In the wake of the pandemic and post-2020 era, propaganda and media manipulation, economic inequality and poverty, division along racial and social lines, and the erosion of the middle class have become curt realities of contemporary American struggles.
Since 2020, particularly during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, distrust in media has intensified, and Americans have become more aware of how news and social media platforms can be used to promote division and fear. Those in power and the media gatekeepers control the narrative to distract from deeper issues. Through disinformation campaigns and social media algorithms, people are often misled by selective reporting, fueling distrust and polarization in American society. Political parties, racial groups, and ideologies have increasingly been positioned against each other in public discourse.
While racial divisions are often emphasized, they can be used as a tool to divert attention from broader systemic issues, such as economic inequality and class struggle. This perspective resonates with ongoing debates in America about whether the focus on race overshadows class issues that affect all Americans, regardless of background.

The growing economic inequality in the U.S., particularly the housing crisis, was exacerbated during the pandemic. The shrinking of the middle class and the widening gap between the rich and poor became even more evident where many Americans lost jobs, faced eviction, or found themselves unable to afford housing. The working poor—those who work full-time yet cannot afford basic necessities, such as housing has been worsening post 2020, with rising rent and stagnant wages making it harder for families to maintain stable living conditions. 
Both drug addiction and poverty increased post 2020, the opioid crisis and urban decay went unnoticed or unaddressed by those in power. This resulted in widespread frustration with political and economic elites. Many Americans believe that those in positions of influence, whether in government or corporations, exploit divisions among ordinary people to maintain control and profit from the system. 
The corruption and manipulation has contributed to the decline of the middle class and the rise of poverty. In post-2020 America, there has been increasing disillusionment with political leaders and institutions, as many believe they have failed to address the pressing economic and social issues facing the country. 

Hotel Children
In a world of screens and flashing lights,
Where news is tainted with deceptive bites,
They weave a tale of hate and despair,
Dividing us, creating a chasm, unfair.

Propaganda whispers, “You hate me, I hate you,”
But deep within, we know it’s not true.
They peddle lies, hiding truths from our sight,
Keeping us apart, consumed by fear’s blight.

What secrets do they shield from our view?
Behind the curtain, what do they construe?
It’s not about race, nor the color of our face,
But poverty’s grip affects every place.

The middle class erodes, prosperity fades,
Stolen away by those in power’s charades.
Children play in parking lots, oh so stark,
Their parents—forced to dwell in hotels—dark.

American mothers, and fathers working each day,
struggle to pay for homes they once called their stay.
Their children return from school’s weary race,
To one cramped room in the industrial space.

Truck drivers pass by, needles on the ground,
Hotels that stand, in ruin, all around.
But no one sees, no one truly knows,
For it’s all propaganda, the story that grows.

Awake, people, lift the veil from your eyes,
It’s not about you and me; that’s the guise.
The power they hold, those we’ve put in place,
To keep us impoverished, afraid, and in chase.

They pit us against one another, we fight,
While they revel in darkness, hidden from sight.
Yet if hunger consumes us, survival’s demand,
We won’t raise our voices, we won’t take a stand.

But let us break free from this endless divide,
Unite in compassion, with hearts open wide.
Ignorance breeds, when we fail to see,
The plight of poverty affects you and me.

White, brown, black, yellow, all shades unite,
Every belief, every color, in this fight.
Amidst the distractions, the propaganda’s game,
Let’s rise above. Reclaim our collective aim.

Together we’ll expose the truth. Shine a light.
Break the chains of poverty. End the endless night.
So let us awaken, see beyond the deceit,
For a better future, in unity, we meet.