America Was Built To Bail Out Winners Not Losers

By rigging a nation of the winners, for the winners, by the winners.

America has its flaws, yet one thing is certain: money plays an integral role in that country. It’s a rat race that rewards those who come from elite families and make it to college or have promising careers shortly after high school graduation.

Those without the means to reach these goals find themselves on their own once more — like starting all over again as if back in high school.

Last night I watched the movie 99 Homes which is a direct reflection of American Capitalist society.

Money, its relationship to it, and the banking system are an accurate reflection of American current society. The movie is depicting this accurately in a unique manner. Who knows how these concepts will manifest themselves twenty years from now given the ever-evolving nature of society?

Nonetheless, for today’s world, we have 99 Homes as a reliable storyteller that paints an exact picture of where the US currently stands.

Unemployed construction worker Dennis Nash (Andrew Garfield) and his family are cruelly evicted from their home by Rick Carver, a despicable businessman and con man (Michael Shannon). Desperate to reclaim his home, Dennis resolves to join forces with the same malevolent individual in order to earn a living — and get his home back.

As an immigrant from Eastern Europe who believed in the American Dream and the Land of Opportunities, studied and worked to achieve the dream, and later realized that as a nurse, I will barely make it in America.

Maybe, I could afford a little house in suburbia and work until I drop to pay the mortgage off but never could I afford a property in the area I love, with magnificent views (those are reserved in America for the super-rich) paid in cash.

Never.

I finally decided to set off for a place where I can obtain my desired lifestyle without the necessity of nonstop work, no universal healthcare, and crippling anxiety. The last thing I want is for me to be in debt when the bank repossesses everything after 120 days of non-payment.

But back to the movie.

It’s so hard and heartbreaking to watch Dennis work hard and still not be able to pay his mortgage. He must support his mother Lynn (Laura Dern) and his son Conner (Noah Lomax) through only construction jobs.

On the contrary, Carver provides for himself in an unethical manner by taking advantage of homeowners and forcing them out of their homes. His fraudulent practices have enabled him to make top dollars. And he is winning as he said the law is the law even if it is against moral and ethical values.

Then he says:

Don’t be soft. Do you think America gives a flying rat's ass about you or me? America doesn’t bail out the losers. America was built by bailing out winners. By rigging a nation of the winners, for the winners, by the winners.

Besides the financial concepts depicted in this movie, its setting is also pertinent. Orlando, Florida serves as the backdrop for this story — with some of the most affluent homes existing side-by-side with those suffering from eviction notices taped to the windows of their small rectangular homes.

This film paints an incredibly accurate portrait of how varied the concept of “money” means in America and how can you attain it.

Some people have comfortable financial stability, while others struggle to make ends meet each month. The ones who have financial stability know how to play the system and take an advantage of the working class. They are winning while the rest is losing.

It is clear that America was built to bail out the winners, not the losers. The concept of money and its relationship to power in this country is undeniable.

The lesson the American system is teaching us is that is clearly made for con artists. And the more you know how to rig the system and take from the poor, the richer you will get.

And while some may suffer more than others, it is important to remember that by understanding the rules of the game and playing them correctly, one can achieve a certain level of financial stability and security.

Don’t worry about high ethics or morality. That is for losers.

Being a millionaire in America doesn’t require you to be an everyday worker such as a construction laborer, hairdresser, or nurse. With some clever manipulation of the system, one can become rich beyond their wildest dreams.

Those service jobs are for losers but if you want to be a winner in America teach your kids how to lie, cheat, and stump on others to reach their financial stability.

You may argue that your parents had homes and stable occupations a few years ago, but times have changed significantly over the past several decades. The reality today is vastly different than it was thirty to forty years ago.

Reality now is upside down and what was good before now is bad and the bad is good now. The banality of evil arrived.

Hannah Arendt describes this perfectly in her work, the Banality of Evil:

“I mean that evil is not radical, going to the roots (radix), that it has no depth, and that for this very reason, it is so terribly difficult to think about it, since thinking, by definition, wants to reach the roots. Evil is a surface phenomenon, and instead of being radical, it is merely extreme. We resist evil by not being swept away by the surface of things, by stopping ourselves and beginning to think, that is, by reaching another dimension than the horizon of everyday life. In other words, the more superficial someone is, the more likely will he be to yield to evil. An indication of such superficiality is the use of clichés, and Eichmann, …was a perfect example.”

And American culture is profoundly superficial and this isn’t just my opinion or experience:

Or as the exchange student in the US from Germany summarizes:

“American friendships are superficial. Period. It has taken nearly a decade for me to come to this realization. I have spent more time in my twenties as an ex-pat than I have as an American living in the United States.

Everything is just so fake. You go into a store, and they immediately point out five things they like about you. I found that when I tried making friends they would do the same thing without ever trying to get to know who I am. This attitude was everywhere I went even when buying groceries.

They would ask questions like “Are you having a fancy dinner,” or say things like ‘that cheese is amazing.’ It was like they were trying to fill a silence with chatter.

I felt that I couldn’t be as honest with people. You have to tiptoe around your relationships. Everyone gets so offended easily. In Germany, we are honest with each other. When I ask or answer a question I expect honesty.”

In summary, the embrace of superficiality allows for the neglect of morality and ethics; it’s incredibly easy in a culture that supports such behavior.

In conclusion, if you want to become a winner in America then learn how to cheat and rig the system. The system is built for this. The 99 homes movie proves it and the American superficial culture makes it possible to attain it. Because if you play by the rules in the US, you gonna lose.