The American Dream

What is the American Dream?

When British colonists first began to come to America and kick all the Native Americans out, they were either working to pay off debts, searching for religious freedom, or looking to start their own success. Since we gained independence and slowly other groups within our nation have, people have immigrated from all over the world with the intent of starting a new life. When I think of the American Dream, the first thing that I see is the stereotypical image that I've seen of an American family as I've gone through school: a happy family with a smiling mother at home with a couple of playing kids as a father comes home from work, also happy. They live in a nice house in a suburban neighborhood, maybe with a dog, and they appear to have just about everything they could wish for in life. But the more I think about it, the more I see what so many other's see America as concerning this dream. We frequently talk about ourselves as the land of opportunity, liberty, and equality, and that's what many are looking for when they come to America. They want a new start, a new job, a new life in a place where they can have access to that sort of thing. Essentially, I think this dream boils down to a stable, functional life were a person can work to be somebody they want to be without unnecessary hardship. However, I don't think this is always what people get.

http://admuseum.blogspot.com/p/what-is-american-dream.html

Google defines the American Dream as "a national ethos of the United States, a set of ideals in which freedom includes the opportunity for prosperity and success, and an upward social mobility for the family and children, achieved through hard work in a society with few barriers." I certainly think that this is accurate, however it certainly hasn't ever been a struggle without barriers. Barriers of race, gender, orientation, religion, and countless other obstacles stand in the way of every endeavor, and while its a pretty though, I don't think that's ever going to change. Today I'd say that the American Dream is safety, which isn't something that most people get. Even now pretty much every group of people except for the straight, white male has something to fear in America, and still has to work hard for the unattainable equality that they're told they have, but never see. Back to the stable, functional life that is a part of that Dream, it's understood that America is supposed to provide this opportunity to work and have a family that lives in at least relative comfort, requiring moderate wealth and prosperity.

 This wealth is, I think, twofold: Monetary and Emotional. There's the comfort and wealth that comes from the frugality that some job or familial positions provide, but there's also that that comes not necessarily from money and possessions, but from good company and actions. When I look at someone who society sees as poor, I might not see the same desperate, pitiful person that a vast majority would see if that person seemed truly happy with what they do or who they are with. I don't see that as poor at all, and could meet the richest person in America and think they were poor if they lived a life devoid of happiness or good will. Unfortunately, that's not how America works, and the way that it DOES work crushes this American Dream for a great many who live or move here.

I believe that society today in America truly sees wealth and poverty as how much money one is able to make at their respective job as opposed to their happiness. We judge people by their appearance, which is based mostly on what they can afford. Commodities that are popular and looked on favorably are almost always exceedingly expensive and therefore not available to those who don't make enough money. We put far more value in those who are worth or make the most money, which in turn gives them ever more opportunity to gain this kind of wealth. I'm not saying that everyone who is rich or makes substantial amounts of money are bad or unhappy people, just that a great many people who don't make as much money don't get the recognition and aren't seen as being as successful or happy as those that do.


http://elitedaily.com/money/entrepreneurship/america-and-their-underdogs/

 This ability to afford the lifestyle that is trending at the time has always been the mark of the wealthy in this country, not only today, but also in the 20's when we're looking at the Great Gatsby. In the 20's the people valued the most by the masses were those who could spend with ease and afford the most extravagant lifestyle, not those who were the happiest with their situation. For instance, Daisy conformed to what she believed the traits of wealth were, wanted her child to be a "beautiful fool," and acted rather dramatically. She also stayed with her husband even though she was unhappy, suffering her mental/ emotional health for her social reputation. On the other hand, Gatsby had all the wealth that made him important to others, but was completely open to sacrificing it for his happiness.

Instead of the success that I'm supposed to gain in the eyes of society by becoming some highly respectable person in a prominent field who makes a lot of money, it sounds cheesy and stereotypical, but I just want to make a difference. For me. I don't care if I make a lot of money or do something pretty, I want to be able to pursue my dream and make a difference in my field without being hindered by societal beliefs of what I should be doing or how I should be living. I don't care if people think what I want to do is gross or unattainable for me, I want to have the opportunity to pursue MY dream future and become a successful scientist in MY eyes without having to sacrifice anything else that makes me happy along the way. For the few who have attained this American Dream, it's a huge success, but that's just it: the number is so few that it's a difficult concept to believe much in.