The American Dream: An Attainable Principle

Americans today continue to debate both informally and formally through public discourse whether the American Dream still exists. The American Dream, manifested by the principles of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness as written in the Declaration of Independence, promises that in American any person regardless of class, gender, race, or circumstance of birth would have the opportunity to work hard and improve their life. Based on self-reliance, freedom, and a desire to improve, the American Dream promised anyone living on American soil the opportunity to live a fulfilling and comfortable life. Many people describe the American Dream as a myth, pointing to the widening inequality between the rich and the poor. Furthermore, women and minorities, especially African Americans, comprise much of the impoverished population. However, optimists argue that the American Dream is still attainable, although it has evolved throughout the years. I believe that the American Dream has changed, and although my parents' generation worked hard to provide my generation with material goods and financial security, my generation's idea of the American Dream would be to have a well-paying job while also having the freedom and ability to balance work with family life. This American Dream of living a fulfilling and comfortable is mostly attainable only by the middle-class; although I believe in the American Dream, it is not attainable by some sectors of society including the very poor and historically disadvantaged minorities.

The American Dream has evolved throughout the years as a result of shifting social and economic conditions. In light of the Great Recession that battered the American economy at the outset of the twenty-first, the definition of the American Dream today has become the "potential to work for an honest, secure way of life and save for the future" (King 573). Despite the brutal impact of the recession, most Americans according to a New York Times survey believed that through hard work and diligence one could become rich in America. In prior decades, homeownership represented the bedrock of the American Dream (Shapiro 3). Furthermore, people believed that buying expensive goods and cars signaled that they had attained it. F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, set in the prosperous 1920s, conveys this materialistic view of the American Dream. Jay Gatsby, the protagonist, was born poor but engages in racketeering and other illegal activities to become rich in order to win the love of Daisy. He throws extravagant parties in his luxurious mansion and drives fast cars, fallaciously believing he has achieved his dream of becoming a member of the social elite (Fitzgerald 60). However, the American Dream has "trimmed down" today, as people measure success in job security, retirement savings, and a secure place to live (King 573). Thus, the American Dream and the idea that Americans can carve out their own destinies still exists in the minds of many Americans today even though it has been redefined.

Although many Americans, including myself, embrace this more modest definition of the American Dream, skeptics point to the ubiquitous inequality that continues to plague American society. This extreme inequality has resulted in strained social relations and political corruption (Krugman 587). Wealth remains concentrated within a small minority, many of whom are white and are recipients of transformative assets and inheritance (King 574). Income equality translates into social inequality and a blaring disparity in standards of living for those less fortunate (Krugman 589). The issue of access to a good education reveals that inequality nullifies the American Dream in the present day and is emblematic that hierarchical remnants render the American Dream an impossible ideal. The quality of a student's education depends on the resources his or her parents possess, which is evident through the evidence of who attends private school versus those who are forced to go to sub-standard public schools (Shapiro 167). Education represents a site for producing change; institutions of higher education represent one of the most important venues for change as well as representing a site for providing people to produce the change they wish to see in society at large.

Through education, African Americans and other minorities received the tools to resist against institutionalized racism and fight for equality within a hierarchical America characterized by white hegemony. The poor--many of whom are African American or belong to a minority group--can not go to and graduate from college because they are ill-prepared for higher education, which is the litmus test for middle-class standing (92). An example of educational disadvantages as a result of income inequality is the fee hikes imposed by the public college system in California in 2009. The regents of the University of California passed a motion to raise student fees by thirty-two percent, or over $2,500 in the 2009-2010 school year. The colossal fee hike greatly restricted access to higher education at the UC campuses for low-income students throughout the state. Furthermore, the fee increase had asymmetric and adverse repercussions for students of color, as a loss of diversity in higher education resulted. Students lamented the loss of diversity and labeled the UC schools as UC Stanford (Asimov). This reality reveals that income inequality restricted the access of lower-income people to education and thus the attainment of the American Dream.

Nonetheless, despite the blatant inequality that still characterizes American society, the idea of the American Dream rests on how an individual imagines to become successful and thus is still an attainable ideal. Although a significant gap between the rich and the poor does exist, the government has implemented bulwarks such as the welfare system, which includes unemployment practices and minimum wage requirements in order to protect the poorest echelons of American society (King 575). I believe that such systems enable less fortunate individuals to succeed in an increasingly expensive and difficult environment to thrive. However, it is evident that those without certain advantages remain stuck in the socioeconomic lot they were born and raised into. Many observers debate whether the welfare system promotes or denigrates the idea of the American Dream. Income inequality does not necessarily mean that the poor cannot better their economic and social conditions. Big business and financial institutions help others stabilize economically and provide them security (575). Supporting Wall Street boosts the economy and would increase economic opportunities for people from all socioeconomic lots. As a result, people, especially those belonging to the middle class, could pursue their American Dream without fear of impoverishment.

