The great American paradox

American culture is a paradox. According to dictionary.com, a paradox is “any person, thing, or situation exhibiting an apparently contradictory nature.” So, how is American culture a paradox?

Our culture teaches Americans to become successful and win in business and their careers. The paradox is that when you become successful and wealthy, you are now deemed to be evil and must be punished. Punished in the sense that wealthy Americans must give away more than their fair share, via taxes.

So, do rich people deserve to be punished because they believed that they could be successful? Is it their fault that they became successful and someone else didn’t? No. I think all Americans are given the same opportunity, but it’s those that take advantage of it that become wealthy.

There’s also the misconception that the majority of these Americans became wealthy by way of hurting someone else in the process. While it’s true that some have, that’s not the case with most. You can take a look at the Forbes 400 if you don’t believe it.

What are your thoughts? Am I completely off-base here?

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