American Dream

The American Dream is the idea (often associated with the Protestant work ethic) held by many in the United States of America that through hard work, courage and determination one can achieve prosperity. These were values held by many early European settlers, and have been passed on to subsequent generations. What the American Dream has become is a question under constant discussion.

Criticism

The concept of the American Dream has been the subject of much criticism by, for example, Joseph Stiglitz. The main criticism is that the American Dream is misleading. These critics say that, for various reasons, it simply is not possible for everyone to become prosperous through determination and hard work alone. The consequences of this belief can include the poor feeling that it is their fault that they are not successful. It can also result in less effort towards helping the poor since their poverty is seen as "proof" of their laziness. The concept of the American Dream also ignores other factors of success such as the family and wealth one is born into and inheritable traits such as intelligence (although proponents of the dream would claim that starting wealth is irrelevant because of the belief that there is no level of poverty one cannot rise from with hard work).

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The American Dream is seen by critics as being somewhat superficial or meaningless. Many literary works level exactly that criticism at the American Dream, such as Arthur Miller's play Death of a Salesman. Such arguments are essentially rehashes of the old adage "Money doesn't buy happiness", and that perhaps not everyone's dream should be to achieve great monetary gain.

Related Topics:
Arthur Miller - Death of a Salesman

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In particular some of the reasons the whole concept seems a myth to some are:

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• In the U.S. it is sometimes difficult for children of poor families to attend college despite widely available financial aid; not attending college sets upper limits on their career success, and it is difficult to earn a bachelors' degree — necessary for many fields — in one's free time once one begins working full-time.
• Limited economic mobility - The affluent have sometimes managed to convince the government to work to their advantage. For example, the recent repeal of inheritance tax and capital gains tax may work to further solidify the class system.
• Economies of scale - It can be difficult to successfully start a business. One reason is because of the economies of scale necessary to survive in a commoditized market -- though many markets today are not commoditized.
• Genetic lottery - Some may point at a few people like Steve Jobs who have made it big, yet research has suggested that features like height and race may give certain people some advantages over others.
• Ethics difference - As in other countries, actions considered ethical vary between Americans. For example, a CEO who sees certain stock options as excessive monetary gain would find it harder to reach his or her American Dream than a more pragmatist CEO.