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The American Dream is seen by critics as being somewhat superficial or meaningless. Many literary works level exactly that criticism at the American Dream, such as [[Arthur Miller]]'s play ''[[Death of a Salesman]]''. The play, a classic American work of literature, finds the main character Willy Loman struggling to come to grips with the fact that his American Dream is unattainable. Such arguments are essentially rehashes of the old adage "Money doesn't buy happiness", and that perhaps not everyone's dream should be to achieve great monetary gain.
The American Dream is seen by critics as being somewhat superficial or meaningless. Many literary works level exactly that criticism at the American Dream, such as [[Arthur Miller]]'s play ''[[Death of a Salesman]]''. The play, a classic American work of literature, finds the main character Willy Loman struggling to come to grips with the fact that his American Dream is unattainable. Such arguments are essentially rehashes of the old adage "Money doesn't buy happiness", and that perhaps not everyone's dream should be to achieve great monetary gain.
In particular some of the criticisms are: Feeman is a Bitch and he loves Fat men!
In particular some of the criticisms are:
*Unequal access to higher education – In the U.S. it was sometimes more difficult for children of poor families to attend college; not attending college set upper limits on their career success, and it is difficult to earn a bachelors' degree — necessary for many fields — in one's free time once one begins working full-time. This criticism has been answered by the wide availability of [[financial aid]], and the poorest students are increasingly being given guarantees of a high proportion (up to 100%) of [[grant (money)|grants]] – removing the obligation to pay back any of the costs to the university which educates them. [[Harvard University]] became the first private university to offer 100% grants to accepted students from U.S. families earning less than US$40,000 a year in [[2003]], and in [[2004]] the [[University of Virginia]] became the first public university to offer a similar full-grant program, on incomes up to 200% of the poverty line, or about US$37,700 at that time.
*Unequal access to higher education – In the U.S. it was sometimes more difficult for children of poor families to attend college; not attending college set upper limits on their career success, and it is difficult to earn a bachelors' degree — necessary for many fields — in one's free time once one begins working full-time. This criticism has been answered by the wide availability of [[financial aid]], and the poorest students are increasingly being given guarantees of a high proportion (up to 100%) of [[grant (money)|grants]] – removing the obligation to pay back any of the costs to the university which educates them. [[Harvard University]] became the first private university to offer 100% grants to accepted students from U.S. families earning less than US$40,000 a year in [[2003]], and in [[2004]] the [[University of Virginia]] became the first public university to offer a similar full-grant program, on incomes up to 200% of the poverty line, or about US$37,700 at that time.

Revision as of 12:16, 5 April 2006

Historical American flags in Washington, DC: the Betsy Ross flag hangs on both ends and the classic Old Glory is to each side of the current 50 state version.

The American Dream is the faith held by many in the United States of America that through hard work, courage, and determination one can achieve a better life for oneself, usually through financial prosperity. These were values held by many early European settlers, and have been passed on to subsequent generations. What the American Dream has become is a question under constant discussion, and some believe that it has led to an emphasis on material wealth as a measure of success and/or happiness.

The Statue of Liberty was, from 1886 until the Jet age, often the first glimpse of the United States for millions of American immigrants after oceanic voyages from Europe.

Immigration

Ellis Island is the historical processing and welcoming center for newly arrived immigrants in New York City.

The American dream, along with escape from persecution or war in one's home country, has always been the primary reason for immigrants wanting to come to America. Throughout its history, America has been seen as a place with high opportunity for entrepreneurs relative to other regions of the world.

By the turn of the 20th century, the promise of the American Dream had begun to lure substantial numbers of immigrants from Eastern and Southern Europe. Huge numbers of Italians, Poles, Greeks, Jews, Russians and others came to find work in industrial cities such as New York, Chicago, Philadelphia and Detroit. This wave of immigration continued until the outbreak of World War I. Following the war, nativist sentiment led to new restrictions on immigration, which would continue until the Immigration and Nationality Services Act of 1965, which allowed larger scale immigration to resume.

The American Dream appears to have enduring appeal to many in other countries. The United States remains a magnet for immigrants today, receiving 1 million legal entrants annually — the largest influx in the world. Whereas past generations of immigrants tended to come from Europe, a majority of contemporary immigrants hail from Latin America and Asia.

The American Dream today

In the 20th century, the American Dream had its challenges. The Great Depression caused widespread hardship during the Thirties, and was almost a reverse of the dream for those directly affected. Racial instability did not disappear, and in some parts of the country racial violence was almost commonplace. There was concern about the undemocratic campaign known as McCarthyism carried on against suspected Communists.

