Sociology Definition of Concept/Theory: The American Dream

Sociology

Definition of Concept/Theory: The American Dream is one of the most pervasive elements of American consciousness and identity. It is the cornerstone of the myth of meritocracy in America, as the American Dream suggests that anyone can achieve upward social mobility simply by working hard. The American Dream is one of the chief motivating factors for foreign immigrants, who flee war-torn, poor, or otherwise problematic places abroad to seek asylum and opportunity. Although the American Dream has come true for many Americans, including immigrants, the achievement of upward social mobility and integration with the dominant culture in America remains elusive. The American Dream is more a myth than a dream.

Example 1: Drash, W., Basu, M. & Watkins, T. (2013). Boston suspects: Immigrant dream to American nightmare. CNN. 20 April, 2013. Retrieved online: http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/19/us/Massachusetts-bombers-profiles/index.html?iid=article_sidebar

This article is about the suspects in the Boston marathon terrorist attacks. The article focuses on the fact that the two suspects, Tamerlan Tsarnev and Dzhokar Tsarnev are examples of the American Dream gone awry. The story of the bombing reveals not the American Dream but the American nightmare.

The article discusses the fact that the younger brother Dzhokar achieved his citizenship in part because he applied as an asylum-seeker. This suggests that the immigration system is not just about helping people achieve the American Dream. It is also about humanitarian causes. The two Chechen brothers seem not to have integrated well within American society. Tamerlan at least noted that he had no American friends and claimed that no one understood him. While this experience reflects other sociological issues such as assimilation, acculturation, and marginalization, it also reveals the ways the immigrant experience in the United States does not necessarily reflect the underlying meritocratic ideology. It is not about promoting effort and achievement, and neither of the brothers seemed even concerned with attempting to participate in that society. Instead, they rebelled against it and eventually harmed it.

Example 2: Rose "Bubby" Silver

The second example illustrating the concept of the American Dream and how it relates to meritocracy is a personal story. It is about a first-generation immigrant to the United States who embodied and cultivated the American Dream. Unlike the stories emerging in the contemporary media about the unattainability of the American Dream for many individuals, this personal story celebrates the concept of meritocracy and keeps the myth anchored in the public consciousness. Even if the American Dream is unattainable by many, it is still attainable by some.

Rose "Bubby" Silver was my great-great-aunt. She came alone to the United States from Eastern Europe on a ship with countless other names and faces from different countries. She spoke no English and did not know anyone when she arrived. The only thing that Rose was told to do was to seek out a man who reportedly hired women like her in a tailoring shop in Brooklyn.

When Rose first started working for the tailor, she realized that the job was not the sole reason why she came to the United States. She came to the United States so that she could achieve great things. The political situation in Europe was getting worse. Rose was from a Jewish family, and it was becoming increasingly difficult for them to make ends meet in the restrictive economic climate. When she came to the United States, Rose became determined to do what she always wanted to do which was become a professional dancer.