What is the American Dream?

[ourlongroad]

I thought it was Liberty, but it seems to have been morphed into Money.

If that's accurate, then how did this happen, why did it happen, and who does it benefit?

[asimplegirl]

I don't know when it became this...but that all I can remember it ever being since I was born...for me, it has never been that.

[revolutionman]

the american dream is to get up to your eyeballs in debt buying shit you cant afford on credit with an interest rate that will ultimately cause you to pay 2x what the items you purchased would have cost you in cash. You live in a house and a car owned by the bank and you condemn yourself to be a slave to the bank until your debt is paid in full. Typically as many as 30 years of your life. Thats about 45% of your life spent in financial bondage, because it was packaged and sold to you as admirable goals.

[Elwar]

I thought it was a happy family with a white picket fence...

I just got a white picket fence installed in my yard, I'm married...now I just need the family and I'll have the American dream.

I'm not sure what comes after that...I'm sure it's nothing but smooth times and bliss.

[acptulsa]

Who it benefits is quite obvious. I expect the how and why is to be found, to no small degree, in the history of television in the U.S. And, of course, commercial television has always been brought to us by those who benefit most from this change.

YouTube - Frank Zappa - 02 - I'm the slime (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keKfnjeKHao)

[fisharmor]

The American Dream is opportunity.
Liberty breeds opportunity.
Americans don't sit around dreaming about being able to peaceably assemble, or being able to kick the cops with no warrant off their property.
They dream about making a better life for themselves, and having the opportunity to do so.

I'm not altogether sure it has morphed into money. Plenty of people would equate a better life with a bigger TV. But I submit that for most people, the TV is the goal, and the money is only the vehicle for getting that goal accomplished.

The opportunity to go work extra for that TV is the dream. The money is the intermediate step, and the TV is the better life. But I don't think there are many people for whom the money itself is the goal. I don't think many people care about money. I certainly don't, except in that it serves as a medium of exchange. I do X work and I get X amount of goods and services.


Very few people recognize that tinkering with money reduces opportunity, reduces liberty, but
I think the biggest shame of it is that everyone knows what inflation is, and yet nobody stops and asks why it happens. But it's the thing that lessens the benefits of working extra, increases the time you need to work to afford the TV, and then increases the price of the TV.

We know it happens... in fact, if you go talk to a financial opportunity rapist... er... adviser, he's going to tell you that you have to beat 6% return to cover average inflation rates. But nobody realizes that he's telling them they need to gamble if they want to keep their money.

How can we have any dreams with this being the case?

[Elwar]

"If you ask me to name the proudest distinction of Americans, I would choose--because it contains all the others--the fact that they were the people who created the phrase 'to make money.' No other language or nation had ever used these words before; men had always thought of wealth as a static quantity--to be seized, begged, inherited, shared, looted or obtained as a favor. Americans were the first to understand that wealth has to be created. The words 'to make money' hold the essence of human morality." (http://www.capmag.com/article.asp?ID=1826)

[diggronpaul]

The American Dream is opportunity.
Liberty breeds opportunity
The culture creation industry worked overtime over the last 100 years to change it from Liberty to Money. When I look at cellphones and electronics now, I can't help but relate it to the crap we pawned off onto the American Indians... the more it glittered the more we could usurp from them. Now, we're trading in our liberty for a freaking American Express Gold Card. Lots of advertising and media was required to make all of this happen. We sold out for plastic, ugh!

[LibertyEagle]

People seemed to forget that the only reason they had the opportunity to create a better life for themselves, was because they and their ancestors had liberty. Now, as we're being visibly looted, many being understandably freaked out, are solely focused on holding onto their bounty, rather than trying to recover the lost liberty that enabled them to prosper in the first place.

Americans used to understand that everything was based on liberty. But, somewhere along the line, many apparently forgot.

[VIDEODROME]

To get run over by a truck and win a big lawsuit.

[Dr.3D]

Well, I saw a bumper sticker that said, "The one who dies with the most toys wins!"

Maybe they thought that was the 'American Dream'.

[ChaosControl]

A wife, a house with a big red door, a dog, a white picket fence, and 2.3 kids.

[phill4paul]

Mine is simply to be left the hell alone. Is that really too much to ask? If I'm not hurting anyone? To be left the hell alone to travel as I choose, to own what firearms I want, to build what I want, to ingest what I want, to grow what I want, to be self sufficient, to actually own the property that is mine instead of leasing it.
If I hurt no one, is that really to much to ask or is it just a pipe-dream instead of an American one?

[Andrew-Austin]

You need money and wealth to do the shit you want to do..

I'd like to go sky diving, but I'm not free to do that without some cash.


A wife, a house with a big red door, a dog, a white picket fence, and 2.3 kids.

You need money for all of that.

[idiom]

A billion dollars buys a lot of liberty.

[LibertyEagle]

mine is simply to be left the hell alone. Is that really too much to ask? If i'm not hurting anyone? To be left the hell alone to travel as i choose, to own what firearms i want, to build what i want, to ingest what i want, to grow what i want, to be self sufficient, to actually own the property that is mine instead of leasing it.
If i hurt no one, is that really to much to ask or is it just a pipe-dream instead of an american one?