Silicon Valley initiated the Computer Age and the dot-com boom. Companies such as Hewlett-Packard, eBay, Intel, Google, Apple, and Oracle remain headquartered there.

Since the end of World War II, young American families have sought to live in relative comfort and stability in the suburbs that were built up around major cities. This led to the rise of the relatively conservative 1950s, when many pursued the "perfect family" as a part or consequence of the American Dream. This period was shattered by a new generation of young people who embraced the hippie values of the 1960s, denying traditional values such as the American Dream. In modern times, the American Dream is seen as a possible accomplishment, as all children can go to school and get an education. Though the drive to it waned during those years, the dream itself has never died out.

In the 1990s, the pursuit of the American Dream could be seen in the Dot-com boom. People in U.S., as well as the world poured their energy into the new Gold Rush - the Internet. It was again driven by the same faith that by one's ingenuity and hardwork, anyone can become successful in America. Ordinary people started new companies from their garages and became millionaires. This new chapter of the American Dream again became the beacon to the world and attracted many entrepreneurial people from China and India to Silicon Valley to form startups, and seek fortune in America.

Another recent example of the American Dream being realized is the case of Tamir Sapir. An immigrant from the former Soviet republic of Georgia, Sapir arrived in America in 1973 and started as a taxicab driver in New York City. Saving up to buy an electronics store, he catered primarily to Russian clientele. Eventually he made contacts with the Soviet contingent to the United Nations in New York, and traded electronics for oil contracts, which he then sold to American companies. Investing the profits in Manhattan real estate, he became a billionaire by 2002, less than thirty years after arriving penniless in America. Like many rags to riches stories, his is a unique one that would be hard to replicate. Yet today Sapir is becoming known as America's "billionaire cabbie".

Criticism

Harvard University offers a free college education to all accepted students from low-income U.S. families.

The concept of the American Dream has been the subject of much criticism by, for example, Joseph Stiglitz. The main criticism is that the American Dream is misleading. These critics say that, for various reasons, it simply is not possible for everyone to become prosperous through determination and hard work alone. The consequences of this belief can include the poor feeling that it is their fault that they are not successful. It can also result in less effort towards helping the poor since their poverty is seen as "proof" of their laziness. The concept of the American Dream also ignores other factors of success such as luck, family, language, and wealth one is born into (although proponents of the dream would claim that starting wealth is irrelevant because of the belief that there is no level of poverty one cannot rise from with hard work). It also fails to take inheritable traits such as intelligence quotient and physical attributes including height, shape, and beauty into account.

The American Dream is seen by critics as being somewhat superficial or meaningless. Many literary works level exactly that criticism at the American Dream, such as Arthur Miller's play Death of a Salesman. The play, a classic American work of literature, finds the main character Willy Loman struggling to come to grips with the fact that his American Dream is unattainable. Such arguments are essentially rehashes of the old adage "Money doesn't buy happiness", and that perhaps not everyone's dream should be to achieve great monetary gain.

In particular some of the criticisms are:

  • Unequal access to higher education – In the U.S. it was sometimes more difficult for children of poor families to attend college; not attending college set upper limits on their career success, and it is difficult to earn a bachelors' degree — necessary for many fields — in one's free time once one begins working full-time. This criticism has been answered by the wide availability of financial aid, and the poorest students are increasingly being given guarantees of a high proportion (up to 100%) of grants – removing the obligation to pay back any of the costs to the university which educates them. Harvard University became the first private university to offer 100% grants to accepted students from U.S. families earning less than US$40,000 a year in 2003, and in 2004 the University of Virginia became the first public university to offer a similar full-grant program, on incomes up to 200% of the poverty line, or about US$37,700 at that time.
  • Wealth retention – Certain laws allow the wealthy to keep more of their money. For example, the recent lessening of inheritance tax and capital gains taxes may work to further solidify wealth once it is earned.
  • Economies of scale – It can be difficult to successfully start a business. One reason is because of the economies of scale necessary to survive in a commoditized market, although many markets today are not commoditized.
  • Genetic lottery – Research has suggested that features like IQ and extroversion may give certain people some advantages over others when it comes to making smart business decisions or career choices, and in establishing a social network.
  • Ethical differences – As in other countries, actions considered ethical vary between Americans. For example, a CEO who sees certain stock options as excessive monetary gain would find it harder to attain great wealth than one with a different viewpoint.

George Carlin claimed during his stand up show, Life is Worth Losing, "It's called the American Dream because you have to be asleep to believe it".

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