What happened to the American Dream?

[BotanyBoy]

Okay, from an outsider's view it seems unrealistic.
Enlighten me, please.

First off, we have to come to an agreement of what it is.

What do you think the American dream is??

The article you link is written by someone who seems to think it's outrageous ultra-rare success like being the first person on another planet, being POTUS or a billionaire....is that what you think it is?

 

[RocketLauncher]

My understanding of the American Dream is being able to work your way up to management from shop floor, of well paying jobs for all, of being able to have a house and car that are affordable, being able to care for family without being denigrated for it. Being able to be healthy without hefty medical bills, three square meals a day etc.
K, your turn.

 

[BotanyBoy]

My understanding of the American Dream is being able to work your way up to management from shop floor, of well paying jobs for all, of being able to have a house and car that are affordable, being able to care for family without being denigrated for it. Being able to be healthy without hefty medical bills, three square meals a day etc.
K, your turn.

Yea....see the "American" dream is NOT to have a high degree of economic and social equity.

That's the left wing, mostly European, socialists dream.

The American dream is having the opportunity to pursue ones happiness, whatever that may be.

That opportunity also includes the possibility of failure without burdening any others and their own individual pursuits of happiness with said failures. Because they too should have the right to pursue their own individual happiness. That's why socialism/leftism is considered so un-American and antithetical to the very foundation of the US political identity. Which is STILL a radically liberal one despite the lefts best efforts to try and destroy the American dream.

 

[RocketLauncher]

Bit selfish, no?
What if your dream is successful and not a failure and said dreams comes at the expense of others?
By your definition the Ammurikhan Dream is alive and well and has been for decades.

https://www.toptenz.net/top-10-american-companies-that-aided-the-nazis.php

 

[BotanyBoy]

Bit selfish, no?

Freedom comes with the possibility any particular individual might be selfish yes, others are highly charitable.

Point is it's voluntary and free.

Unlike forced equity under threat of violence by the government, which is just selfishness institutionalized at the societal level.

What if your dream is successful and not a failure and said dreams comes at the expense of others?

They all come at the expense of others.

The question is if you allow people to freely decide to participate in that expense (freedom, the American dream) and share in the expense among the idiots who participated, or do you force all of society to suck that expense up? The socialists dream....

The two are totally incompatible, you can be free or you can be well kept, you cannot be both.

By your definition the Ammurikhan Dream is alive and well and has been for decades.

https://www.toptenz.net/top-10-american-companies-that-aided-the-nazis.php

It's not my definition, it's the national standard and was declared as such rather explicitly in our founding documents.

I never said it was dead....just that it's under threat and attack from the left.

 

[RocketLauncher]

By the National Standard's definition I'd say the Ammurikhan Dream is alive and well. Won't argue that. Too bad both definitions of the Ammurikhan/American Dream is unattainable to most. Guess that's why it's called dreaming. Still seems silly to me.

 

[BotanyBoy]

By the National Standard's definition I'd say the Ammurikhan Dream is alive and well. Won't argue that. Too bad both definitions of the Ammurikhan/American Dream is unattainable to most. Guess that's why it's called dreaming. Still seems silly to me.

Having both is impossible for 100% of people.

Yes it's unfortunate that one can't be a free individual AND at the same time also be well kept by the nanny state. The best of both worlds would be the shit, unfortunately nobody has come up with a way to have it both ways.

It's like the indoor vs. outdoor cat...if you keep it indoors it will almost certainly live a longer, healthier life. But it will spend it looking out a window/door wishing it could go roam the hood and dreaming about getting some satisfaction from being a cat that gets to do cat stuff.

Despite all the fighting and disbelief among all the indoor cats, the USA is still an outdoor cat.

 

[Saint_Ann]

Equating any type of dream with the accumulation money or wealth is a recipe for failure.

 

[Saint_Ann]

It's also quite Freudian.

 

[stevenmaturin]

Nothing. It's still a dream.

 

[SissySalina]

OK, the truth is it went to Philadelphia and got lost trying to find brotherly love.

 

[thør]

Maybe the dreamers need to move.