The American Dream have been supporting the aspirations of many people for centuries and was one of the driving forces that shaped America into the prosperous and strong country it is today. Although the United States have experiences a number of political and economic crises throughout its existence, including the Great Depression, the economic struggles in the end of the 1970s and after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, and the Great Recession, the country kept of reviving with its population continuing to make efforts to attain a better life and strive for new and higher goals (King 7). While many argue that the American Dream has long been dead, and the proof would be the increased number of jobless and poor people, in reality people continue to believe that they not only deserve a better life and fulfillment of their dreams, but that if they work hard enough, they can actually get very close to their goals, if not achieve them. In the very heart of the question are the goals and the better life, whose notions However, it is noteworthy that the substance of the American Dream has been altering through the decades depending on the political and socio-economic situation in the country. If earlier people, who struggled with money and recognition, were dreaming of becoming rich and being able to purchase various expensive material assets, in the today’s economy the primary goal is to gradually achieve stability and decent living without the necessity to become extremely rich and famous. Thus, the American Dream is still a very important and current concept for the American society, but its meaning has been drastically changed over the generations.
At the very heart of the American Dreams lies the concept of equality. Indeed, everybody is considered to be born equal with equal opportunities, and the achievement of the American Dream, thus, depends solely on the talents and efforts of the dreamer. However, the realities can tear such aspirations to pieces, as the wealth of the family, where the child is born, directly affects such child’s opportunities in life. An increasing number of families have to lower their standards of living due to the unemployment caused by the Great Recession, which had an immense impact on the American society. While the rich minority is ruling the country, the middle-class to poor majority has to face the consequences of budget deficits, lay-offs, tax breaks for big corporations, wars on foreign territories, deterioration of the public education and other negative outcomes of the government inability to cope with the inefficacy of its own policies before, during and after the recession. As Bob Herbert accurately pointed out in his article for The New York Times, “Standards of living are declining, and American parents increasingly believe that their children will inherit a very bad deal” (Herbert). Indeed, the more the government keeps spending the money of the tax payers today, the greater the debt will be for the future generations to repay. While the big companies, such as the General Electric, enjoy the tax breaks, the federal budget still has to be filled with money of other tax payers. Some, like King, may argue that the financial assistance provided to the large companies will lead to the creation of new jobs, as such companies will be able to afford them (King 5). However, without the demand for such companies to hire more people, the unemployment rate might stay the same, while such companies will find other ways to benefit from the governmental help. Moreover, as the government cuts the money for the education programs, the new generations will not be able to get the education of the necessary quality for them to become professionals, who will in future be able to help the country’s economy survive. One of many measures to attract money to the public education is to force the states, which have lotteries, contribute the money to the educational purposes, as was originally designed. Thus, increasing the opportunity for the financial growth through the welfare system, the creation of new jobs and improvement of the public education will help the government to move toward the restoration of the equality that is a prerequisite of the American Dream.
The problems with the post-recession economy, however, are not only connected with the government, but with the people that participate in its formation, i.e., the American citizens. The blame for the supposed death of the American dreams has to be equally shared between the government officials and the people that have gotten used to rely on the former to the extent that held them back from taking personal responsibility for own lives and the life of the community. The moral views and perceptions of the previous generations differ from the ones that persist nowadays. Looking back at the society of the Great Depression, during which the American Dream was especially strong and making people move the mountains, people knew then the recipe to achieve the Dream, which was to study hard, stay at school, get at least an undergraduate degree, avoid doing drugs, marry and work hard to preserve the marriage, save up for the retirement, be a decent person and many others, and according to Cal Thomas, these “rules for achieving the American dream may no longer be taught in and supported by culture, but that doesn't mean they don't work” (Thomas). Indeed, it is in the hands of the parents and previous generations to preserve the American Dream through bringing up the children that share the views that directly impact the possibility of achieving the Dream. Children, who know the rules of the American Dream, thus, have higher chances in fulfilling their goals that those, who were brought up with the notion that the American Dream is long dead.
While children can be taught the basic principles of the American Dream that they will pass on to the next generation, thus, guaranteeing the survival of the American ethos, the substance of the Dream will differ for each generation limited by the fears and concerns connected with the state of affairs in the country and in the world. While earlier people pursuing the American Dream were usually quite poor and aimed at becoming incredibly rich, the nowadays society prefers to have a stable, predictable middle-class life, during which they will be able to have a steady job and save enough money for future, including for the retirement (King 3). The ground of this new American Dream is understandable, given the lack of stability during the whole decade. Not only people get tired of the unpredictability of life, but they also want to be able to make plans for life and adhere to them. The key, in such case, is not to aim too high or too low and end up just in the safe middle. The non-stop warfare has also invested into this longing for safety, stability and peace of mind. During the Great Recession there have been many examples of very rich people losing everything in a matter of days due to the economic problems. As a counter to these dramas, many people have chosen to lead a middle-class lifestyle and climb their way up slowly, instead of making risky decisions and financial choices. This caution helped them achieve their American Dream, a stable and predictable life and a decent level of living without much excess or strangling poverty.
The American Dream still lives in the mind of the American people, who know about it since early childhood. Americans have been proud of the American Dream and where it has brought the country despite its initial lack of power on the world arena. However, the dreams as the driving force for people’s success change overtime, including the biggest ones, as they have to be adapted to the reality in order to be achieved and sustained. Likewise, the American Dream has not died, but has been adjusted to the current needs of Americans, who had to change their habits due to the political and socio-economic circumstances in order to continue lead a decent life.
Works Cited
Herbert, Bob. "Hiding From Reality." The New York Times. The New York Times, 19 Nov. 2010. Web. 14 Oct. 2014. <http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/20/opinion/20herbert.html?_r=0>.
King, Brandon. "The American Dream: Dead, Alive, or on Hold?." W. W. Norton & Company. W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2014. <http://www.wwnorton.com/college/english/write/little-seagull-handbook-2/pdf/King.pdf>.
Thomas , Cal. "Is the American Dream Over?." Townhall.com. Townhall.com, 23 Nov. 2010. Web. 14 Oct. 2014. <http://townhall.com/columnists/calthomas/2010/11/23/is_the_american_dream_over/page/full>.