Some people, however, believe that the welfare system has fostered laziness in some Americans who feel entitled to government money rather than wanting to work for it and thus nullify the American Dream despite evidence that counter that claim. As a result, the fundamental values of self-reliance and diligence in one's work that underlay the American Dream have dissipated (Nestler). Principles of self-reliance and hard work undergird the American Dream, but many historically disadvantaged groups work hard yet cannot succeed even with the help of welfare. Women and minority groups figure prominently in those who render the American Dream dead because regardless of how hard they work they still struggle to subsist. Two out of three adults in poverty are women, and women head households of over half of impoverished families in America (Stallard, Ehrenreich and Sklar 6). Despite working two jobs, Brenda C struggled and had to choose whether to pay her rent or buy food and clothing for her young children. Because of her tenuous situation, however, she was forced to enlist in the army for monetary purposes in order to care for her young children (5). The feminization of poverty, especially evident in the African American and Latina circles, has led to many skeptics regarding the viability of the American Dream in the modern-day. More specifically, minority women endure poverty as a result of racial discrimination and high rates of unemployment (7). Thus, the notion of the American Dream clearly only pertains to a sector of society rather than all Americans.

Economic inequality not only affects the standard of living for American families, it also corrupts politics and the democratic process touted by Americans. In recent political campaigns, money has dictated government policy and the American government has served only the interests of the very wealthy. Tax breaks for the very rich and for hedge fund managers for both Democrats and Republicans have sullied the reputation of American politics (Krugman 593). Another poignant example of this corruption is the recent Supreme Court decision known as Citizens United. The 2012 decision allows corporations to spend unlimited amounts of funds to covertly and independently support or oppose candidates for political office (Hasen). Thus, those wealthy enough to contribute millions of dollars towards a candidate vested in the interests of the wealthy rather than the masses can dictate the political future of America. As a result of political corruption due to income inequality, Americans distrust the government as well as one another (Krugman 594). Thus, the American Dream has become a preserve of a wealthy few, disrupting the social fabric of a nation purportedly built on pillars of freedom, democracy, and equality.

Nonetheless, I believe that the American Dream still exists because any individual through sheer diligence and hard work can improve his or her lot and secure a good job and home and raise a family. Acquiring expensive objects, owning a home and driving a fancy car no longer has meaning in an epoch characterized by economic turmoil, warfare, and social disruption. Despite the apparent deterioration of fundamental American principles as reflected by the morphing American Dream, John Nestler conveys a sense of pride in the American Dream and optimism that it will survive when he says: "...the American Dream will regain its former identity, and American will remain...admired by the world" (Nestler). He believes the principles of liberty and freedom will once again become infused in the American Dream. Although schools no longer teach that the American Dream can be achieved, I believe Americans can still reach it if they live within their means, remain diligent in their schoolwork and go to college, and save and invest their hard-earned money. Not all Americans will attaint the American Dream, but it still exists for those idealistic and fervent enough to pursue it.

The American Dream remains a viable goal for those positioned financially and socially to attain it. Although not all groups of people have access to it, the American Dream is not dead for members of the middle class like me who want to secure a good job, save up for the future, and ensure a reliable residence. The notion of the American Dream has evolved and shifted due to the economic conditions of the time period. Nonetheless, regardless of the rampant inequality that plagues American society, all Americans possess the ability to work hard and improve their social and economic condition regardless of the disadvantages that face them. This debate regarding the American Dream is significant because it continues to underlie the motive for people and immigrant groups to come here and pursue a better life for themselves. Whether fallacious or an attainable ideal, the American Dream persists in fostering a diligent work ethic in those who come here and those who are impoverished despite obstacles that they face. In the face of economic recovery, Americans must put their faith in the American Dream so that a better America in the future will become a reality for the subsequent generation.

Works Cited

Asimov, Ninette. "Rage at UC fee hike in L.A., Berkeley protests." SFGate. N.p., 19 Nov. 2009. http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Rage-at-UC-fee-hike-in-L-A-Berkeley-protests-3210342.php. Accessed 14 Mar. 2014.

Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York, NY: Scribner, 1996.

King, Brandon. "The American Dream: Dead, Alive, or on Hold?" They Say / I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing. Eds. Graff, Gerald, and Cathy Birkenstein. 2nd ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 2010. 586-603.

Krugman, Paul. "Confronting Inequality." They Say / I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing. Eds. Graff, Gerald, and Cathy Birkenstein. 2nd ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 2010. 586-603.

Nestler, John E. "The American Dream." Haverford College, Philadelphia. 10 Oct. 2002.

Shapiro, Thomas M. The Hidden Cost of Being African American: How Wealth Perpetuates Inequality. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004.

Stallard, Karin, Barbara Ehrenreich, and Holly Sklar. Poverty in the American Dream: Women & Children First. New York, NY: Institute for New Communications, 1983.