The "American Dream," in my opinion, is described as the equal opportunity for all those living in America to the certain unalienable rights that George Washington and the founding fathers listed in the Declaration of Independence, "life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness." However, I believe that there is an additional patriotic feeling that gets tied into the "American Dream," which comes as a by-product of achieving those rights. It is all about hard-work by the individual for the country as a whole. The American Dream always consists of aspirations to be successful and wealthy and to hold a job that allows for one enjoy the consumer-goods, family, and property as a result. However, the "American Dream" is still changing and is most definitely not the same as it was in the 1920s. Now, the "American Dream" holds less of a focus on materialism, whereas previously, materialism was at the center of the American dream, as read in Gatsby. In my opinion, there is now more of an emphasis on attaining the rights previously listed by the Founding Fathers as a nation, but for the individual.
Although "Born in the USA" is actually questioning American Nationalism in that
it's primary purpose was to raise awareness of the common Vietnam soldier
returning to an extremely ungrateful America, it is still played as a patriotic
song due to it's powerful chorus which repeats a plethora of times. It pertains
to my definition of the American Dream through it's patriotic sense.
"BORN IN THE USA"
American's attitudes towards wealth and poverty is very hard to determine due to the approximate 318.9 million residents in the United States of America. However, in a general sense and from what I have observed, America's attitudes towards wealth and poverty follows along the lines of capitalism. Private entities and individuals are allowed to acquire their wealth while following the legal instructions set by the government. Americans believe that everyone is entitled to the opportunity to acquire wealth, however, wealth is not always the easiest thing to achieve for most Americans. This is where poverty plays a role in American's beliefs. Poverty, in a sense, is the failure of Americans to acquire significant wealth, however, blame is not placed on the individuals whom are deemed as failures by this statement because the economic backgrounds of many poverous individuals do not allow them to grow economically. Instead, Americans believe that the poverty should be eradicated and are working towards this goal.
My personal beliefs towards wealth and poverty follow very closely with the general Americans. The people that amass great wealth in our society are often the stars of America and the people who everyone idolizes. Whether they be powerful entertainers (Bruce Springsteen) or stock-market experts (Warren Buffet), nearly every individual dreams of what having their wealth would be like. While this is a very cool aspect of America, I believe that more focus should be put on those in poverty. I believe that everyone should be able to do as they wish with their money, but I also think that Americans in poverty should be presented opportunities in order to overcome this economical state. Unless one desires to be in this state of poverty, in which case they can do so because they have the freedom to do exactly that in this country.
"Life's Been Good" by Joe Walsh is a perfect example of doing as
one desires with the wealth he earns. "I have a mansion forget the
price, ain't ever been there they tell me it's nice."
Good job Ryan! I really liked your example of another meaning of wealth (not being materialistic) being "moral wealth." I identified emotional wealth as another example. I also think its interesting how Americans idolize those with wealth. Do you think that wealth gives people power over others? I also think its interesting how Americans seem to be focused on the Appearance of wealth rather than these other "wealths" like emotional and moral wealth.
ReplyDeleteRyan, I really liked how you provided two people in America that most people think of as being wealthy, it helped me imagine what you were trying to describe. I also liked how you used a song to describe the idea of the American Dream I think it really strengthened your blog post.
ReplyDeleteGreat work as always, Mr. President. I like how you pointed out that the American Dream has changed from what it used to be and continues to change as our nation evolves. Your knowledge of capitalism and its alignment with the beliefs of the American people shows you have a good understanding of our country's beliefs as a whole. Your example Springsteen was a nice touch to.
ReplyDelete-Aidan Wells, VP
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ReplyDeleteMr. President, yet again your blog post has captivated me beyond imagination. One of the most interesting parts to me is your mention of the multiple definitions of wealth. I agree that one can be wealthy in many different ways, but was curious as to which type of wealth you personally found to be most relevant to the American dream.
ReplyDelete-Josh LoSapio, The Real VP