Example of a Satirical Essay: The American Dream
The American dream is known as “that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement” (“The American Dream,” 2015).
Unfortunately, sometimes people from other countries who come to the USA in search of a new happy life do not seem to understand what this really means. Be better and richer. Undoubtedly, there is nothing bad in it. However, if people think that simply going to America will bring millions of dollars in a day (or in a couple of months at least), they are wrong.
First of all, people should understand that the key to any dream is hard work. Many people start from working somewhere like McDonald’s during the day and working at night time to make a living in the USA; nothing is wrong with it on the way to your dream. However, dreams have to be achievable. If you are seriously dreaming of becoming a pop star at the age of 35 without any musical education and with only your neighbors’ and friends’ recommendations, there is a high probability that you have chosen the wrong dream. People should keep in mind that the vast majority of Americans or immigrants trying to find their dream in the United States will not succeed. It does not seem so optimistic, but according to different kinds of surveys, it is true (Schumacher, 2006).
Moreover, different nations have different traditions, and people who are going to become members of another culture have to be aware of them to show respect. Furthermore, independently of where you go, you always go with yourself. Thus, if you are lazy, or if you complain about everything in this world, America will not magically cure you. You need to work on yourself on your own, and you should understand what exactly is your dream. These are the keys to success.
References
The American Dream: What Is the American Dream? (2015). Library of Congress. Retrieved from http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/lessons/american-dream/students/thedream.html.
Schumacher, J. (2006). The American Dream. Reality or just a dream? American Daydreamer. Retrieved from http://america.day-dreamer.de/pro.htm.
Satire Essay Examples: The One about Democracy
Is Today’s Democracy a Smoke Screen for Tyranny in Some Countries?
The democratic political system is sometimes presented as one of the biggest achievements of the Western world, with its values of human rights and individual freedom. However, in their fascination toward democracy, many people seem to forget (if not simply ignore) the multiple facts that prove how far from ideal this system is. Today’s democracy can be easily turned into a good-looking cover for authoritarian regimes and actions that are extremely far from proclaimed ideals.
One of the basic principles of modern democracy lies in people’s power to build the vector of their country’s political developments. However, modern times have proven that what might seem like a democratic state, with a system of regular elections, a variety of political parties, and constant social dialogue, is an authoritarian country with a democratic facade. Modern democracy consists of institutions that keep together the complexity and diversity of political movements and ideas. While these structures are meant to ensure that the democratic process is not interrupted, they can be turned against this purpose. In Russia, for example, the media, political dialogue, and independence of political parties seem to have been slowly turned to serve a single group of politicians and businessmen, led by President Vladimir Putin (Levy). While these institutions are present and visible in Russia, they are all just instruments of imitation of a democratic process. In reality, Putin’s fully legitimate and “democratic” rule has been lasting for nearly two decades, giving him almost unlimited political and economic privileges and excluding any opponents from political discourse. The Kremlin’s democratic “puppet show” may produce a beautiful picture for outsiders, yet it carries ideas that are far from freedom and human rights.
Another structural issue of today’s democracies is the rule of the majority’s choice. Although democracies are built upon the idea of people choosing how to govern their country, modern times have shown that sometimes a simple following of the majority’s choice may lead to catastrophic consequences. Sometimes the democratic process leads to the tyranny of the majority over the minority’s interests, with no dialogue or compromise. What is even more ironic, sometimes because of an inadequate election system, is that even a minority might take over the rule and start aggressively pushing its agenda.
That is exactly what happened in the US 2016 Presidential election, when Donald Trump, despite his highly controversial and often ill-educated ideas, won, although losing the popular vote. Now, the US faces a series of social and political conflicts that have emerged because of Trump’s developments, which are aimed at his audience but are completely unattached to democratic values and even the simplest common sense. Interestingly, democratic institutions are failing to unite the people using a shared set of values and ideas, only increasing the polarization and division within the political discourse (Packer). It seems that the US has fallen into a trap, set by the same democratic system decades ago.
To conclude, today’s democracy is still full of toxic issues and structural holes that produce tyrannies under beautiful covers. Surely, democracy may be the best possible solution to build a modern political process, but we have to be ready to face the challenges that this political system has reached and react appropriately, and not just by hoping that the issues are going to solve themselves through the traditional democratic process.
Works Cited
Levy, Clifford J. “Russia’s Knockoff Democracy.” The New York Times, 16 Dec. 2007, www.nytimes.com/2007/12/16/weekinreview/16levy/. Accessed 28 Aug. 2017.
Packer, George. “Will Our Democratic Institutions Contain Trump?” The New Yorker, 18 June 2017, www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/11/21/will-our-democratic-institutions-contain-trump/. Accessed 28 Aug. 2017.
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