Examining the American Dream

Imagine a family sitting on their porch drinking tea in the 1920s. What do you picture their house and family looking like? Maybe a white picket fence and a dog? Probably some kids running around in the yard? This is the image that most of us create in our minds when we think of the “American Dream.”

Now, this image does exist. There are families out there with two kids, a dog and a seemingly perfect life—but this isn’t the majority of American families by a long shot. Twenty-five percent of kids are raised by single parent families, 10% of Americans live below the poverty line and 54% of Americans live paycheck-to-paycheck.

None of these situations are inherently bad, but they’re treated as if they’re uncommon, and not ever talked about. The default family is upper-middle class, white and suburban, but less than 10% of all families in the country look like this.

Many spend their entire lives trying to attain this lifestyle, when in reality, the idea of the American Dream is just a ploy to exploit people.

Ever hear the phrase “pull yourself up by the bootstraps” or “you have to work your way up the ladder?” Have you felt that these were impossible for you to accomplish? These sayings are meant to instill a work ethic that keeps you going at all hours of the day. Some may say that this work ethic is what drives people to achieve their “American Dream”, but the so called ‘work ethic’ is actually just exploitation.

Constantly working, especially for a big corporation (we’re looking at you, Amazon) for just enough to survive is not ‘work ethic.’

Living paycheck to paycheck at a job with minimal benefits, especially when the company can afford to give more benefits/better pay, is not a sustainable way to live. Many companies will offer promotions and ways to “work your way up the ladder,” but many times these promotions are just out of reach for many people. This causes people to push themselves to work just a little bit harder, which perpetuates this cycle all over again.

Companies will keep their employees hanging onto their jobs with the idea that someday they will be able to make it just a little bit further. The traditional idea of the American Dream has ever only been attainable by white men. White men have been advantaged in the workforce since the creation of the traditional workforce. They were always—and still are—paid more and promoted more often than everyone else.

Next time you’re talking about the American Dream with your friends or family, remember who the American Dream is really for.