The Facade of American Meritocracy

          The amount of time and energy applied to video games added up to no known intangible or monetary rewards. Hell, it did not even amount to pulling a drunk, country gordita on Tinder late one night. At first, the pain was felt in the spirit, but it is now being felt in various vital organs. Despite all of the red flags of going down the road of living a meaningless life at the age of 21, I ask for another video game on my Alienware computer for Christmas.
          Waking up, ten minutes is spent scrolling through Reddit posts about philosophical arguments to use against theists. Having not
seen the sun in a few days, my body has lost sense of the day and time coupled with an increase to an already existing depression. The consistency of my arm muscle mass went from that of rotini to one of spaghetti, cooked of course. Coming out of a mental trance, which I confused with a permanent case of being cross-eyed, I become cognizant of the fact that today is Christmas Day, which gives me a temporary dopamine hit knowing Cyberpunk lies at the end of the day. 
          After going through the motions of taking part in the Christmas family tradition of eating a smoked turkey and an uncountable
​number of sides, my room felt like a safe haven. Cyberpunk is more appealing than answering relatives’ questions about my current standing in life and future plans. As I begin to sharpen my skills in my new Christmas gift, an occasional laughter downstairs of the family enjoying each other’s company will erupt. So annoying.
          The iPhone alarm goes off, it is the Monday after Christmas. Four hours of sleep is all one gets after an indulgence in Cyberpunk.
The sun shines on my pale skin as I ride my old skateboard up to the coffee shop due to not having the means to buy even the cheapest of vehicles. A brief realization of my depression occurs when the sun provides an abnormal boost in happiness. Being the first time leaving home in days, I break to pursue something other than the entertainment of a video game. Ultimately, this results in recording a big gulp of the reliable cranberry juice. Rolling behind the shop about fifteen minutes before clocking in, and in the shade of the building, I decide to attach my favorite song, Dreams, to the video and post it to TikTok. Man, hopefully sliding into the DMs of that one girl for the 4th time will work.
          After working my shift, I turn airplane mode off only to find already thousands of notifications from the video going viral across
the internet. An easy $100 increase to the savings account from donations. Going home, the thought of making a living by being a skillful content creator is appealing. Closing my eyes, I dream of the future and how life could be different with a little bit of luck.
          Skin burning from the hot desert sun, eyes slowly opening, and without a worry of eviction or bankruptcy I ask the bottle girl
for another Bellini. They say living life with grit and intellect will set you up for success. In my eyes, the American economy was built on rewarding those deserving of power and monetary gain. If you want to achieve success, it is possible if you put in the time and effort.



          What is written above is a story that happens with many in the postmodern American economy. It is loosely based on how
Nathan Apodaca; the skateboard riding, cranberry juice drinking, and Fleetwood Mac fan TikTok star made his living in 2020. He went from being a potato warehouse worker living in an RV without running water or electricity to now being able to buy a modest home and a ring for his fiancé. Now, Nathan Apodaca is the type of person that deserves a lucky break. I always root for the underdog blue-collar worker that wants to support his wife and kids in an honest manner. This story is altered to put into light that an undeserving person can achieve success before a person like Nathan. For every blue-collar worker like Nathan that receives a windfall, there are hundreds of girls on OnlyFans and guys playing video games on Twitch that are paying their bills by providing an entertainment service. Think of how many resources are produced to ensure the well being of OnlyFans girls and greasy gamers when they could be put towards those in need. Instead of providing affordable healthcare and housing for blue collar workers, we are financing a living situation for someone to contribute nothing along with some flights to Hawaii. 
          When attempting to discuss social policy and its relation to girls making money on OnlyFans, a portion of the populace will tell
you that it is done out of necessity to ensure survival because being an attractive white woman in the United States is one of the least privileged demographics in the world. A few searches on YouTube show me that these people are winning in the current economic system. They admit the riches they make and explain how to make your own money on the platform. 
If you have name recognition, a large corporation will give you money to promote their product regardless of your ethical standards or the quality of your work history. Our businesses should have more in mind than the bottom line. They need to be aware that helping high quality and deserving people achieve wealth is more admirable than only focusing on profits.
          Trying to box this in as a socially conservative position does not accurately describe this piece. There are many self described
liberals and independents that agree with points in this piece as it relates to the American economy. My hope is that we can begin to have these conversations on a much broader scale and reach a consensus on policies to implement that will promote the ideals of a meritocratically based economy.

Disclaimer: This is my own philosophy that comes from the comfort of my La-Z-Boy with the little free time I have outside of work. Crack open an Ultra, watch some football, and enjoy the facade.