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A Common Dream
"There aren’t many options available to a young man growing up in the streets, so most of them set their eyes on being a rapper or a sports player."
By Amy Saechao
In my community, most of the boys I know all have one thing in common: their dreams. Coming from East Oakland and living in poverty usually labels youth like myself with the term, “ghetto” but there is a lot more pressure put on the young men.
Most boys are pressured into selling drugs or “grind”, as some would say, drinking, smoking, and even having sex with whatever comes their way. They have aspirations to get whatever they can whenever they want, and hold a macho image so others won’t see them as what is known as a “sucka” or a “square”, someone who is cowardly and doesn’t fit in.
As if this isn’t pressure and stress enough, they all have to set their eyes on a career and life goal to get themselves out of the streets and away from juvenile hall and the pen. There aren’t many options available to a young man growing up in the streets, so most of them set their eyes on being a rapper or a sports player. These two career options allow them to still be associated with their neighborhood while being successful at the same time. Why does almost every young man living in poverty grow up to want a career in the sport or music industry?
Ever since a man is small, he is surrounded by his neighborhood and what the media provides. They usually watch sports games and music videos or music channels on television. Show such as “Cribs”, “Uncut”, and “Access Granted” cause young minds to idolize and envy what they see. They are then enclosed with the image of pimps, girls, players, money, and material possessions in their heads.
They are also often pushed, especially by the government to believe that they can’t make it in life and that school isn’t for them, but they know they are obligated to make a living the legal way. They want to have what their eyes desire, therefore, they think about what they’re good at and decide that a career in that field would be the quickest and easiest way out.
They commonly don’t think about the longer process to get something, they want it now and fast. On top of all that, they turn on the T.V. screen each evening and see people in the sports and music industry who come from places like them and make it, which inspire them.
There’s nothing wrong with being inspired, but truth be told, there is a limit to how many people who can become famous from the same career choice. I think young men should stop, think twice and go to school. They need to have a backup plan, a second path for them to follow, just in case they get lost in the first one, because that is reality.
I do not feel that there is anything wrong with a young man’s desire to be part of the music and sports industry. The people who have already made it play good role models and encourage youth in many positive ways. It’s good that young men have a plan and a goal, but it’s not good that they’re all taught to want the same thing when they’re young.
They should be taught that they have a wider range of dreams than what they believe they can choose from because setting their eyes on the exact same prize results only in a smaller percentage of young men from poverty making it and more disappointment.
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