The Ailing American Dream - Essay Example

Section/# The Ailing American Dream “The American Dream” is a term that is thrown around a great deal in the popular culture and is perennially referenced in movies and by politicians. For purposes of analysis and comparison, the American Dream will be defined within this essay as the belief and understanding that anyone, regardless of national origin and/or economic means, has the innate potential to further their own ends and accrue a level of wealth to such a degree that they can own their own home and realize a level of economic independence. As such, it is one of the defining means by which an identity of what it means to be American has been able to be formed throughout the generations of the nation’s history. For instance, James Truslow Adams in his 1931 book entitled The Epic of America first described the American dream in the following way: “The American Dream is 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. It is a difficult dream for the European upper classes to interpret adequately, and too many of us ourselves have grown weary and mistrustful of it. It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position” (Adams 2). As a function of understanding this quote and the appreciation for what America portends to offer, the reader can and should consider some of the contributing factors that have made the American Dream possible within the past. For purposes of this brief essay, the author will attempt to point the reader to some of the main reasons for why the American Dream is in dire straits; and ultimately in danger of becoming a mere figment of past memory. In short, the idea of working hard and lifting oneself from poverty to extreme wealth just remains a dream. Such an interpretation and discussion will hopefully yield the reader with a new appreciation for the dynamics of the American dream and the way in which it is realized and not realized within the lives of stakeholders within society. One of the main reasons that placed the American Dream in the present endangered situation is the increasing economic inequality that was exhibited in the United States shortly afte World War II. But, in the past three decades the rich are getting richer, while it is becoming increasingly expensive for the poor and the middle class to afford basic necessities. The wealthiest one percent of individuals own more than a third of the total wealth in the United States, making it increasingly difficult for shareholders within the lower classes to break free from the constraints that bind them to their realities. A perfect exemplification of this is evidence in the essay “Up Against Wal-Mart”. Within this particular essay, Karen Olsson discusses a worker in Wal-Mart named Jennifer McLaughlin. Jennifer is paid a meagre$16,800 a year for her hard work and neither she nor her baby has any form of health insurance. Jennifer is just one of 2 million employees working in Wal-Mart, the largest private employer in the country. We can see that these people are definitely not living the American dream. However, more importantly than merely using Jennifer as a strawman for a larger argument, the reader can understand that Jennifer is emblematic of the means by which many individuals seek to survive within the current system. Within the same theme, the essay “Progressive Wal-Mart, Really” by Sebastian Mallaby defends Wal-Mart by stating that the low prices offered by Wal-Mart are a benefit to lower middle income families. But what is forgotten here is that these low prices are on the backs of poverty level workers who cannot live off their wages that Wal-Mart is prepared to pay. This is the condition in just one of the many corporations in America. The number of low income jobs now account for 41percent of all jobs in the U.S. Another reason that hinders low and middle income individuals from climbing up the economic ladder is due to the high and unfair amount of taxes they have to pay compared to the high income groups. Former presidential contester and a multi-millionaire, Mitt Romney, acknowledged that he only pays 13.9% of his income as taxes. Compare this to the 30% of taxes that most middle class Americans pay. This makes us question the “equality to all” promised in the American dream. Another reason that the American Dream is currently suffering is due to the fact that the real estate market is in such complete and total disarray. Once upon a time, it was believed that the American Dream could be realized by working hard, saving, and investing in a home of one’s own (McClelland 11). However, as the feet have fallen out from underneath the current real estate market as a result of the economic difficulties of 2007-2008, such a dream finds itself in dire jeopardy. Moreover, for those individuals that have already purchased their own homes and have saved and paid off their mortgages in the belief that such an investment would greatly benefit them in the future, they ultimately find themselves deluded and holding on to a house that is oftentimes worth far less than they paid for it. This strikes at the very core of the American Dream as it is has always been understood that regardless of economic factors, having a home that has been paid off represents the ultimate freedom and dream that everyone can and should ascribe to. A further cause for the ailing American Dream is with regards to the difficulties that exist between moving from the lower class to the middle or upper middle classes. Whereas class mobility has always been an aspect of the American Dream which has been touted as unique in all the world, the fact of the matter is that the level to which this mobility is possible within the current era is greatly reduced from what it was before. Part of the reason for this is the fact that our grandparent’s generation was able to go from having little to no education to becoming highly successful in a given field or trade. However, in order to even obtain a job as a secretary within the current era, it is necessary to have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree which does not come at a very low cost. Moreover, these educational requirements continue to cost more and more as the years go by; making it exceptionally difficult for those within the lower classes to pay for a college degree which will only provide them with a job that pays slightly better than minimum wage. Children are told that getting a college degree will land them a good job and that they can live the American dream. But many college graduates are disappointed by the fact that they cannot find proper jobs as soon as they finish college. In fact, 17 million college graduates do jobs that do not require a college degree. Unemployment numbers in the United States are at record highs. People who are willing to work hard and get a better life do not have the opportunity to do so. Finally, it can be understood that the regulations that exist upon small business is one reason why the lower and lower middle classes are unable to penetrate into a higher standard of living. As compared to the generation of our grandparents, the overall level of regulations that currently exist mean that it is increasingly difficult to break free from the lower or lower middle classes and operate a small business. From a brief understanding of the constraining factors and changing economic situation that currently defines the United States allows to reader to easily note some of the reasons why the American Dream is ailing. Instead, the points which have been made help to underscore the fact that the system, as it exists, makes it increasingly difficult for the American Dream to be realized for any member of society. Although there is still opportunity within the United States, the access to it and the equality of it have been severely limited. Rather than merely accepting the misinformed belief that the American dream is attainable for each and every individual, the reality of the fact is that this “dream” is merely a false promise for a great many individuals that continue to strive under this laborious system yet with few if any results to show for it after years of sacrifice and hardship. Works Cited Adams, James T. The epic of America. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press, 1980. Print. McClelland, Peter D., and Peter H. Tobin. American dream dying : the changing economic lot of the least advantaged. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2010. Print. Read More