i have been seeing polls like this for so long that i no longer member how it was defined in my youth. when a poll is constructed as this one is, ie “They feel the dream — however they define it — is out of reach.” it is meaningless except as click bait.
any suggestions from moon nukers as to what constitutes the “American Dream” past, present or future?
@2 jw – In my head, I’ve always defined it “as my son will have a better life than me”.
Worked pretty well. Grandpa was a farmhand. Dad worked factory & owned his own home. I type on the internet and my twice-as-big home is already paid off.
that is a pretty good article. it even outlines all the changes over time. it is probably in the subsection “The four dreams of consumerism” that things get nebulous for me.
@jw: My impression mirrors yours: “The American Dream” was shorthand (in my formative years) for house ownership, family, job with upward mobility, time off to vacation and appreciat those things, the potential for fantastic rewards if you came up with an innovation, and a chance to affect and enjoy your community.
At some point, liberals just insinuated that it meant equality of *outcome* — and the press, Hollywood, and academia colluded.
I doubt that many can articulate what the “American Dream” is. Most belive it is about the Equality of Stuff instead of the Equality of Opportunity.
i have been seeing polls like this for so long that i no longer member how it was defined in my youth. when a poll is constructed as this one is, ie “They feel the dream — however they define it — is out of reach.” it is meaningless except as click bait.
any suggestions from moon nukers as to what constitutes the “American Dream” past, present or future?
oops “remember”
@2 jw – In my head, I’ve always defined it “as my son will have a better life than me”.
Worked pretty well. Grandpa was a farmhand. Dad worked factory & owned his own home. I type on the internet and my twice-as-big home is already paid off.
American Dream.
@4 harvey- i think that the first time i ever heard the term the implication was house, family and a job. mid 50s, just after two wars.
what is it today?
@5 jw – I’ll go with Wikipedia:
“The ethos today implies an opportunity for Americans to achieve prosperity through hard work.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Dream
@6 harvey
that is a pretty good article. it even outlines all the changes over time. it is probably in the subsection “The four dreams of consumerism” that things get nebulous for me.
If we could simply convince the government to stop taking it away.
@jw: My impression mirrors yours: “The American Dream” was shorthand (in my formative years) for house ownership, family, job with upward mobility, time off to vacation and appreciat those things, the potential for fantastic rewards if you came up with an innovation, and a chance to affect and enjoy your community.
At some point, liberals just insinuated that it meant equality of *outcome* — and the press, Hollywood, and academia colluded.