The Other American Dream: Protection of the Individual

An American comedian once satirically said that in America, “you can do anything and get whatever you want, as long as you don’t get arrested by law enforcement or judicial authorities!”

It’s clear that this is somewhat of an exaggerated portrayal of the American dream, toward which so many of the world’s people aspire.

When the United States wanted to accentuate that dream in light of its global superpower dominance, it began to “market” it in various parts of the world. At the same time, it began showcasing its military strength in some areas and using it in others.

Here in our distress-ladened Middle East, a large segment of the population is always opposed to anything related to America because of its foreign policy, which is closely tied to Israel and all that Israel does in terms torturing, killing and destroying the Palestinian people and nation.

But these are not the only reasons for the hatred and dissatisfaction felt toward the U.S. by Middle East communities. Add to this the obvious stumbles of American foreign policy in recent years, when it decided to intervene directly in the region’s affair, even officering advice to its rulers and people and launching a plan for a new and more beautiful Middle East. But the Americans were surprised and felt let down by the region’s officials, and felt mislead when they didn’t receive the responses and actions that were expected from our centers of power.

But getting back to America, we find that there is another famous American dream, known for its beauty, humanity and legitimacy. That is the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King (the Black American leader ), which he spoke of repeatedly until the day of his assassination. He was killed because of that dream, which included insuring civil rights to every human being in justice and equality, so that all could live according to a system of mutual respect and an appreciation of one’s humanity.

While the American dream is based on the achievement of what one wants, regardless of the nature and legality of what one seeks, on the other hand, the dream of Martin Luther King was superior to this, because it is designed to protect the rights of the individual in society.

Aside from American movies (sorry, I mean the American Dream), the real dream is one of human rights, under which people enjoy not only social, economic and political freedom, but are able to pursue their goals according to rules that protect them from the evils that lurk within themselves or originate in society. Without doubt, this is the dream of all human beings, just as it was in Plato’s utopia.