As usual, I have been deeply disturbed by a comment I heard today, which was particularly vicious towards the free market.
The statement I have concern with went as follows "I disagree with the American Dream, I don't like it." I believe the person was misguided into believing the American Dream (in it's classical sense) is something that it is not. The argument made was "How many times did your grandparents tell you something like 'If you work hard you can be president one day.'" The person who said this thought this was a fool hardy thing to say and was on the side of ridiculous. Apparently though, there are some people working hard enough because Americans still manage to elect Presidents...
Someone supported the perversion of the American Dream still by adding "Look at Ralph Nader, he works to try to get elected as president and it is not working for him." Well, Ralph could change his political stance to views that would get him elected, or he can be successful elsewhere.
The American Dream does not assert that Ralph Nader WILL be president. Or that every child drama actor WILL get to Broadway. Or that every computer genius WILL be as successful as Bill Gates. What the American Dream does secure is that if one is not successful in ONE area, there are other oppertunities to succeed with hard work. For example, Average Joe wants to be a high paid singer. Average Joe is an awful singer and no one will hire him. Average Joe can take singing lessons or he could get employed at a company. Average Joe could climb the corporate ladder and become very established at his work. He can reach success in more than one way. The free market allows this.
The OPPERTUNITY for success is not cut off with one failure. Thomas Edison did not create the tungsten filament lightbulb in one try. It is only the free market that allows the oppertunity for anyone to be anything. NOT garunteed, but allowing the oppertunity.
Also, it seems to me that public opinion has swayed to believe that only the very rich are the successful ones. Why is that? Strictly a personal opinion, if someone has four kids a wife a home and can support them all, that sounds pretty successful to me. God bless America. God bless the free market. God bless the American Dream.
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I also forgot to add that the presidential argument has no case here for the president must be elected by the people, and the free market does not have such a hand in naming the president, though the principle of hard work is the same.
ReplyDeleteI don't think anyone was really disagreeing with the American dream, just doubting it. Sure, it's a good idea, but like you said: The American dream does not insure you anything. Therefore when your grandpa says "If you try hard enough to be the president, you can be!" Sure there's a chance, I just believe that person was saying that since the chance is so astronomically low, it shouldn't be referred to as the "American Dream", rather, just A dream.
ReplyDeleteBut that is the American Dream, a DREAM. It isn't called the American Garuntee. That is my whole point, so even if a grandpa does refer to becoming president as the American Dream, it can be, because you are right when you say "The American Dream does not insure you anything."
ReplyDeleteMy only contention with the "American" Dream is the fact that its considered "American." There are PLENTY of rich people out there who earned their fortune outside of the United States. To earn money, have a family, and be successful is a goal that most right-minded individuals hold, not just Americans. Its naive to think that this ideology was founded on our soil, considering people have been striving for success, well, forever. The "American" Dream is just "The Dream."
ReplyDeleteTherefore, I've always found the "American" Dream to be a weak form of nationalism imposed on our youth. Rather than explaining the merits of our political system and the power our nation holds in the global community, we simply tell kids that they can be anything they want because they're American. That, again, is naive.
@ Mike K. : Word.
ReplyDeleteI disagree. It is American. Not that people cannot be successful outside of America, but no other country is like us. Take communism for example, to earn money is not the goal. Other countries and it's people do not have the oppertunity that AMERICANS have in AMERICA, and that is why that dream is called American.
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