There are obvious changes occurring within our country regarding our society, politics and how we treat others, ultimately altering the image America once had.

In the context of the modern-day United States this has a definite resonance, but not
always for the best of reasons.

The USA has slowly evolved into an establishment that houses government controversies,
racial injustices and is currently the laughingstock of the global political scene, differing from the land of opportunity that it was once perceived to be.

I have no bias towards either presidential hopeful Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton, as I am legally not of age to cast a vote. But, if you mean to tell me that our future will be in the hands of a great leader, I completely disagree. Option A, a blatant, hypocritical racist or option B, an untruthful, bold-faced liar: you decide, America.

To put it into context, the last time the United States was debt-free, Charles Darwin was traveling the world in the HMS Beagle, baseball – America’s pastime – was yet to be invented, and you and I would not be born for at least another 100 years.

On top of that is relentless racial turmoil, arguably the worst America has experienced since the 1960s.

No, Jim Crow Laws aren’t in action, and no, there are not Japanese immigrants suffering in internment camps along the West Coast. However, the fact that movements such as “Black Lives Matter” and “All Lives Matter” had to be started to remind America of its constant mismanagement of race-related issues, and continual mistreatment of African American, Hispanic, Asian and Middle Eastern minorities is an absolute joke.

It isn’t that our country has depreciated as a military power or that our politics and economy have no effect on the world – they certainly do.

The issue is that the effects have reflected so negatively on our nation that they downplay the many great accomplishments of our citizens and highlight the worst we have to offer.

Unfortunately, the only voices and accounts that are commonly heard by the world are those of political figures lacking sanity and emotionally heavy reports of riots and shootings.

Our “impartial” media lacks the courage to air the voices of wise and honest individuals, only briefly covering positive and influential events. Even when they disclose these stories to the
public, they end up becoming outweighed by reports that distastefully summarize our nation.
Content is produced only to increase views and improve chances at winning the next Emmy.

This country used to be a place for entrepreneurship and personal freedoms. A place to escape prejudice, not be bogged down by it.

For instance, gay marriage was officially ruled legal in all American states in July of 2016, granting rights that had never before been given to the LGBTQ+ community.

Yet, countless members of the LGBTQ+ community receive unjust, biased and disrespectful treatment solely because of their gender or sexual preference.

And although millennials are the most culturally tolerant generation, they are also one of the laziest.

Complacency is just as problematic as ignorance.

Don’t shoot the messenger, but the Declaration of Independence – in which all of our country’s principles are based on – reads “all men are created equal.”

There might not have been quill and ink capable of producing a bold, 128-point font in 1776, but if there was, Thomas Jefferson might have needed an entire page just for the word “all.”
Gone are the golden days, where education was cheap, our country was unified and people were not ridiculed for making a political or religious joke.

It is our lack of realization, as an oppressive and judgmental people, that often contributes to the problem – that is what has changed in American society.