The American Dream

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“The ‘American Dream” is a crock. Stop wanting everything. Everyone should wear jeans, have three t-shirts, and eat rice and beans.” – Bill Hicks
So many American citizens are caught up in the idea of the “American Dream” and many are willing to do anything in order to achieve it. However I think the question we should all be asking is, “What exactly is the ‘American Dream’?” In writing the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson helped equivalate the “American Dream” to the full understanding and use of our inalieanable rights as American citizens. One of these rights, which most people focus on, is the pursuit of happiness and as a result the “American Dream” has changed from meaning a chance for a free and better life to being the excuse for people’s greedy and selfish desires. However I do believe that if we not only recognize the initial intent of the “American Dream”, but also learn to live within our means, then we can drastically improve the imposing debt issue and guarentee a better life for the generations to come.
The “American Dream” means many things for different people. For immigrants and thee older generation of Americans, it meant being married with 2.5 children and a 3 bedroom house behind a white picket fence with hopes of providing their family with a better life and the opportunity for success. Unfortunately, the “Dream” has now come to mean living in the biggest house, wearing the best clothes, having the newest gadgets, and driving the most expensive cars without considering the factor of affordability. Many children are growing up believing that the credit system was designed for them to live the lifestyle that they want now but cannot yet afford. These same children believe that being in debt is...

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...with earning money. I also believe that they should not encourage the use of credit cards by giving it to their kids as this may lead to the bad habit of credit card abuse which will be hard to break. In doing this, we will not only reduce the national debt but understand the advantage financial stability.
As Bill Hick said, the “American Dream” is a “crock” and we should learn to be happy with what we can afford even if it involves living with no luxuries. Despite the fact that this idea may not be liked, it must be done inorder to make our country better. We need to learn how to not only value money but to also use it wisely because it does not “grow on trees”. In addition we need to redefine the “American Dream” so that it is not a mere fantasy about seeking material goods through credit but an attainable goal of success throught saving,contentment, and hardwork.

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