The American Dream is a national code of the United States. It is used to set the ideals of democracy, rights, liberty, and equality. It is based on the declaration of independence which proclaims that all me are created equal with the right to life and pursuit of happiness. The American Dream portrays the United States as a land of opportunity where anyone and everyone could succeed as they work with determination. However, the United States has been faced with various challenges that have made it difficult to provide equal opportunities for everyone and anyone. The American Dream is no longer the case since those that hope to achieve it may never realize the dream. The myth of the American Dream is evident in the difference in socioeconomic status, wealth income disparity, student loans and mortgages, and the decay of the American society.
Arguments
The American Dream can be considered as a myth for individuals that are in the lower socioeconomic status. Individuals that are in the middle-class face challenges of high taxation making it difficult for them to rise above their economic status. Compared to the market and economies in Europe, the United States tax system has been highly skewed in terms of class. Tittenbrun (2015) points out how earning $27,000 per year may not allow an individual to live the American Dream. This is because of huge taxation which reduces the amount of income.
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There is an increasingly greater disparity in wealth and income among the rich and the poor. This makes it difficult for individuals of children of lower classes and estates to get to a higher earning income. One of the reasons why this takes place is due to inadequate resources among individuals of lower wealth incomes. Individuals from privileged classes have resources that can enable them to achieve the American Dream. However, this is not the case for individuals that come from lower wealth incomes. The disadvantaged classes are handicapped in terms of cultural and inherited resources (Tittenburg, 2015). The lack of resources can lead to poor educational performances which affect the final outcomes of their lives. Individuals that come from lower wealth incomes are highly disadvantaged and the American Dream is a myth to them.
The American Dream is a myth that drives student loans and mortgages. Standards of living in the United States has risen to significantly high levels, proper education and housing have become difficult to attain. The American Dream has made several individuals run into huge debt levels. Best (2012) notes that the American Dream is the best explanation for the increasing debt levels in education and housing. Student loans and mortgages are used to finance the modern American Dream. There are dream ideals for college education and home ownership which drive many Americans to frustration. Such dreams are simply a myth and cannot be easily met by education and housing.
The myth of the American Dream has led many individuals to chase the unachievable and this has had negative and destructive effects on the human spirit. The American Dream promotes capitalism and facilitates exploitation and subordination. It promises individualism and independence as people achieve what they desired. Such an ideology puts self-interest above individual needs (Sepehrmanesh, M., & Dehghani, 2014). The American Dream was based on personal achievement and not the achievement of society as a whole. This has created several problems such as income inequality and problems with business ethics where individuals only focus on benefiting themselves at the expense of the larger society.
Counter Arguments
One of the counterarguments against the myth of the American Dream is by noting the percentage of individuals that have achieved the dream. Data from Chetty et al. (2017) analyzed the absolute income mobility by looking at children that had attained the American Dream by earning more than their parents. The data showed that income mobility was at 90% for children born in the 1940s and 50% for children that were born in the 1980s. It can be inferred from the studies that these groups of populations studied realized the American Dream. The study also notes that in order for the American Dream to be realized, there has to be an even economic distribution that allows everyone to fulfill their dreams.
Conclusion
I support the opinion that the American Dream is a myth that is highly unachievable for the larger population. I find that the American Dream was one that was put forth by our forefathers as they went through a significant period of even economic growth. However, there has been an increased gap between the rich and individuals of the middle class. Individuals that are rich are accorded with enough resources that can enable them to realize the American Dream and become highly successful. However, for middle-income individuals, the American Dream is a myth which is not achieved by the larger population. The middle-income earners can continually work hard without changing their lives.
The myth of the American Dream can be seen through the difference in socioeconomic status, wealth income disparity, student loans and mortgages, and the decay of the American society. There is a difference in the socioeconomic status of different individuals that are in the lower socioeconomic status may not achieve the American Dream. Wealth income disparity also means that some individuals are less privileged and may never realize the American Dream. The American Dream is a myth which if pursued leads to other problems such as debt and decay of American society. While some argue there has been an increase in payment of individuals over the last years, there is still a huge number of individuals that work hard and fail to realize the American Dream.
References
Best, E. (2012). Debt and the American dream. Society , 49 (4), 349-352.
Chetty, R., Grusky, D., Hell, M., Hendren, N., Manduca, R., & Narang, J. (2017). The fading American dream: Trends in absolute income mobility since 1940. Science , 356 (6336), 398-406.
Sepehrmanesh, M., & Dehghani, E. (2014). The Dehumanizing American Dream in David Mamet’s Glengarry Glen Ross. k@ ta lama , 16 (1), 45-53.
Tittenbrun, J. (2015). The Myth of American Dream. World Scientific News , (9), 1-16.