This. ^

[diggronpaul]

Mine is simply to be left the hell alone. Is that really too much to ask? If I'm not hurting anyone? To be left the hell alone to travel as I choose, to own what firearms I want, to build what I want, to ingest what I want, to grow what I want, to be self sufficient, to actually own the property that is mine instead of leasing it.
If I hurt no one, is that really to much to ask or is it just a pipe-dream instead of an American one?
But then how can you be assimilated into the new global system?

Sorry, being left alone is no longer on the table. This concept must be stricken from all teachings at once!

[phill4paul]

But then how can you be assimilated into the new global system?

Sorry, being left alone is no longer on the table. This concept must be stricken from all teachings at once!

You, sir, are the creation created from the burrito I ate before going to bed. Get the hell outta ma dreeeeem!!:p:D:D:D:D

[MPN]

As one digs deeper into the national character of the Americans, one sees that they have sought the value of everything in this world only in the answer to this single question: how much money will it bring in?

Alexis de Tocqueville



Google de Tocqueville if you aren't familiar with his time period.

[DirtMcGirt]

to live as long as you can while looking like you are not nearly your age.

[silverhawks]

The American Dream - Not Dead, Only Sleeping

James Adams wrote in his 1931 book "Epic of America":

"If, as I have said, the things already listed were all we had to contribute, America would have made no distinctive and unique gift to mankind. But there has been also the American Dream, that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for every man, with opportunity for each according to his ability or achievement."

With this, he coined the name for an ideal in the heart of America that those who came here could aspire to.

The roots of the American Dream were born in the revolutionary war, with the founding fathers. To them, it was the hope of a nation where every man and woman could forge a life free from tyranny, where they would be free to find their own destiny. This is what motivated the likes of Benjamin Franklin, Samuel Adams and Thomas Jefferson to declare their independence and risk their lives in a revolutionary war – something that lent spiritual strength to a fledgling nation beyond the confines of any one religion.

Opportunity and Liberty

At the end of the Revolutionary War, vast tracts of land and vast quantities of resources lay unclaimed on the new continent. The promise of land ownership and personal property bought immigrants flocking to the newly united states, where if you made a lucky or informed investment in land or industry, you could change your life.

This feeling of limitless opportunity was fueled by the Industrial Revolution; with new technologies came new business, and inventors such as Edison and Ford and businessmen such as Carnegie made their own fortunes from literally nothing.

The Transcontinental Railroad stretched from sea to shining sea and opened up new territories, each with their own potential. This combination sent out a pervasive message across the world - that America offered wealth and prosperity to all those who were willing to work for it. It offered chances at something that most people could only dream about. Carnegie himself was a firm believer that if you had talent, and worked hard, you were likely to live a better life.

The Waning Dream

I don't for a moment imagine that the American Dream is truly dead; however, in the modern age it is nearly unattainable for those who need it most. Americans spend millions of dollars every year on cigarettes, hotdogs, hamburgers or football games - but where does all that money go? it can be said to naturally gravitate to those who already have significant fortunes, because they have the resources to place themselves in the best position to gather it. In this regard, America is no longer "a land of limitless opportunity"; instead the maxim should now read "you need money to make money".

Indeed, in this day and age it is doubtful that Carnegie, Ford and Edison would ever have been able to achieve the greatness that they aspired to; would a modern bank loan a penniless Ford or Carnegie enough to start a business? The rising costs of living against the average American wage and increased taxation harm the chances of those with entrepreneurial dreams - they are asked to risk everything, and often lose everything. Many people, ill-informed and not educated on the workings of a debt/credit economy, make it from month to month on meager paychecks, never accumulating significant wealth. This is not the America that the founding fathers envisioned.

The path of the entrepreneur is viewed by financial institutions with disdain as opposed to those who establish themselves within small jobs in large corporate efforts and "work their way up" over years. Acting counter to this is seen as un-necessarily risky. We are not living in the America of limitless possibilities any longer, and the revolutionary, risk-taking spirit that created a nation has been soundly suppressed and derided in favor of the monotonous safety of corporate employment.

The original ideals of the American Dream - freedom and opportunity, personal liberty, living out from under an oppressive, intrusive government; have been replaced by something else in today's America. When you ask the average person what they believe the dream consists of, they will inevitably answer with something related to money.

Take a look at our modern society. The pinnacles of success are celebrated, while the long road to prosperity is forgotten, along with its trials and failures. Hard work has been replaced by instant gratification and entitlement. What was a vision of a better life through hard work and perseverance and the creation of opportunities has become "waiting for the big break". It seems that in the minds of most, the road to the American Dream now lies in game shows, lotteries or lawsuits.

Restoring the American Dream

As I said before, I don't believe the American Dream is truly dead. Many Americans still aspire to it, they still dream about a free and better life…but how to attain it? In response, I would say that this vision has always been indelibly connected to progress.

The more recent example of rampant entrepreneurial expansion was the 90's tech bubble, where programmers, designers and software engineers could charge exorbitant amounts for just their knowledge, riding the wave of new technology and a change in the industrial paradigm.

