Growing up in a small suburban Connecticut town, an hour outside New York City, I never truly experienced the quintessential struggle in order reach the “American Dream”. Knowing this, I still experienced hardships and observed a multitude of peoples undergoing extreme difficulties in order to keep up with the the increasingly demanding efforts of today’s society.
Though my family wasn’t exactly “loaded”, our town in Fairfield County is stereotypically known for older white people who enjoy the finer things in life. Though our family did not have nearly as much disposable income as the majority of town, the almost lavish culture and expectations were certainly imposed on everyone living within Wilton, Connecticut.
Graduating from a nationally respected high school, every student was expected to move on to a four year university. As wrong as it is, those who chose to pursue other careers, attend 2 year degrees, or even community college were largely looked down upon as less successful.
This standard created an extreme pressure.
A stressful weight imposing emotional trauma, experimental pharmaceuticals, and most importantly my childhood.
The most sickening thing to me is considering these pressures and the unbearable anxieties with my culturally gifted fortune that I have as a white male. Even to this day I cannot help but at times lie awake unable to sleep with retrospectively menial feelings of discontent. More so I know that I am not the only one with these feelings and it pains me with guilt to realize that despite my feelings I am at the top of the chain for cultural privilege and monetary resources.
