American Dream Today Term Paper

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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.

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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,….....

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