The American Dream and Me - Essay Example

HERE HERE YOUR HERE HERE The American Dream and Me INTRODUCTION Many immigrants come to the United s as a means of gaining liberty, earning new career opportunities, to improve their education, and become part of a culture that has many social advantages. The United States is a very prosperous country that has access to a variety of important resources, including high volume agriculture to ensure ample food availability, modern technologies and economic wealth. The United States represents what is referred to as The American Dream, a set of cultural beliefs and ideologies regarding the receipt of freedom and prosperity that is matchless in any other nation on Earth. THE AMERICAN DREAM The concept of the American Dream is a cultural belief and principle that serves to characterize society and the nation. It is a set of values that suggest the United States can provide wealth and a better quality of lifestyle than any other country regardless of their ethnic background or social class. Opportunities under this concept are widely available to anyone, regardless of what nation they hail from, according to their individual abilities and motivations (Library of Congress 1). The American Dream is the notion of a positive social order where every person in the country can gain respect and social prominence based on their capabilities and be recognized for their diverse characteristics regardless of the circumstances of their birth or class position. The concept of the American Dream is founded on the preamble to the Declaration of Independence which states that all men have been created with equality in mind and that all men should be afforded the rights to liberty, happiness and a quality lifestyle. Therefore, the American dream represents opportunity, success, wealth and abundance with an emphasis on the achievement of pleasure by becoming a part of society in the United States. The American Dream is related to American Exceptionalism, a similar ideology to the American Dream with the belief that America is likely superior to any other nation state on Earth and, through perseverance and revolution, had developed its own unique ideology known as Americanism that distinguishes the country from all other countries across the world. This belief is supported by such values as egalitarianism, laissez-faire doctrines, and republicanism (Lipset 18). Egalitarianism is a belief that there should be equality between all people and that everyone is identical in terms of their human value and social status (Arneson 3). Laissez-Faire involves the guarantee that society members will be free of government controls and regulation except for protectionism regarding property rights. It suggests a culture and economy where government has limited influence and does not impose tyrannical rule. Republicanism reinforces the importance of liberty and the right to freedom. All three of these terms are related to the preamble of the American Declaration of Independence related to liberty, happiness and the pursuit of a quality lifestyle. A PERSONAL REFLECTION ON THE AMERICAN DREAM I have only been in the United States for two years. I have lived in Africa, China and France as part of my cultural experiences throughout my lifetime. In Gabon, 43 percent of the country’s GDP is founded on the oil industry and this industry represents 81 percent of all product exports in the country. Therefore, most career opportunities in this country involve the oil industry and there are limited opportunities for seeking prosperity in other industries and sectors. People who do not train for a job in this industry will likely live in poverty. At the same time, Gabonese government is very dominant in setting prices of products and regulating the oil industry as well as determining spending on infrastructure projects, but does not do a very good job of spending properly to satisfy the needs of citizens. Therefore, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are not easily achieved in an environment where government is so influential in dictating social policy and career opportunities. This is one reason why my family and I left Gabon to seek out new opportunities, trying to find the dream of being free of government control and finding opportunities that are better suited for our lifestyle and social expectations. In China, we found the same restrictions and oppression that was present in Gabon due to long-standing Communist values and a government that wants to have control over society and business. State-owned enterprises were setting prices too high which impacted quality of life and there were few liberties afforded to society in a suspicious and sometimes corrupt government system. Many of these same problems were also present in France, a country where the elite class tries to oppress the middle class and forces them to comply with elitism standards of behavior and social expectations. This is why I decided that the American Dream would be one of the greatest experiences of my lifetime. To be able to break free from social class oppression in France, avoid government control and incompetency in Gabon, and gain much more freedoms than in China was what drove my decision to enter the United States as an international student. The United States is well-known for having many liberties and freedoms that give its citizens many different opportunities, economically, in terms of career development and in education. When living in these foreign countries, Americanism was often considered a dirty word and the idea of the American Dream was considered a hoax and many members of foreign society believed that it was founded on arrogance and a sense of cultural superiority. Oftentimes, especially when in France, when my social circles discussed current events in the United States it was often accompanied with thoughts that Americans were spoiled and prideful and that the idea of the American Dream was founded on gluttony and lack of appreciation for the many resources available to everyone in the country. Upon entering the country, however, I found that the concept of the American Dream and belief in American Exceptionalism were very valid concepts. I immediately found that French and Chinese attitudes about American citizens and government were quite false. I discovered that government was very transparent and tried very hard to make citizens happy by launching laws and programs designed to help further opportunities and social growth. Citizens seemed appreciative of the many advantages and opportunities available to them and did not seem very concerned with class distinctions that were so very common in France. In fact, I found that people of many different socio-economic backgrounds would often socialize together successfully and discuss issues that were of equal importance to all different groups. I found that concepts of egalitarianism, laissez-faire government and republicanism were very much a part of Americanism and they were justifiable statements. It was jealousy, I believe, that caused French and Chinese citizens to have negative viewpoints about America and the American Dream. French culture does not have many resources available to them and they rely on import products from the European Union, China and the United States to give citizens a high quality of life. It is very much a service-oriented nation and many citizens work in such places as restaurants and cafes in order to have a quality living. Citizens do not have multiple industries to choose from and in which to receive training so that they can earn higher incomes and find economic prosperity. Food is extremely expensive in France and the variety of foods are quite bland which does not give citizens much happiness and delight. Therefore, when discussion of the American Dream came into the social network, there were many negative opinions saying that Americans were hypocritical. This is simply not true as an international student who has been a part of American culture for two years and I realize now that these thoughts came from envy and resentment against a more fortunate United States society. This is very unfortunate as American Exceptionalism, under the concept of a unique Americanism culture, is a very real phenomenon and there is nothing negative or oppressive about it whatsoever. There is such fulfillment in America and I cannot think of a better place to live anywhere in the world. CONCLUSION I am now a very firm believer in the American Dream. The country is full of freedoms that I have never experienced before and government is very competent in their governance of the country and working to make sure there is ample opportunity to improve social welfare. Members of the American society, educators, government representatives, and even peer networks have given me a firm understanding of American Exceptionalism and the American Dream and I would now gladly promote these values and beliefs to anyone who might argue against American culture and its attitudes. The American Dream is about liberty and freedom and I now see how fundamentally important this ideology actually is for promoting greater cheerfulness that is virtually impossible in any other nation on Earth. I am proud to be a part of the American Dream today and would recommend pursuing it to anyone. WORKS CITED Arneson, Richard J. Luck Egalitarianism Interpreted and Defended. Philosophical Topics. Vol. 32. (2004). Print. Library of Congress. The American Dream: What is the American Dream?. Web. February 5, 2014. Lipset, Seymour M. American Exceptionalism: A Double-Edged Sword. W.W. Norton & Company (1997). Print. Read More