Seattle Seahawks lineman Russell Okung, whose Christian family fled Nigeria, seethes with contempt for the American Dream.
Responding to an essay on economic inequality offered by Y Combinator co-founder Paul Graham, Okung, who founded a Seattle non-profit called GREATER, pontificated:
Some think working hard solves the problems of poverty and institutional oppression and the lack of social mobility. Some think that by sheer determination, one can overcome such issues. But economic inequality isn’t the symptom; it’s the virus that attacks. You, Graham, like the rest of America, have been deceived. You are a victim of the American Dream, the belief that anyone who works hard can move up economically regardless of his or her social circumstances. American cultural optimism is one of the greatest lies ever told.
Okung plays in the midst of a six-year, $48,500,000 contract with the Seattle Seahawks. The deal included a $1,680,000 signing bonus, $29,300,000 in guaranteed money, and an average annual salary of $8,083,333. Despite his salary, and activism highlighting the vile acts of Boko Haram that he discussed with Breitbart Sports a year ago, the offensive lineman rails against the American Dream.
“So many people will never experience their dreams because there are far too many barriers of entry they can’t do anything about,” Okung opines. “And that all goes back to that elitism — the elitism that’s manufacturing economic inequality.”
Of course, while he’s spouting an attack on the American Dream, Okung cites his heroes: “People like Steve Case and Barack Obama, who are actively working to expand capital and invest in untapped talent across America.”
Okung concludes, “I urge you, Graham, along with the rest of the community, to return to your first love. Build people up.”