American Dream Today

Politics at the Movies—Changing Visions of the American Dream
The so-called “American Dream” has changed in fundamental ways over the years, beginning with a modest vision for a steady job with a living wage, a little house with a white picket fence, a decent car, a happy marriage and good kids who did not use drugs. Over the years, though, this modest vision transformed into far greater aspirations, including a large salary, a big house in the suburbs, a trophy wife (for men) and children who excelled in academics and extracurricular activities, among countless other things. Today, however, more and more Americans are realizing that this type of vision is not achievable for them, and perhaps not their children as well due to major economic and social changes. The purpose of this paper provide a discussion concerning the concept of the “American Dream,” including its basic definition, the origins of the term and the extent to which it has evolved over time in U.S. history. In addition, the paper provides a description concerning the extent to which the concept of the American Dream has become a part of U.S. political culture since its origin, and the extent to which the American Dream has significantly influenced the actions of the national government of the United States over time. A discussion concerning what the notion of the American Dream means to this writer in terms of my own life, my vision of my future, and my opinion as to how attainable the American Dream will be for you over time is followed by a summary of the true-crime movie, “Pain & Gain.” Finally, an analysis of whether the current version of the American Dream is compatible with the sort of political culture that political scientists believe is necessary to sustain a healthy democratic governmental system in the U.S. and what steps might be taken by society to reassert a democracy friendly political culture for the United States is followed by a summary of the research and important findings about the American Dream in the conclusion.
Discussion of the concept of the “American Dream,” including its basic definition, its origins, and the extent to which it has evolved over time in U.S. history
This dictionary definition for “American Dream” states this is “a happy way of living that is thought of by many Americans as something that can be achieved by anyone in the U.S. especially by working hard and becoming successful” (American dream, 2018, para. 2). The origins of the term are credited to James Truslow Adams whose 1931 history of the country, The Epic of America, first defined the "American Dream" as being "that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunities for each according to ability or achievement” (as cited in Carter, 2017, p. 30). In 1931, the nation was still struggling to overcome the devastation economic and social effects of the Great Depression, and Adams’ definition of the American Dream was applicable to most Americans of the day. Since that time, however, David and Giefeld (2017) report that, “In sync with the term's roots in a challenging time in American history, its meaning has evolved as times and circumstances have changed-generations have varied their definition of the Dream they pursue” (p. 77).
While precise definitional clarify may be elusive, most people would likely agree that the concept of the American Dream has not changed with respect to believing that their lives should become better during their own lifetimes and certainly become better for their children. It is important to note, though, that just as the definitions of the American Dream have changed over time, concepts of what the American Dream means to individual Americans also changes during their lifetimes. In this regard, David and Giefeld (2017) add that, “Generation X has demonstrated how the definition of the American Dream does not only evolve over time; it also evolves in the minds of individuals as they age” (p. 78). Not surprisingly, this foundational notion of a shared dream for all Americans has also become an integral part of the U.S. political culture and these issues are discussed further below.
Description of the extent to which the concept of the American Dream has become a part of U.S. political culture since its creation and the extent to which the American Dream has significantly influenced the actions of the U.S. national government over time
. Although the origins of term, American Dream, date to 1931, the concept actually dates back to the founding of the United States when its essential values were embodied by the Founders in the Declaration of Independence which proclaims in part: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness” (as cited in David & Giefeld, 2017, p. 77). In fact, the United States has the only constitution in the world that guarantees “the pursuit of happiness” as part of citizens’ basic civil rights, so it is reasonable to suggest that the American Dream has always been an important part of the U.S. political culture.
Indeed, just prior to its introduction into the popular lexicon, a modest version of the American Dream was articulated by the Republican candidate for president in 1929, Herbert Hoover, who promised all Americans with a “chicken in every pot and a car in every garage.” Such campaign promises have varied over the years but they all share the commonality of focusing on material wealth that will makes Americans’ lives better. Because tens of millions of Americans still struggle to make ends meet while living below the poverty line, it is also reasonable to posit that a “chicken in every pot” is no longer a sufficient promise by even the most charismatic politician, a factor that is discussed further below with respect to this writer’s own views about the American Dream.
