Utopian Ideas in Pragmatic America
Utopian Ideas in Pragmatic America
By: Allison MilesThe utopian idea is a western take on a perfect place, attached to the idea of recreating lost paradises in history. Despite this hope, the Greek words "ou" and "topos" that make up "utopia" quite literally translate to "no place". In Republic (a Socratic dialogue, written by Plato around 380 BC, concerning justice, the order and character of the just, city-state, and the just man), Plato described the ideal Greek city-state as requiring communal living among the ruling class, perhaps based on the model of Sparta. Sir Thomas More-- a humanist philosopher --wrote Utopia in 1516, describing a perfect political and social system on an imaginary island. This book popularized the modern definition of "Utopia" as being any place or situation of ideal perfection.
Although westerners and especially Americans enjoy this idea of perfection being their home, there are some current issues that cause a utopian-esque society to be a dream instead of a reality.
Everyone in government and the U.S. is well aware of the opioid crisis, and most states have taken action to fight it. But year after year, the death count rises. The New York Times estimates that 59,000 people died of drug overdoses in 2016, and 2017 appears to have been deadlier still.
The United States is faced with a diverse set of foreign policy problems, and the American public expects political leaders to address these issues. While most Americans do not think military intervention is the right response to threats to American financial interests overseas or human rights issues in other countries, economic pressure is supported as a method to deal with these problems. The public also supports economic pressure to deal with international terrorism, nuclear proliferation, and aggression against an ally.
Last month, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced a new policy expanding the agency’s power to detain pregnant women. And as a result, both the defense of the unborn and the rights of migrants have been cast aside in our fear-driven enforcement of U.S. immigration laws.
Often regarded as a humane alternative to the death penalty, sentences of life without parole (also known as LWOP) have essentially the same result: slow aging behind bars and death in prison. The Sentencing Project reported in 2017 that about 53,000 Americans are serving this hopeless sentence which Pope Francis has called “a death penalty in disguise”—a number that has quadrupled since 1992.
The United States does not consistently follow any of these suggestions. A utopia is a great idea, and it's wonderful to dream of living in, but remember the origin of a utopia, despite its beauty: there is "no place" for one.
I really like that you included the breakdown of a utopia and the meaning translating directly to "no place". There doesn't seem to be any one way to fix the numerous issues preventing us from reaching perfection because there is no one way of thinking or believing in American society. We are one people, but are also very diverse in our ways and opinions so that no one 100% agrees on how issues should be dealt with. I honestly feel like it is just human nature to be imperfect in our interactions and within ourselves. Yes, a utopia is a dream more than an achievable reality.
ReplyDeleteI can see you put a lot of research and effort into this blog post. I do feel lost, however. You jump from one topic to another in paragraph two to three with no explained reason why you are doing so. Although I can see what you are trying to make points of in this, even after getting to the end of the post, I don't see an easy flow to follow. Consider trying to introduce what topics you will be discussing in the post and stay focused on those specific topics, and also adding more hyperlinked sources to get better context.
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