Times of Peril?

In class this past week, we've been talking about perilous times. What defines a perilous time? Are we, as Americans, going through a perilous time right now?

A perilous time in America means that people are not able to live the "American Dream." During past wars, families have not been able to stay together because of drafting and the extra work women had to take on. That broke up the American Dream. People have become poor due to funding for the war or have come back from the war to no money. That means that they cannot buy a nice house for their family or educate their children. That has broken up the American Dream.

In order to be secure and out of peril, a family must have their white picket fence and college education. This ensures a home and a bright and prosperous future. This is so true, that insurance companies are making their profit by guaranteeing the protection of the American Dream. Take American Family Insurance (click on link for American Dream commercials from AmFam). They sell the idea that by investing in their insurance company, the life they want for themselves and their children will be secure. And of course the life they want is the true life of an American.

In my opinion, we are kidding ourselves. In America, over 20% of American children are living in poverty. The number of impoverished children has gone up by 2 million in 2 years. If this doesn't define perilous times, I don't know what does. Yes, the majority of children are living the American Dream. But when we have to say that 1 in 5 children doesn't have a secure home or a proper set of meals, something has to be wrong. Maybe we aren't going through perilous times in the sense that people are being drafted for war, but we are living in perilous times if there is a large percent of our population that has no security.