I’ve been living here for 40 years, and I’ve witnessed it’s gradual decline. I grew up learning that hard work and dedication pay off, but now none of that is valid. In high school, I strived for good grades and quality extracurriculares, and that didn’t pay off as much as I would’ve liked. In my adult life, I’ve seen that your effort at work doesn’t equate to your recompense, and that no matter how much you apply yourself, management doesn’t give a shit and will not up your pay. I’m currently in the job market, and applying for, and interviewing for, jobs is laughable. I’m strung along in order to placate management, or whatever else it might be, and then the position is filled. Yet, weeks later, the same position is still open online. Not to mention the exorbitant cost of living, cost of renting/ buying, cost of healthcare, cost of existing, and the fact that nothing in the United States is worth acquiring. I used to believe in the American dream, but that no longer is a a valid end result. Don’t have a bourgeois social network? Fuck you. Your parents aren’t rich? Fuck you. You want to move up within a company and think meritocracy will give you benefit for your hard work? Fuck you. It’s depressing, and quite frankly it makes me sad that a once idealized way of life that was strived for, is now just a pipe dream. As a lowly worker, I’ll never be able to attain the “American dream,” and that’s why this country sucks!