achievements. Discrimination plays a huge role in this because there have been incidents where two people have worked together on a task and because of the color of each persons skin, one’s success has been recognized faster than the other. This American Dream that everyone is so infatuated of having has blinded a lot of people because it’s not what everyone says it is. This dream is said to make people’s lives better but in fact it’s making it worse.

  17. Central to the concept of the American Dream is the notion that anyone who works hard enough will be rewarded—that anyone can “pull themselves up by their bootstraps.” How has this been made more difficult for people not defined as white? What is the long-term impact of that denial? What difference does access to financial resources make in terms of your life opportunities?

    According to the concept of the American Dream anyone who works hard enough will be awarded is true only to certain point. People who are not white cannot receive the same amount of awards and benefits. People who are not white are restricted even with some basic needs as to own a land, buy a house or to vote. They might be banned from getting Naturalization and many more things like that. The long term impact could include that they end up working more hours and hard than the white people. That they couldn’t buy a house so end up living in a poor neighborhood or a bad environment. They might not be eligible to get an insurance so might up end dying early when they cannot afford for a checkup. As, for the access to financial resources I cannot get any benefits any Government or any financial loan as i am not a green card holder nor a Citizenship of USA. Therefore, I always have to pay out of my pocket for everything i do or everywhere i go. Which brings my abilities and my opportunities to the minimum due to lack of financial support.

  18. Central to the concept of the American Dream is the notion that anyone who works hard enough will be rewarded—that anyone can “pull themselves up by their bootstraps.” How has this been made more difficult for people not defined as white? What is the long-term impact of that denial? What difference does access to financial resources make in terms of your life opportunities?

    As a woman of African American decent I can not deny the fact of having to work twice as hard to get what I want even or need. Although the American dream states anyone is capable, and even though I am American,it is still more difficult for me because of my gender and race. Because I am American I am known to be given the same resources but that does not take away from the actual fair opportunity.

  19. The central to the concept of the American Dream that anyone who works hard enough will be rewarded and can pull themselves up by their bootstraps, in my opinion makes sense or is a true statement – however, it depends. On the contrary, for people who are not defined as white, that American Dream is only a dream. Because it is hard to pull oneself by the bootstraps when someone other than your race or with power is doing everything he/they can to make sure you stay beneath them and don’t fulfill the American Dream. On the other hand, regardless of how difficult it is for one to fulfill this American Dream, collectively (meaning husband, wife, kids, etc.), if, and only if, people who are not defined as white could see the clear picture of what is been set up to prevent them from making that dream come true, they can easily fulfill their dreams (collectively).

    Moreover, it is obvious that when such dream as the American Dream is prevented from people who are not defined as white the end result is devastating. And the long term impact of that denial was also the new deal housing program which totally racialize housing. This means also, working low paying jobs, living in undesirable houses and in conditions that are so unbearable just because of the boundary of racial differences and characters – because non-white were placed under the scope that they could undermine real estate values. In addition, one of the differences that this makes in terms of access to financial resources of your life opportunities is the impact it had loans forbidden and on your total health that inequality breathes.

  20. As an African american women, it will be hard for me to be fully rewarded for my hard work. It will always be believed that I do not have enough knowledge to accomplish this on my own therefore I must have had help. Blacks have been considered inferior for so long and we have only received civil liberties in the early 1930’s. We will allows be steps behind our white counterparts because they had a head start and were allowed privileges that were only recently afforded to blacks. We are making strides but the oppression is still alive and working to push blacks backwards. Since blacks have been denied our civil liberties for so long, we have to fight and work even harder than our white counterparts to prove ourselves.

    Financial resources are extremely important in life opportunities, it is accessed for homes, jobs, and assets. This will determine whether you own your home or rent from other people. Loans are based off of your financial resources which will determine whether its possible for entrepreneurial opportunities.

  21. his had been made more difficult to people not defining as white people because these people may not have had these things done to them but their current situation is a direct result of these things. These things being blockbusting, which is when black people move into a neighbor hood to cause whites to move out due to thinking that their home value will be reduced so all the sites in the area will sell their home as quickly as possible to get the bet “deal” for their home before people of Afrikan Decent. this is used my realtors in order to make profit. also another thing is redlining where people of Afrikan decent was denied housing in a certain part of a neighborhood. The long term affect of these practices are white people having higher network while in the same situation as people of Afrikan decent. All these negative impacts have passed down through the generations to people in todays world. the difference access to financial resources make in terms of your life opportunities are vast. You are basically living a life bared from something that someone else isn’t being bared from. they are receiving a whole other spectrum go help that inset available to you, you may not even know that it exist.

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