Discussion concerning what the notion of the American Dream means to this writer in terms of my own life, my vision of my future, and my opinion as to how attainable the American Dream will be for you over time
There have been times in my life when even a “chicken in the pot” would have been an improvement over my existing situation, but I have always subscribed to the notion that I could leverage hard work, talent and honesty into incremental gains that, over time, would make my life and the lives of my family members better. Certainly, I never expected a Horatio Alger type of rags to riches success story for my life, but I have held a strong conviction that the United States is in fact a land of boundless opportunities and individuals are only limited by the abilities, ambition and willingness to work hard.
After running into a number of metaphorical brick walls in my life, though, the realization the opportunities in this country are not spread around equally and that some people remain disadvantaged compared to others. This point is also made by Loewen (1998) who emphasizes, “Once [Americans] see the social processes that have helped keep their families poor, they can let go of their negative self=image about being poor. Knowledge of the social class system also reduces the tendency of Americans from other social classes to blame the victim for being poor” (p. 201). This observation suggests that from the perspective of many of the more affluent Americans today, the failure to realize the full scope of the American Dream is people’s own fault and with a little hard work and perseverance, they could extricate themselves from poverty.
As Loewen (1998) and like-minded social scientists point out, though, the social class system in the United States tends to create significant obstacles that many people are unable to overcome to receive their fair share of the American pie no matter how hard they try. Notwithstanding these challenges, though, I remain convinced that the American Dream is not only still attainable, but that I will attain it. This firm belief, however, is not shared by far too many Americans today. It is probably especially galling for many Americans to watch people from upper classes enjoy the numerous privileges that go hand-in-hand with affluence in this country without exerting a tithe of the efforts they expend in simply trying to earn a living. This was essentially the situation in which the protagonist found himself in a low-budget but entertaining movie, “Pain & Gain” which is summarized and discussed below.
Summary of the plot of "Pain & Gain"
Filmed on location in Miami, Florida in the 1990s, this movie is about Danny Lupo, a convicted investment-shyster turned personal trainer and manager of a muscle-building gym who ponders his future and finally decides, “The way to prove yourself is to better yourself – that’s the American Dream. Together with two of his “ninja-body building” clients from the gym, Danny makes the fateful and baffling decision that the optimal strategy for bettering themselves is to kidnap one of the gym’s wealthiest clients and bilk him out of all of his money and property. Their target, Victor Kershaw, finally caves in after a week or more of torture (Vesely, 2013) , but even blindfolded, he recognizes Danny in spite of his feigned – and poor -- Spanish accent because of his hideous cologne.
This unexpected turn of events leaves these three steroid-fueled Keystone Kops of Krime left with a tough decision: what to do with Victor? It turns out, though, that Victor is a veritable reincarnated Rasputin who refuses to die despite several bungled attempts on his life, including the first one that lands him in the hospital. Their crime snowballs further when Danny tries to bilk a new investor out of a half million dollars and he kills him and his gangster moll when things turn sour. The gang is finally apprehended after Victor hires a retired private detective to help him after the police do not believe his account, and one of the gang members turns state’s evidence and only receives a 15-year prison sentence while Danny and his other buddy both receive the death penalty.
One of the more telling rationalizations Danny makes to explain his violent actions against Victor was that he just did not want what Victor had, he also did not want Victor to have it either. In an American cultural context, this brutally honest concession suggests that the American Dream for some people no longer envisions a Land of Opportunity with limitless resources for all, but has rather been transformed into one in a land of zero-sum where anything one person gets takes away from someone else. On the one hand, perhaps this trend may also be a reflection of the traditional American Dream being denied to tens of millions of hard-working Americans who cannot understand why they are unable to get ahead in life despite their best efforts.
