I believe that there are a lot of opportunities for Americans to take advantage of in an effort to improve their lives and the lives of their loved ones. One of the problems that I think persists in America as far as opportunities are concerned are the judgements so many attach to opportunity and the availability and desirability of said opportunity.
While all opportunities are supposed available to all Americans, are they really? Let me put it this way: If one person has the opportunity to become a billionaire, then isn't that opportunity available to all Americans?
Yes, the opportunity is available to all Americans, but do those who want to follow in billionaire A's footsteps really have the same opportunity? Could someone who wanted to be the next Jeff Bezos really follow the same path Bezos took or would Jeff crush their dreams the way he's stomped on minor competitors in the past? I forget which type of business Bezos squashed using the power of Amazon, but it was either an online diaper retailer or an online pet store that Amazon undermined and put out of business. Amazon did so by selling a similar product at cost, which the smaller competitor couldn't do, effectively stamping out their opportunity.
And, the ability to squash a competitor's dream isn't even limited to small competitors. Due to competition for users, Facebook will use it's clout, power and size to lobby for regulation(s) that will stop the growth of other social media platforms like Twitter. The social media platform Library was killed by other platforms attacking it.
Currently, innovation for Web3 in America is being stifled. The opportunity to create and profit from one's creation in what many techonolisys believe to be the future of the internet is being eroded in America. And, while the opportunities for such innovation are moving abroad to places like China, how many innovators in America can move along to places like China to take advantage of those opportunities?
So, competing with first movers takes away opportunity, but is that the only thing crushing dreams? No. What if you simply don't have what it takes to capitalize on the abundance of opportunities available? Whether you work too many hours at your 9 to 5 job or you don't have the educational background necessary to realize your dreams.... Hell! What if the opportunity you need is education but you can't afford it because higher education itself is an opportunity that so few can even afford today. To what opportunity do you have access when money is the primary blackade? To this people might point out all of the means of financial aid available to those with the right grades. Well, what about those who can't afford the tutors and all of the other forms of assistance necessary to achieve those grades? And before you answer, consider Stephan Hawking whose genius did not surface until his debilitating illness surfaced. His opportunity came at an exhirbitant cost that few would willingly choose. To put it another way, just because the opportunity exists doesn't mean people will choose to take advantage of it.
And, yet another problem with opportunity and the judgements made when said opportunities are taken is that the outcome may not be as great as those experienced by other. You may be the best in your field, but only make a certain amount on your investment of time and material to which you may be poorly judged by some like Jeff Bezos who might demean your efforts as a waste because they did not produce the billions he's worth
