The American Dream is a common but abstract phrase. Every person has their own interpretation of what it means; for some it is a simple, happy life, and for others it is fame and glory. The definition of the American Dream that comes to mind when I consider the phrase is the traditional belief that America is a place where anyone can be successful and have a decent quality of life, regardless of where they come from or who they are. Note that I say comes to mind, not believe. To me, the American Dream is more of a sociological concept than a reality. Upward mobility and distribution of wealth in the United States rank lower than basically the rest of the Westernized world. In my opinion, the American Dream is just that, a DREAM.
Wealth is another elusive concept. The typical definition of being wealthy is to own money and assets, a good car, a nice house, stocks, maybe a time-share (these are terrible investments and I don't think they're trendy anymore anyways). However, you will often hear people (probably people who have never been without money or food) that money isn't everything. There is something to be said for the value of having your health and support from others whether that be familial or simply from friends, but I still think it is naïve to dismiss the importance of having money in American society. Wealth can come from things like love and happiness, but without money, your life is gonna be hard.
One of the most destructive schools of thought in America is that people without wealth are lazy and that people with wealth are only so as a result of hard work. This view is similar to Republican ideology that condemns handouts to people who are simply too lazy to work. The poor, the unemployed, the disabled, they are all treated as if it is their own fault that they don't have money. Society does not take into account that if you do not come from money, it is extremely hard to get a degree and break into an industry without high society connections. This doesn't even take into account difficulties that arise from discrimination and sexism. And this is why the American Dream is a fallacy, because there is not equal opportunity for success.
On the flip side, rich people constantly tell us they are successful because they worked hard. I don't really see inheriting daddy's money as working hard, or taking advantage of workers in countries without labor laws to make cheap goods to profit off of as hard work. And even if that isn't the case, the privilege that comes from going to better schools and being able to afford expensive tutors or not having to take out student loans, means that people who come from money do not have to work as hard as those who don't to become wealthy. My views are more similar to the Democratic platform, and the belief in hand-ups, to try to offset economic inequality.
The Great Gatsby is an interesting commentary on the American Dream. Fitzgerald, like myself, is skeptical about the American Dream. To me, Gatsby's success story is intriguing and entertaining, but far-fetched. Although he worked hard (although outside the law), Gatsby was simply lucky. He just so happened to find a wealthy mentor. He also happened to be male, white, able-bodied, and handsome. At this point in time, and really even today, if your are not these things, success is even further out of your reach.
I think this post is very important and very awesome. I like your definition of the "American Dream" and wealth as concepts rather than attainable things. I also liked your breakdown of perspectives, and aligning them with class status and political parties; it was an interesting take on the question. Do you think American socioeconomic mobility is becoming more or less realistic?
ReplyDeleteI disagree with the assertion that the 'American Dream' is just a dream. While I agree with a few of your points such as a large inheritance not being correlated at all with hard work, I struggle to find examples of people in my own life who have worked incredibly hard and not succeeded in a way that aligns with their respective dreams. Race and gender are factors in the pursuit of success, but success is a general terms which can mean many things for many different people. If we measure everyone's success based solely on finance, we have missed much of the picture. For some success is raising children better than they themselves were raised, for some success is $25 million. To each his or her own. I don't subscribe to the notion that a person cannot reach their definition of success if they do everything in their power to make it there.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with the assertion that the 'American Dream' is just a dream. While I agree with a few of your points such as a large inheritance not being correlated at all with hard work, I struggle to find examples of people in my own life who have worked incredibly hard and not succeeded in a way that aligns with their respective dreams. Race and gender are factors in the pursuit of success, but success is a general terms which can mean many things for many different people. If we measure everyone's success based solely on finance, we have missed much of the picture. For some success is raising children better than they themselves were raised, for some success is $25 million. To each his or her own. I don't subscribe to the notion that a person cannot reach their definition of success if they do everything in their power to make it there.
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