On the other hand, though, in his position as gym manager, Danny was already enjoying a lifestyle that many people would envy, and his serious jealousy for what Victor had appears to have been the overarching motivational factor involved in this bizarre true-life crime movie. As one of the female characters concludes at the movie’s end, “People don’t know a good thing when it’s staring them in the face.” Indeed, Danny was already living a good version of the American Dream but failed to realize it to the extent that he risked everything to gain just a little more in his relentless quest to make his life better.
Is the current version of the American Dream compatible with the sort of political culture that political scientists believe is necessary to sustain a healthy democratic governmental system in the U.S.?
It must be stressed that the United States is in a truly unique situation in its history at present, with a chief executive who has scared the bejabbers out of half of the American population and a majority of the international leaders. This tendency, together with the blatant political shenanigans that are being foisted on the American electorate have changed the national consciousness to one of “what’s in it for me?” rather than, “what can I do for my country?” This profound shift in the political culture has manifested itself in current conceptualizations of the American Dream in many ways, including the zero-sum mentality that is evinced in “Pain & Gain.”
Some vitally important steps that might be taken by American society to reassert a democracy friendly political culture for the United States include electing national leaders who serve as a uniting force for the country rather than a divisive one and remembering the admonition by President John F. Kennedy when he proclaimed, “And so, my fellow Americans:, ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country” (John F. Kennedy's Inaugural Address, 2018, para. 3). While the nation’s sense of patriotism has been sorely tested in recent years, it is reasonable to conclude that it is still alive and well in the hearts of hundreds of millions of Americans who only want something better for their children than they had for themselves.
This is not to say, of course, that Americans need to organize scrap metal drives or plant victory gardens as the nation did in World War II to support their country (although this would help), but it is to say that the overly materialistic nature of the American Dream in the minds of many people has resulted in a nation of self-perceived have-nots who actually have it all, or at least a good part of it, just as Danny did in “Pain & Gain.” Likewise, this is also note to say that Americans should simply be satisfied with what they have because this would deny people’s ambition and the fact that they tend to become more valuable employees with better skills and training over time. By focusing on what they do not have rather than celebrating and appreciating what they do have at any given point in time, however, is not part of the American Dream but is rather an unneeded source of misery.
Conclusion
Coined in 1931 by James Truslow Adams, the term “American Dream” embraced the core values set forth by the Founding Fathers in the Declaration of Independence. As originally conceptualized, the American Dream meant that people had a reasonable expectation for their lives and the lives of their children to become better in return for hard and honest day’s work.
Over time, the concept of the American Dream has also become the acid test by which many Americans examine their own lives to see where they stack up compared to others. Given its centrality to the national consciousness, the fact that the political culture of the United States has continued to draw on the American Dream as a means of persuading voters that one party or another has their best interests in mind makes it clear that the concept remains a powerful force today. In the final analysis, it is also reasonable to conclude that the precise definition of the American Dream will continue to experience changes as the social, economic and political situation changes in the future, but it will likely remain focused on the promise that people’s lives can and should become better in exchange for their hard work, ambition and resilience in the face of what may appear as insurmountable obstacles.
References
American dream. (2018). Merriam-Webster. Retrieved from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20American%20dream.
Carter, M. (2017, March). Beyond the dream, the journey: American novels that track the path from slavery to freedom. English Journal, 106(4), 29-33.
David, P. & Gelfeld, V. (2017, Fall). Generation X and its evolving experience with the American Dream. Generations, 41(3), 77-81.
John F. Kennedy's Inaugural Address. (2018). John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. Retrieved from https://www.jfklibrary.org/learn/education/teachers/curricular-resources/elementary-school-curricular-resources/ask-not-what-your-country-can-do-for-you.
Loewen, J. W. (1998). Lies my teacher told me. New York: The New Press.
Vesely, C. (2013, April 20). Big director, buff actors, tall tale, tiny budget. Winnipeg Free Press, 3.