The_American_Dream

English 1102-33 Mrs Ludewig Jason Baudendistel The American Dream Fantasy Or Reality' The American dream has many meanings to many different people. However some common ties do exist. These many aspects lead to many different interpretations as well as countless questions among them are what is the American dream really and in today’s modern world of stagnating wages and corporate corruption is it even still alive' This essay will seek to answer these questions and many more as we take a journey into the American dream and discover the stories it has to share. There are countless versions of what we see the American dream such as from the story in American Beauty a seemingly happy wealthy American family with a nice lifestyle and plenty of nice things. You never see the dark side coming but it is there like always. The father it turns out is deeply jaded . The mother is having an affair and the daughter has self esteem issues yet the perception of perfection is still present for their neighbors. Further examples include Rocky the unknown boxer who fights his way to the top and becomes world champion. Rudy the kid who was two small and weak to play football at Notre Dame but still played anyway as well as Warren Buffett from a middle class Nebraskan family becoming one of the world’s greatest stock pickers, a successful businessman and a multi billionaire. There are many stories and many examples of what we believe the American dream to be but the purpose of this piece is to take their opinions and mine and as to how they relate and give you my thoughts on what I believe is the American dream, how it is achieved and why we all strive to achieve it. It will be a lengthy journey but a fascinating one none of the less. When we think of the American dream we think of Home ownership and of a yard full of nice possessions and of untold wealth and fame. For years American’s would even overpay in the midst of a housing bubble just to say they owned a home. Why' Because they had always dreamed of home ownership ; It was part of their American dream. A home is looked at as not just a place to live but an investment and a means of validating ourselves by buying the bigger and nicer house than we can afford. These actions lead to increased financial strain and unwise levels of debt and a never ending sense of financial struggle as many live their lives only to pay off the dream home shortly before they die. Why do we buy too much home and why do we feel this sense of entitlement with our possessions' Primarily this occurrence is fueled by our social nature and our desire to project greater success than our neighbor. This distorted opinion of accomplishment is the American dream to some. This sense of entitlement I will discuss further in the coming paragraphs as well as the distortive effects it has on our perceptions as a society. Education is another aspect believed to help one in the goal of attaining their dream. Many believe that a quality education is an advantage in one’s life and that out public schools may be failing to bring out the full potential of our youth. Many of them may end up taking more desperate measures to achieve their American dream possibly even of a criminal nature or will relegate themselves to settle for a life of poverty. This is not the path to prosperity and it does not agree with the principles of Benjamin Franklin that an educated youth is the greatest advantage we can give our nation. According to a study a few years back our schools are failing our students and therefore decreasing their opportunities of achieving their version of the dream. Without a quality education many will be forced to work minimum wage jobs and face the likelihood of not escaping poverty. We are all granted the most basic of rights and the choice is ours whether we make the absolute most out of them. However it is possible that by allowing our youth to believe that material possessions equate to success that we are pressuring them to the point of allowing the possibility of a more likely failure a outcome that is becoming increasingly likely. This attitude of keeping up with our neighbors possession adds to the financial death trap of debt our youth are ensnaring themselves in. The Declaration of Independence states that we have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It is this pursuit of happiness that we equate to the American dream. As a society it is thought that the attainment of a large number of material possessions is a form of validation of one’s life and that this attainment is one’s right in the pursuit of happiness. Does this sense of entitlement have dire consequences in the attitude of our people as a nation' The reality is that the sense of entitlement and the personal need for instant gratification has handicapped our society emotionally and likely led to grave consequences we see today in the form of increased violent crime, crime is now a means to an end to shortcut hard work and attain the dream. This attitude is now well alive in our society today. Does the American dream inspire criminal behavior' According to Steven Messner and Richard Rosenfield the allure of quick money and the need to achieve a certain status in life may cause a psychological need to commit criminal actions for gain because of a deep seeded frustration at the lack of monetary success. It is very possible that this frustration combined with the belief that we are all entitled to our version of the American dream does cause an incentive for criminal behavior. As we continue to strive to achieve our idea of the perfect lifestyle this added pressure leads to shortcut taking and possibly incentivizes criminal actions in the quest for monetary gain. I have a theory that our sense of entitlement plays into this and many criminal actions. Why do we rob and steal or even commit securities fraud' In my opinion these actions are a consequence of our society’s belief that achieving our American dream is more important than our contributions to society. An attitude that has helped to create a sense of personal entitlement and has led to many of our criminal actions committed today. This unfortunate stance that we would rather find easy gratification even if it is dishonest has led to too many who either ask for government based entitlements or to sell drugs or steal as means of attaining what they do not desire to work for. In an effort to feel accomplished our college and high school youth put undue strain on themselves and are more likely to develop behavioral disorders and or depression when they do not achieve preconceived lofty aspirations. This added level of stress may also be the stressor that helps to motivate criminal actions. Although some will choose not shortcut hard work and commit crime, they will instead decide to accept poverty as their station in life because the effort to escape is too much. Despite this attitude among some of the less fortunate, the American dream in my opinion is very much alive. It is present in our hopes and dreams as a people as well as our ideals that we can always overcome. The spirit of achievement and adversity and of unity is what inspires us to strive for what we as individuals believe is the American dream. Whether it be homeownership , wealth , fame, or just a certain level of happiness or independence we all agree that our idea of the American dream is very much alive if you want it badly enough. The accomplishment of this dream has changed somewhat over recent years. The events of September 11th 2001 brought about less personal privacy and freedom and the economic impact will likely never truly heal as some careers in the financial services industry are likely lost forever as are jobs within the building which is no more. However some new careers in counter terrorism and security related fields were born as a result of this event lessening the effects of the lost career positions. Also it is likely that our perceptions of a dream career changed for some on the day of these tragic events. Some will still be capable of noble actions for the good of society partly because of the emotional effect felt. In a sense maybe it took a tragedy to show us again what it was like to be selfless and give back to our modern society or maybe the moments of selflessness were temporary and short lived on that fateful day. Only time will tell us what the answer really is. To Some the American dream is not about personal gain but instead about making a difference in others lives. These acts of selflessness define us as a nation and give us hope that material possessions do not rule our daily lives. This ability to act without regard for one’s self could very likely help allow someone a better chance at their dream as someone took the time or money to make the effort to allow them to escape. This satisfaction gained from helping someone else is worth more to them than any other accomplishment. To me the American dream is not any set defined item but an idealology. This idea merely states that you can become or accomplish whatever you want from life if you are willing to put in the hard work. This idea is based on the very principles we founded this nation on and is a part of every success story which inspires us. It is the idea that you can achieve your dream if you never stop striving for it no matter the adversity you encounter. The hopes and dreams of a people are responsible for breathing life into this idea and making us all truly believe that anything is possible. No matter what one’s opinion of the American dream is whether it is a new home or wealth or fame, academic recognition or civil service the dream is alive to pursue and to reach even today. This idea is born of the belief that we can accomplish anything and that being born in poverty does not mean you cannot escape.