What is the "American Dream"?
|
|
The term “American Dream” is used in a number of ways, but essentially the American Dream is an idea which suggests that all people can succeed through hard work, and that all people have the potential to live happy, successful lives. Many people have expanded upon or refined the definition of the American Dream, and this concept has also been subject to a fair amount of criticism. Many people believe that the structure of American society belies the idealistic goal of the American Dream, pointing to examples of inequality rooted in class, race, and ethnic origin which suggest that the American Dream is not attainable for all.
The idea of an American Dream is older than the United States, dating back to the 1600s, when people began to come up with all sorts of hopes and aspirations for the new and largely unexplored continent. Many of these dreams focused on owning land and establishing prosperous businesses which would theoretically generate happiness, and some people also incorporated ideals of religious freedom into their American Dreams. During the Great Depression, several people wrote about an American Dream, codifying the concept and entrenching it in American society.
For people who believe in the American dream, anything is attainable through hard work. The concept plays on the idea that American is a classless society, although it is obviously not, as any honest examination of the United States will reveal. The idealistic vision of the American Dream also assumes that people are not discriminated against on the basis of race, religion, gender, and national origin, another thing which is unfortunately not true in the United States.
Critics of the American dream also point out that many versions of the dream equate prosperity with happiness, and that happiness may not always be that simple. These critics suggest that the American Dream may always remain tantalizingly out of reach for some Americans, making it more like a cruel joke than a genuine dream.
People with a more skeptical view of the American Dream sometimes say that the American Dream represents the possibility of living better than your parents did, and a desire among parents for their children to lead happy lives. This is especially true in the immigrant community, as many immigrants have come from extremely difficult circumstances.
Some one who manages to achieve his or her version of the American Dream may be said to be “living the dream,” and everyone has a unique interpretation of what the American Dream might be. Fundamentally, the American Dream is about hope and the potential for change, and one could argue that people who enact change in some way, even a small way, are living the dream.
|
Related wiseGEEK articles
Category
wiseGEEK features
Subscribe to wiseGEEK
|
16
you know what all i want to know is the history of the american dream for english coursework. why can't you do that! - anon52654
15
I think that everybody has their own interpretation of the American Dream, but all within a similar context. At one point or another, every single citizen of the United States of America is given the opportunity to achieve their American Dream. However, people become very confused and mistake the fact that our opportunity is *not* a guarantee. Only you, as an individual, can achieve your dream. But nowhere does it say that *everyone* can live it. - anon45383
14
It does seem that America is spiraling down, which I find sad although I never believed really in the American dream. But I wonder how long this country will be at the forefront of the world. Seems we've had out day. - ostrich
13
i used this article as my summary for my language arts class and i did great. - anon44519
10
Yes, having what we have and living life to the fullest is the dream, but the way the world is working, a lot of unemployment is around. How can we make it while we are losing material possesions, bills are racking sky high, and so on. Our happy tank is getting empty while our banking accounts are following. And i'm scared! what is going to happen to the world, as we are in a depression? I'm lucky to be working 16 hours a week but it is not paying my bills, etc. I'm going to school full time in the criminal justice field? will I have a job when I graduate? Over 700 and some more sheriffs just got laid off due to the recession. But living life to the fullest until it pops is what us Americans have got to do. So to all who are reading, God bless, and anyone who takes offense to that. I'll be praying for all. - anon38303
9
We learned at school that the American Dream is never obtainable because humans will never learn to be fully happy with their lives and position; they will always strive for more and never be fulfilled with everything that they have...thus, the American Dream is never achieved. - anon35977
8
Great definition spasiba. - anon35969
7
We don't try to have the American dream nowadays. We just live our lives to the "fullest" and do whatever we wanna do. What do you think is the American dream? - anon31557
5
to anon25375 - I don't think we try AT ALL to try to make people come to the US. I think we do everything possible to refuse them entry, especially people from the Third World. I'd like to see evidence for why you think we try to make them come. - ostrich
4
anon25375: Despite your rosy outlook on attaining the American Dream, I think that many can and continue to make their dreams come true. While the dream may have evolved over the decades, the bottom line is that the *opportunity* is still there. I know immigrants who came here with nothing, who worked, and scrimped and saved and established successful businesses, provided comfortable homes for their children, and are giving them the opportunity to accomplish their own goals. Did they accomplish the "American Dream?" Maybe, maybe not. While there may be a stereotype of what that dream is, it's different for everyone. - opmom
3
The United States, and North America in general fails to come anywhere near it. It is not hard to see either, take a drive downtown, and look at the slum housing, arguably worse than anything the Soviets ever put up, the export of low paying jobs, and the weakness of the minimum wage which removes liquid assets which can be saved. The American dream only works if there is something for nothing, the Frontier, or if everyone is able to have some minimal liquid assets. This is what is not met in the poorest section of the country.Many people want to come to the United States, we try desperately to make them come. However the reality remains the same. How often do these people get a job which raises them out of poverty, and allows them to actually achieve their goals. The answer is very few. The ability to do whatever you want is the aspect of the American Dream that we as North Americans have to wake up from. It should be re-written to read. "You can do whatever you want so long as you can afford it and with that we will give you no help." If read that way the "Dream becomes far more reflecting of reality. Minimum $40,000 debt for University, A minimum wage job which doesn't make ends meet. No pension plan, On average some of the worst health care in the developed world (Canada, and low level American Hospitals 18 and 37 Overall Distribution (1997) Respectively). What about that is a Dream to me it is a Nightmare. - anon25375
1
No society can have one hundred percent of liberty, equality, fairness, happiness etc available to all its citizens at all time. But United States, thanks to our wise founding fathers comes pretty close to it.
Perfection is just not humanly possible. Since we all have failings, we will undoubtedly do imperfect things. The task for all of us is to strive to be better, to work toward, and to uplift what is the best and highest in ourselves. And to that end, United States offers to all of us this opportunity. It is one of the best countries the world has ever known. People from all over the world come, and many more would give anything for the opportunity to come and live in the United States. To me the American Dream is the liberty offered to its citizens; the freedom to attend school, to start a business, to work, to pray if you want to, and not how many things I own. Material possessions, albeit nice, are not what life and happiness are all about. As a matter of fact happiness is not directly proportional to material possessions. Happiness comes from appreciating and being grateful for what we do have. - spasiba
|
Written by
S.E. Smith
Last Modified: 18 November 2009
copyright © 2003 - 2009
conjecture corporation
