Many Americans will not be able to outcompete the more wealthy Americans in education, which means the poorer will not be able to outcompete wealthier in the job market. Moreover, the racial prejudices that exist against some minority groups will extinguish their qualifications before they even have a chance to prove themselves. And even if a poor person tries desperately to work hard to climb up the economic ladder, the weight of the physical and mental stress will crush them. Thus, the American Dream cannot be realized by the majority of Americans, and hence cannot become a reality. Alas, the American Dream ceases to be anything more than a futile hope and an empty
George Carlin once said, “They call it the American Dream because you have to be asleep to believe it.” Unfortunately, he wasn’t too far from the truth. This American Dream once suggested that hard work would pay off over time. The big house and shiny new car, albeit cliché and materialistic, were the goals through which the people of this country sought rigorous education and a decent salary. Now, with unemployment at an all time high and millions of Americans living below or on the poverty line, it’s difficult to determine whether the dream is to obtain these things or to simply “get by”. Throughout the years, the idea of the American Dream deteriorated amidst a variety of unfavorable socio-economic factors. Amongst these are a low morale, unequal opportunity, a widening gap between the rich and poor, decreased employment opportunity, and the rising cost of higher education.
The American dream is where we could have political and economic freedom, equality, the ability to have socio-economic mobility and achieve happiness through hard work and playing by the rules. For many years, millions of people came to the United States to have political and economic freedom and to live in a land with liberty and justice for all. To now the health and status of the American dream, we need to have a better understanding of the current socio-economic mobility in the society (PEW 2012). People have a misconception about equality and socio-economic mobility in the USA. They do not know the reality of what is happening, to what extent income inequality and discrimination have changed, and grew in the past years and how it is affecting our socio-economic mobility and the American
The American Dream is what people aspire to follow as they grow. The problem of income inequality is drastic: people are not seizing to where they want to be, employment is scarce, and there is a shift from what the real problem is: income inequality. Furthermore, the government would like people to believe that we should be focusing on Ebola and other issues going on; however, the real issue is according to a YouTube video, “Why Chief Executive Officers are making Twelve million dollars while the average worker is only making $34,000” (YouTube.com). Consequently, the income is unbalanced. The American dream is different for everyone whether it is a job or to create a family. Additionally, income inequality is threatening the American Dream by unequal pay by gender and poor living areas.
As life continuously becomes difficult in America, U.S Citizens can still find optimism in the American dream. A dream that applies to all regions, races, and religions. It is the idea that, every American has equal opportunities to find success and happiness through hard work. The American dream doesn't necessarily mean going from poverty to absolute wealth. Things simple such as owning a home or affording a college education is a precious dream to many Americans. The flaw in that statement are the two words “equal opportunities”. The American dream is filled with false hopes and promises. Individuals who are working hard, never even earn the chance to find their happiness. America’s poor economic mobility is the reality American should face
The American dream is comprised of the ability to have financial stability, safety, a successful career, education, and peace of mind. Not all Americans have an equal opportunity to achieve their American dream because of discrimination, money differences, and no time to enjoy what they have. “ People are hurting, and as the pain grows, sharing it with others becomes more common”.
The idea of the American Dream in present day is quite different to what it was. The fact that any individual could improve on their current status in the economy through hard work and succeed their parents financially does not hold true any longer. There is no longer the same opportunity for those who do not have a college degree. In the early 1900's, it was almost guaranteed that a person without a formal education could find a reasonably well paying job through hard work. However, nowadays it is very difficult to find a job if one does not obtain a college level degree.
Many groups are or have been stigmatized. It used to be considered shameful to be diagnosed as mentally ill; at the time, causes were not well known. We now know more about biological contributors to mental illness, but some stigma remains. It used to be considered shameful to accept government handouts. That stigma has been alleviated with widespread use of Social Security and Medicare, and Medicaid for long-term nursing home care. But unfortunately, despite widespread acknowledgment of some of the worst income inequality in American history, some portions of modern American society stigmatize the poor. If only we worked harder, or fought for those promotions, we could climb the ladder of success and would no longer be a “burden on taxpayers”.
The "American Dream" invades the lives and permeates the minds of us all. It's America's ethos that promises: opportunity, prosperity, freedom, equality, and power to its people. Its influence has caused millions of people to migrate from countries all over the world. In some instances, people believed the streets were paved in gold in America. I play with the notion of the dream too with aspirations of homeownership, higher education goals, owning my dream car and growing my business. However, in an article printed in The Daily Beast, the author argues that we wake up because the American Dream is dead and good riddance (Goff). She asserts the "dream" requires $130,000 yearly to which 1 in 8 Americans falls within its reach. To concur, during
The American Dream is one of many reasons why people come to America. They come to get a better life than what they had before. In today’s society, many believe that it is attainable and is a reasonable goal for many immigrants. The “National Review” found “in 2011, 75% of Americans said the American Dream was still possible and achievable for people…” People believe it’s a reachable goal because they face less discrimination, and have the will to work hard. Back before technology and electricity, people would give anything to get a little extra change in their pocket, and children today would too. They have many more privileges than the generation before them. If people work hard enough, then can attain the dream.