Of course, the bubble burst, and we now live in a world where portable mp3 players and wireless internet is commonplace - but the future holds new technological advances and social trends. It would be exceptionally beneficial to people to educate themselves about these opportunities in order to capitalize on them ahead of time, to be ready to ride the wave of progress as it changes the world, rather than cling to the coat-tails of big business.

In future industries lies the seeds of a new American Dream; but we need to educate people to be able to help them reach out and grasp it. And that is not the work of a single person, and especially not that of a government - that is the work of an entire nation of individuals wanting something better for themselves.

Our society as a whole needs to be reminded that opportunity does not just fall into one's lap - it must be identified, nurtured, developed and fought for - in our continuing search for the American Dream we must open our minds to our history and our future, and then be prepared to work hard and forgo some instant gratification for the promise of a better life.

[silverhawks]

the american dream is to get up to your eyeballs in debt buying shit you cant afford on credit with an interest rate that will ultimately cause you to pay 2x what the items you purchased would have cost you in cash. You live in a house and a car owned by the bank and you condemn yourself to be a slave to the bank until your debt is paid in full. Typically as many as 30 years of your life. Thats about 45% of your life spent in financial bondage, because it was packaged and sold to you as admirable goals.

No, I think you'll find that's the American Nightmare.

[He Who Pawns]

To be able to do what you want be left alone by the government.

[LiveFree79]

The notion of the American Dream has been corrupted and twisted by the powers that be. We have been brainwashed for the last 100 years or so into believing that materialism and "wealth" is the at the heart of it. The pseudo American Dream will grant you cellphones and SUVs, designer jeans and designer plastic surgery. The American Dream is about freedom and liberty..both economic and personal.

I'll use a real world example..........Americans were a nation of land owners back in the day. We were able to feed our families, grow our food, build our shelter, trade with our neighbors etc. We were independent people, relying on our selves and our innovation and hardwork in the quest to prosperity and a comfortable life. But at the heart was the freedom and the owning of land. We were a nation of family farms. Look at how the number of family farms have shrunk in the last 100 years. It's scary. We are now more reliant on other people and the government than we as a people have ever been. The last bastion of American freedom in my opinion is the second amendment. When that is gone everything falls by the waist side.

My goal in life is to eventually own land as this should be the goal of most Americans. We need to get back to the concept of land owners. Because without land we have no freedom to do what we want.

[phill4paul]

The notion of the American Dream has been corrupted and twisted by the powers that be. We have been brainwashed for the last 100 years or so into believing that materialism and "wealth" is the at the heart of it. The pseudo American Dream will grant you cellphones and SUVs, designer jeans and designer plastic surgery. The American Dream is about freedom and liberty..both economic and personal.

I'll use a real world example..........Americans were a nation of land owners back in the day. We were able to feed our families, grow our food, build our shelter, trade with our neighbors etc. We were independent people, relying on our selves and our innovation and hardwork in the quest to prosperity and a comfortable life. But at the heart was the freedom and the owning of land. We were a nation of family farms. Look at how the number of family farms have shrunk in the last 100 years. It's scary. We are now more reliant on other people and the government than we as a people have ever been. The last bastion of American freedom in my opinion is the second amendment. When that is gone everything falls by the waist side.

My goal in life is to eventually own land as this should be the goal of most Americans. We need to get back to the concept of land owners. Because without land we have no freedom to do what we want.

To TRULY own land. Not lease it. If taxes are taken when we make our money and taxes are paid when we purchase the property (neither of which I'm a fan of) then the only true freedom is owning the property. Bought and paid for. End of discussion. Yours forever or until you sell it. No emminent domain. No property tax leases from the government.
Free to do what you want on your land. Like becoming self-sufficient. Ahh, but there is the rub. If you own your land out right and are self sufficient how can they control you without demanding FRNs in yearly tribute.:mad:

[muh_roads]

The American dream is now just to be hopeful you have a roof over your head and you can pay your bills. Saving? What is that?

The elitists are doing a wonderful job at spreading America's wealth with the rest of the world.

[UnReconstructed]

The "American Dream" is a collectivist marketing gimmick for what ever direction the government/banks want to guide individuals into and therefore separate them from their wealth.

[A. Havnes]

I think it was actually morphed into free handouts and a welfare state. In other words, lazyness. Instead of relying on yourself and your community to take care of everyone, we began relying on the State, which does a lousy job of it.

[Spike]

First, the American dream is different for every individual but at the heart of it is the pursuit of happiness. Over the years more and more believed in only one type of dream but there is no such thing. Not everybody is satisfied with a suburban house and a nuclear family.

I'll try to put my version of the American dream into one sentence just for the fun of it, no wait, one line: FREEEEEEDOOOOOOMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!

[MelissaWV]

To have enough resources (monetary or otherwise) to have the basics taken care of. To have enough to eat, and some to share. To be with the one I love and have people of quality in my life with which to discuss whatever we please. To live and be content with all of the above.

And the freedom required to do all of that, and not have it taken away.

[HOLLYWOOD]

The American Dream Video The MOST CONCISE 4:30 Minutes of your LIFE! <===click (http://www.alternet.org/blogs/video/61955/)