American Dream: Personalized and Collectivized - Essay Example

October The Revision of the American Dream: Personalized and Collectivized The American Dream is not dead; it just changed clothes. And the clothes it wears considerably depend on the people, as a generation and as individuals. The American Dream remains important to people today because of its ability to drive and sustain hope in their dreams for themselves and their country. In “Downgrading the American Dream,” Kadlec asserts that the American Dream should be demoted from its concept of material wealth to simply being able to live within one’s means. White partially agrees with Kadlec in her essay, “American Dream Deferred: We Now Embrace More Modest, Personal Goals.” She believes that the American Dream is now more defined by “modest” and personal goals (par.1). In “Keeping the Dream Alive,” Meacham offers a different idea of the American Dream, one where progress is measured through the greatness of the people as a whole. For Millennials, who are middle-class Asian students, the American Dream can be defined as completing a college education, attaining financial security, enjoying civil rights and freedoms, and finding personal fulfillment. Millenials, mainly minorities of the U.S., continue to give importance to the role of a college diploma in attaining success and happiness. Martha notes that for one survey, more people think that a college degree is unimportant to the American Dream: “Nearly two-thirds says it’s possible to achieve the American Dream without a college degree…” (par.2). She is saying that people no longer feel the relevance of finishing college to their material goals. Millenial minorities will have a hard time believing that, especially Asians who value education as key to success. For them, a college education is a must if one wants to be successful in America and in life. Moreover, Asians are particularly attached to the meaning of college education to their identities. They see education as part of who they are. Meacham understands this thinking when he quotes the U.S. Department of Commerce, which defined the middle class. The Department says that: “middle class families are defined by their aspirations more than income…[they] aspire to home ownership, a car, college education for children…” (par.8). These aspirations are shared by middle-class Millenials too. They are families who consistently believe in the power of college education in transforming their lives. Asian families, in particular, will sacrifice their own goals in life, if they can send their children to college. Parents will be disappointed, if their children do not finish their college education. They find it as a mark of failure to not attain a college diploma. Millenials, especially minorities, maintain some aspect of the original American Dream, especially the part that values college education as means to financial security and happiness. Connected to the role of college education is its contribution to financial security. Kadlec pertains to a good retirement life as an element of the American Dream: “Nearly half of adults say that a comfortable retirement is the new American Dream” (par.4). Financial security is defined as enjoying retirement without worrying of hunger and homelessness. The same applies for Millenials. They value the basics of retiring with peace of mind. The difference between Baby Boomers and Millenials, however, is how they plan to attain financial security. White reports that 28% of the Baby Boomers “plan to rely on the government and their employers’ retirement plans and simply hope that’s enough to support them through their senior years,” while “less than 20% of Gen Y respondents say the same thing” (par.4). Millenials think of financial security as something they have to ensure on their own. White mentions “self-sufficiency” (par.6) and this is important to Millenials, who seek to preserve their economic security. They may have different ways of attaining it. They can start a business or find employment that pays well. Either way, they want financial security through building up their savings and making sound investments. They are unsure of government support in their senior years and they would rather want to manage their own financial resources. Thus, the concept of financial security is very different for Baby Boomers and Millenials because the former is more optimistic and reliant on social welfare, while the latter is determined to attain financial independence through their own sustained efforts. Apart from financial security, the American Dream is increasingly about enjoying cherished civil rights and freedoms. This meaning of the American Dream is loyal to the original definition of James Adams who coined this term: “that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement” (Kadlec, par.2). This quote suggests how social equality in itself is important to a rich life. For millions of immigrants, social equality and mobility are some of the most vital reasons of living in America. Perhaps in their countries of origin, they feel oppression, or they have no or fewer rights. In America, they are free individuals, who can shape richer lives. Furthermore, with the advent of terrorism and different government controls, Millenials find it critical to protect civil freedoms and rights. They believe that these freedoms are part of their happiness and a valuable component of their American Dream. As Meacham brilliantly explains, the American Dream is convincing because it is about America’s greatness too, where Jefferson called his nation as “the world’s best hope” (par.1). It is the best hope because of what it stands for. America stands for freedom and autonomy. Millenials aim to maintain these freedoms that allow them to speak freely and to organize according to their needs and desires. These freedoms have social and financial benefits. If they are free and equal, they can aspire for economic growth. If they are free and equal, they can also feel a greater sense of human worth. In addition, knowing that everyone is equal attests to the social equality as the essence of the American Dream. Freedoms compose the collectivist aspect of the American Dream; it promises people that they are the same human beings with equal rights and opportunities in the land of the free. While freedoms connect people to the greatness of their nation, finding personal fulfillment personalizes the meaning of the American Dream. White highlights that Gen Y and Gen X feel less trust in public institutions than generations before them. Because of this, they prefer to see success in their own “lens,” where they can connect it to their “personal fulfillment” (par.6). This quote means that people want their own version of the American Dream. For Millenials, it refers to a social yardstick of individuality. It focuses on the importance of the “self,” even to the point of not always following social expectations. The idea of the “pursuit of happiness,” as Meacham discusses (par.14) is no longer reserved in the past. For Meacham, this pursuit is relevant to enterprising and independent British Americans who wanted to make America their own country. Millenials see the pursuit of happiness as something deeply personal and relevant. Their American Dream is not something that society enforces on them. Their American Dream is something that resonates inside them. Since happiness is something very personal or subjective, so is the new American Dream. They will define it using their values and aspirations, while tapping the freedoms and rights that will allow them to find happiness as Americans. Essentially, the Millenials’ definition of the American Dream combines traditional and modern thinking. They believe that it stands for having a college education, which will help them attain financial security. Furthermore, their American Dream stands for freedoms and rights, which is critical to reaching their personal fulfillment as individuals. It is shocking if Americans will accept the idea that the American Dream is dead. It is similar to saying that what brought their ancestors to this nation are worthless ideals. Millenials beg to disagree. They might be more cynical and pragmatic, but they will continue to believe in the essence of the American Dream. As a young generation, nevertheless, they redefine the American Dream. They clothe it according to their dreams and image. And they will live with it and fight for it as a true American. Works Cited Kadlec, Dan. “Downgrading the American Dream.” moneyland.time.com, 13 Sept. 2011. Web. 18 Aug. 2012. Meacham, Jon. “Keeping the Dream Alive.” Time.com, 21 June 2011. Web. 18 Aug. 2012. White, Martha C. “American Dream Deferred: We Now Embrace More Modest, Personal Goals.” moneyland.time.com, 1 Dec. 2011. Web. 18 Aug. 2012. Read More