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Post by katecavallo on Feb 4, 2016 14:02:28 GMT
It's more than obvious that in the last hundred years since the 1920's, the fundamentals of what the American dream actually is has morphed and changed as much as the people attaining it. A century ago, the American Dream consisted of low-class citizens, both current and prospective, climbing their way up the money-ladder and building their own success. To those people, success meant being wealthy and having a lifestyle to show of their earnings, mostly due to the fact that there really was no middle class back then; you were either filthy rich or living in near poverty. Nowadays though the idea of the American Dream seems to settle in around the ideal of independence versus abundance. Within today's generation of millennials, there is an increasing amount of people coming to the understanding that you don't have to be extravagantly wealthy to survive in the real world, you just need enough money to make it on your own. It seems now that the ability to comfortably live independently has higher value than having enough money to wave in everyone else's faces.
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Post by amandakaliner on Feb 4, 2016 14:07:09 GMT
I agree that the American Dream these days is the ability to be independent rather than just be rich. However, I also think that the money aspect of the American Dream has not left in today's society. People still value others by how much money they have above everything else. Someone who has built a small quiet life for themselves is still looked as lesser than the person who has more money then they do.
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Post by katecavallo on Feb 5, 2016 21:31:33 GMT
Someone who has built a small quiet life for themselves is still looked as lesser than the person who has more money then they do. I agree with this to an extent, but I think it depends on your vantage point. I also think this is part of what Fitzgerald was trying to point out to his readers in Gatsby, even back then. The reason why we saw the Wilsons as dirty and less-than-sophisticated is because we were viewing them through a rich man's eyes. As far as the readers know, the Wilsons might have been viewed as honest workers with good hearts by their peers. It's all in the narrator, and it wasn't an accident that Fitzgerald makes his a snobby rich guy. Similarly, in today's society wealth is widely only important to those that have it. People with a higher income sometimes look at those who make less money as incompetent, or as a charity case. On the other hand, it's not uncommon for lower-class people to be more willing to donate what they do have and to look up to the upper class with admiration. Now I'm not speaking for everyone and this definitely isn't a generalization, I'm just saying it's not uncommon. Basically the point I'm trying to make is that people with less money aren't always seen as less because of the American dream specifically. It's often the result of many factors, not just the holistic ideals of a nation. |
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Post by crandallethan on Feb 6, 2016 2:19:58 GMT
That's a good point. Over the years the dream has changed from simply wanting to be president, an owner, or quite simply rich and famous to being about an inner happiness that does not always have financial ties. I believe there are several reasons this has occurred.
Years ago people turned on the TV and saw their idols or they were flooded with ads of this rich and famous. Nowadays most advertisements and endorsements are carried out by what seem like everyday people. Although this is just one scenario, it is an example of how the American Dream has become something that is more of a reality for the common people.
With the emergence of social media, becoming notable is now easier than ever. Early on in the philosophy of the American Dream, being famous was tied strongly with wealth, because with out money there was no real way to get your name heard (legally). As time has progressed it is very clear that fame,money, respect are two separate entities, and the recognition of Americans to notice that they can obtain a voice without money easier than ever, is the difference we are seeing today with choosing the happiness of the individual rather than the individual's wallet.
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Post by tatummcp on Feb 8, 2016 2:27:39 GMT
In other threads there has been discussion over what "today's" American Dream really is as well as if the American Dream is general or individualized. In my opinion the ideas and principals of the American Dream, that hard work will help you to get what you want, are the same and always will be the same, but how people view success is different. This is does not mean that it has changed over time, just that success has a different meaning to everyone, so I do have to disagree with you on this one. For some people the American Dream is becoming filthy rich and having a household name, but for others it is just being able to support a family, and this is how it always has been (or at least I like to think it has).
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Post by ghulamcontractor on Feb 8, 2016 5:58:02 GMT
I agree, the concept of the American Dream has changed significantly, and that's a great thing. It shows that we are moving forward as a society and looking towards new ideas. The American Dream today is definitely living a lifestyle that allows you to enjoy the necessities of life with a few extras on the side. I'm sure at the end of the century, the American Dream will be redefined again. It shows that the Dream is dictated by the time period that you live in.
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