Park Avenue: Money, Power and the American Dream (Essay Sample)

Park Avenue: Money, Power and the American Dream
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Park Avenue: Money, Power and the American Dream
What the Documentary is About
The documentary Park Avenue: Money, Power, and the American Dream does a spectacular job depicting a wide gap between the poor and the elite. The film producer and director, Alex Gibney (2013), argues that the rich have manipulated the system in their favor and are responsible for the inequality witnessed. In the documentary, Gibney uses Park Avenue in New York as an example and compares it with 740 Park in Manhattan to evidentially assert the effect of inequality. 740 Park in Manhattan presently houses most billionaires in the U.S., while Park Avenue, which is five miles from 740 Park, is the poorest district in New York.
In the documentary, Gibney details the significant social differences that have long existed in the U.S. and how they have risen speedily over the past 40 years. Gibney statistically describes the disparity by illustrating that as of 2010, more wealth was controlled by the 400 richest Americans than the bottom 150 million people, which is about 50% of the population (Gibney, 2013). Thus, the poor languish in poverty while the elite continues to prosper. Besides, the documentary describes how the U.S. has allowed egocentric professionals and politicians to manage resources inappropriately. Generally, Gibney tries to elaborate on why upward mobility is extremely unattainable by the poor population.
How the Documentary is Related to the Class Readings and Discussions
In class, we learned and discussed social inequality and how it affects the poor. The documentary also details the effect of the unjust distribution of opportunities and resources. It is because of this unfair practice that there is a 19% unemployment rate on Park Avenue. In comparison, 1% of America's richest individuals live just ten minutes south, across the Harlem River in 740 Park, Manhattan (Gibney, 2013). Thus, together with the class discussions and lectures, the film ascertains that the unjust distribution of resources has negatively affected upward mobility and has made it difficult for the poor to climb the ladder of success.
Moreover, we discussed the American Dream as a fallacy in class. The documentary also details how America, being the land of opportunity, is becoming less of a fairy tale. The people in Park Avenue are worse off than they were a generation before, yet the elite boast of America being the land of opportunity. During the recession period, caused by the bankers living across the Harlem River, most South Bronx residents lost their jobs. Thus, about 7,000 people in South Bronx live in abject poverty with no income source (Gibney, 2013). Gibney concludes that one of the main causes of social inequality is that the rich make it difficult for the poor to attain the American Dream by manipulating politics to suit the wants of the elite.
My Position on the Documentary
I agree with the documentary that the elite class has taken advantage of the poor. As days go by, the