The American Nightmare

From the accompanying essay: 'In creating an album cover and Spotify playlist for our final project, we hope to draw attention to the problematic nature of the dominant narratives of the United States and the incongruence between these narratives and the reality of life for the majority of Americans. For decades now, Americans have embraced and proclaimed the misleading ideals that the United States is a meritocracy, a melting pot, and a place where upward mobility is not only possible, but commonplace. The United States has embraced the myth of the level playing field, the idea which states that everyone in our society has an equal chance of succeeding. Our illustrations and song choices are intended to illuminate the inaccuracy of these claims and open the eyes of Americans to the social inequality that inhibits the opportunities of a large percentage of the population, especially racial minorities. There seems to be a common misperception in the United States that acknowledging the problems of this nation makes one unpatriotic. We hope to nullify this claim by explicitly displaying the flaws of this country in a visually stimulating and musical way, thus increasing awareness of the many ways in which America can continue to grow and progress.'