AMERICAN Dream. Get it? It's all a fucking joke.

AMERICAN Dream. Get it? Because I'm not American. No Dream.

I wanna fucking cry right now. Everything's gone to shit. All my plans, my way of life, it's fucking over. I'll have to leave this country to some shitty South American town full of crime and crappy people.

I sometimes wish I could have just been a poor farmer. I wish I would have never gotten to see what "the good life" is. It's like being shown heaven, then being thrown into hell.

I fucking hate this. I can't stand it and I really don't wanna fucking live just to survive. I'm fucking 17. I shouldn't be thinking about this shit. I should be out with friends, driving. Doing shit seventeen year olds are supposed to do. Not working over time and fucking trying to cram 14 AP classes that in the end I'll end up getting no credit for.

Sometimes I think it'd be better to just kill myself. I've lost count on how many ways of killing myself I've thought of this week. I feel like fucking crying every time one of my friends talks about college. It's like, I'll never get to experience that. I'll never have a dorm. I'll never be part of a fraternity. I'll never join the Army.

Ugh I just need to fucking rant. Pardon me.

You are 17 lol

I stopped reading this when you said you're only 17 years old. Many of us are over 21 here and some of us are also in our 30's. You're still in school and have college to look forward to. I was feeling same way when I was your age and I'm just using my experience with the whole situation to give you some advice. Just try to breathe in and out for few seconds and calm down. You can definitely attend college. Depending on the state you live in, you may be eligible for in state tuition. Regardless, you have the opportunity to attend community college to save some money. Who knows, if your grades are stellar and you've been active in the community, you may be eligible for full ride scholarships at the top of the top universities in this country. Also, please don't remove your anger on your own people from back home. People in this country aren't pleasant either. You've witnessed it yourself on Saturday. You're only 17. You should be focusing on your studies. What else do you want to do? Smoke drugs and get drunk?? Stay away from all that..there is time for everything and for you this is not the time.

It'll all get better in time. I know many of us feel hopeless right now. I'm not gonna lie, I've been down too. But you gotta look into all your options..And whatever ends up happening, you gotta make the best of the situation. Yes, America is great. Mostly b/c its the only country we know. I've met plenty of people from other countries who only come here to go to college or what not, there heart is back in another country (meaning America is not the only place "happiness" exists).. Also, from working in restaurants I've encountered many central americans who most likely crossed the border, and just being in America alone is heaven to them, their attitude towards life is very upbeat..while the USC roaming around always find something new to complain about. It's all a matter of perspective.

This is making us stronger people. Hang in there young one.

You're 17 and should be learning from the mistakes the people here are making and posting about.

Someone get the 17 year old a lollipop to shut him up.

I'm 17 as well and I feel for you, I really do.
When news got to me that the DREAM act failed, all my hopes came crashing down and I went into a melancholy state for the rest of the day. I see all my friends driving cars, getting part time jobs, talking about colleges and dorm life, and all this time they don't appreciate what they have.
But then again, we have our lives ahead of us. We are the only ones in control of our lives. These politicians, senators and congressmen only decide upon these issues on political lines, and that's definitely not the way to go about things. What would Thomas Jefferson say to this upper class snide? How would Henry Clay react to these sectional lines being drawn on America?

Just remember, there is always hope. Obama is still the president, congress still has democrats and people will remember that we are still here. So while we're still here, let's relax and watch as things progress. Republicans have stalled Change long enough, but they can't stop it forever. Change is coming.

Obama is the problem, not the solution.

im a year older than you. And frankly, i think of this same shit over and over everyday. I always ask myself what did I do wrong in my past lives to deserve sth like this. Am I really fucked up? I'm not a bad person or anything. Why me?

This is a dog-eat-dog world, unfair as fuck, so you have to play with the cards that you've been dealt if you want to keep moving forward. Killing yourself or not doing anything to change your situation just goes to show a huge lack of responsibility on your part because despite being illegal you can still can seek help for dealing with the stress that fogs your mind and keeps you from making smart choices.

In a way, you could say that you have to think like your parents in order to close the circle that still remains open. You were brought here as a last resort and now you have to resort to additional life changing decisions like marrying someone or moving to a different country just like many people in our situation have. The earlier you accept the fact that no one is going to do shit for you and that your parents can only do so much for you, the faster you'll get in control of your fate.

Try not comparing yourself to others because the only good thing that can come out of this is giving you the motivation to improve some aspect of yourself, the rest will be jealousy and negative self-talk--I know it's hard not to compare yourself to others because almost anyone can get a credit card or a loan for a car, so it's pretty common to see kids with their flashy toys or knowing that they will be attending some university because their parents (not them) can afford it. There are kids your age already with their own kids who have come to the US illegally and work multiple jobs to make ends meet both here and back in their home countries. Don't think that because you have a brighter future than a peon that you are any different from those kids or anyone else, or that life should be any easier for you because you were brought up in an environment that helps grow those who play by the rules and do well in school.

If there's something high school doesn't do is teach you how to live in the real world, you'll see smart kids who will become fuck ups and the opposite, undocumented kids who will end up making good money doing menial work, etc, and this is because of the different experiences that we go through. The only thing that can be true about all this is that we got to where we are now because of the decisions we made, your parents, teachers, or friends cannot think or make decisions for you, you either think for yourself or let others take control.

It doesn't matter how hard you try, remember that life is unfair and that we will go through it forging alternative paths to circumvent situations that are out of our control in order to get where we want to go. We all aspire to be someone, have different goals, and the same basic needs. Everything starts with a goal, so if in the midst of this conundrum you haven't devised any plans because of the emotional/academic pressure I would suggest that you sit down, relax, and think about your future realistically and very, very hard.