Photo by Getty Images
A year ago, I wrote about how the Great Recession hit Latinos hard. At the time, I was hopeful that the worst was behind us. Perhaps that was my natural Latino tendency to be optimistic.
After all, Latinos “are worse off, but they are still more positive about where the country is going” compared to most Americans. In particular, “Latino small-business owners are among the fastest growing and most upbeat [groups] in the nation,” and they “worry less about job security and are more positive and humble.”
Well, that sounds pretty great. There’s just one problem. All this hope, faith, and positive thinking seems to have had little effect in the real world.
Currently, the unemployment rate for Latinos is 11 percent, almost three points higher than the general population, and “Hispanics are still at a disadvantage when it comes to employment.” Latinos endured the largest drop in household wealth, and the largest increase in poverty, of any ethnicity in recent years.
So why are Latinos so optimistic in the face of these dire numbers? You guessed it — the infamous Latino work ethic has convinced many of us that prosperity, the American Dream, is ours if we just slave away harder.
An amazing 75 percent of Hispanics believe “that most people can get ahead if they are willing to work hard,” compared to just 55 percent of the general population. Conversely, a meager 21 percent of Latinos say, “hard work and determination are no guarantee of success,” compared to 40 percent of the overall population.
Again, faith in one’s own ability and a willingness to work hard are virtues. However, there is a difference between optimism and delusion.
If hard work were sufficient for becoming rich, a lot more Latinos would be lighting big cigars in their limos. But that is obviously not happening.
One reason is because ceaseless labor is not nearly as important for achieving financial success as education is. And in that regard, as Being Latino has pointed out, Latinos are way behind.
Also, because Latinos tend to be poorer in the first place, our kids don’t have the advantages that more affluent children receive, perpetuating a cycle that all the hard work in the world can’t overcome.
In fact, if you really want to rise up the socioeconomic ladder, you should have been born white and rich, because “a family’s race, economic background, and neighborhood play a role in economic mobility,” meaning that “if you’re born poor, you’re probably going to stay that way.”
Yes, we’ve heard how rich people are suffering too. But the joke is on us, because the wealthy know that “those born at the top and bottom of the income ladder are likely to stay there as adults.” And despite what you’ve been told, “the rags-to-riches story is more often found in Hollywood than in reality.”
In essence, Latinos tend to be more optimistic about achieving the American Dream, but that’s beginning to look more and more like believing in the tooth fairy.
About Daniel Cubias
as long as we don’t help eah others, it will become a myth..tenemos que unirnos
Yes, we can!
Its for everyone…not just latinos…and this country is what you make of it….it would be nice to not have to press one for english thoe
question is do we still want the american dream?
Yea, only if you sell your soul
I wrote an essay about this a few years back. The short answer is: I guess, depending on what you want. We just happened to come of age during the worst economy in 80 years, now what? Well, I don’t know about everyone else, but I guess I’ll do what I gotta do to not only survive, but find a way to thrive. My dream is a small family in an apartment in Queens or Brooklyn. It’s not a house in the suburbs with a picket fence and a car in the garage, but I never really wanted that anyway. As for my job, I like what I do and would like to stay here; I’d also like to be a writer on a professional level, but I’ll write for the fun of it for now. On that note, I’d also like a supermodel girlfriend, is that too much to ask?
You can achieve anything you put your mind, hardwork and passion on it… No matter how small or big your American Dream is, Pa’ lante y no mires para atras ni para cojer impulso
The dream is your own. We all have wishes and we all want something greener on the other side of the fence. However, we make choices and responsibilities to want what we want to be happy.
<—— Latina and livin the dream….aqui mismo! Its about what and how much effort you put into gettin there. You have to get over the obstacles put in front of you. You will get there as long as you don't give up. It takes lots of patience too.
YES YES YES I can testify!!!!!
American dream is a myth
A myth.
The grass can be greener on the other side, that’s why this Brown Beret is striving for the AZTLAN dream.
Well if we keep on allowing hoards of illegals to invade the country and take away resources from Legal Americans of all races and nationalities, then yes, there will be no American dream left. And we need to vote Obama out too.
Powerful and enlightening
If one believes in god, then anything is possible…. the American Dream is not a myth.. If we unite and strive to achieve the American Deam we are able to do that! How do you think you achieved your American Dream??? I t was for your ancesters… they were the ones who fought for their American Dream first…. If they fought through and lived the American Dream then why can’t other people do the same thing???? And by the way hispanic people are not the only race that is fighting for the American Dream… Latinos are no harm to America…. They actually help it because there are a lot of lazy people that wouldn’t get up early in the morning to go pick in the fields… Where do you think you get those amazing Georgia Peaches from?? Who picks them?? We are not a waste of time for this contry.. We want a better education so that the genarations after us can have a better life and strive higher each generation. If i ever have children, i would like to give everything to them… i would like for them to have a better future and a great education! I believe in God and i believe that we will one day, together as one, we will achieve the American Dream!!