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Post by amandakaliner on Feb 4, 2016 14:13:22 GMT
The media and politicians always talk about today's modern American dream of self-sustaining success and doing well for yourself as something that everyone can easily achieve. However, the people telling us this are people that have tons of money that they are unwilling to share to help other Americans achieve the same success that they did. They have so much, that its hard for them to remember how life was when they had very little and speak of the American Dream as if its something that everyone has an equal chance of achieving. However, this is not the case. With the job market today and the economy, it isn't as easy anymore to achieve goals and succeed. The American Dream needs to be modified if the people speaking about it want it to be nation wide and attainable again.
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Post by elizaneights on Feb 5, 2016 5:10:24 GMT
I agree Amanda! I think in a way, it is definitely harder for people to achieve the American Dream today. This is especially true for people in lower social classes, who are the ones that need to be gaining wealth. They start their lives at a disadvantage, usually getting a worse education than those wealthier than them and having to start working at a younger age. Today, education is one of the most important things you need to get a good job and move up social classes, but the people getting good educations are the people in the upper and middle classes. It is much easier for these people to gain even more money because they are already starting with an advantage, while the people poorer than them are stuck where they are. This creates an even bigger gap between the classes and makes it even harder for people to achieve the American dream. Also, even though women's rights have greatly improved, women still make less money than men do, making it difficult for women to succeed on their own.
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Post by danvolpone on Feb 7, 2016 2:52:42 GMT
I think it is also interesting to consider how interactions between Tom and Gatsby show these points to be relevant in The Great Gatsby. Tom, who began in the upper class, is very uncomfortable with Gatsby, who did not start in the upper class but overcame odds to get there (even if he did do it illegally). Tom did not understand the difficulty it took for someone to realize the American Dream, as he never had this dream. He also considers himself better than others because of his money, even though he never earned it himself, it was earned by an ancestor who likely once began as someone who dreamed of becoming wealthy.
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Post by tmehta on Feb 7, 2016 3:37:52 GMT
I agree! In recent years, the poor have been growing poorer and the rich, richer. The American Dream is supposedly one where everyone has the same opportunity to work hard and become successful, but for some working hard still isn’t enough. Unfortunately not everyone is born with the same opportunities, and many of those who are well off cannot see how hard people who aren’t so well off struggle. Tom can’t understand Gatsby’s past and realization of the American Dream because he’s never been in that situation before. Tom was born into old money, so seeing someone who became as rich (or even richer) seemingly overnight is unsettling. Even when a person rises up out of poverty, against all odds, to become wealthy and successful, those who were already wealthy find faults in that person and say that he/she must have cheated or doesn’t deserve it. It’s a cruel fate as the wealth gap keeps increasing.
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ruchi
New Member
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Post by ruchi on Feb 7, 2016 4:12:29 GMT
I totally agree with you guys. And Eliza, I think what you said about education is extremely valid in our current society. Nowadays, education is the most important factor in success, whether it's academic performance in high school to get into college or a degree to get a job. This is definitely unfair to people of lower classes who are at a disadvantage to get into college, and a lot of times I think that they aren't taught how to use other strengths in a way that can help them later in life. It starts to make me wonder if success in America is even possible without a formal education, or if certain factors (other than inherited money) can make up for a lack of education
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Post by maddysmith on Feb 8, 2016 0:09:27 GMT
I love what Amanda said about the people endorsing the idea of the American dream. Hate to be "that girl" but Donald Trump is always talking about "making America great again," which is easy for him to say because he is like a multi-billionaire whose father gave him a "small loan of a million dollars" to start off. He doesn't realize that there are millions of people who don't have that kind of money and for whom it is nearly impossible to attain what many consider "success." I agree that we need to change our definition of The American Dream because many people are realizing that it is unattainable and are becoming disillusioned when the only people endorsing this so-called Dream are fabulously wealthy.
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Post by g00dva1b5 on Feb 8, 2016 5:16:45 GMT
I agree that the definition of the American Dream has changed today. I believe its definition should be expanded to include luck as playing a huge part. While some may argue that including luck would take away from the idea of working hard to achieve success or happiness, luck plays a huge part in determining who achieves success and who does not. This can be seen with some of the most successful people in the world. For example, Steve Jobs and Bill Gates (while coming from COMPLETELY opposite social classes) were exposed to computers very early on in an age where only a select few could work with computers. More recently, Mark Zuckerberg was lucky enough to grow up in a decent household and receive private tutoring from a software engineer. While many of those that have achieved the American Dream certainly work hard, their luck in achieving the American Dream should be considered as well.
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Post by ghulamcontractor on Feb 8, 2016 5:27:32 GMT
I agree with you Amanda, the definition of the American Dream has changed. You're right Vaibhav, luck does play a huge part in the American Dream. It depends on whether you are born into a good household or not, or maybe you're given a small loan of a million dollars(it's a meme). As time goes on, reaching the American Dream will get harder and harder, depending on who you are and what social class you come from. Hopefully we see the change needed to help bring the American Dream in the hands of those that deserve it, but can not achieve it due to small conditions that hinder them.
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Post by Joseph Stalin on Feb 9, 2016 2:12:42 GMT
Hello fellow socialist supporters! Thanks for agreeing that $80,000 a year to research scientists is too much! I believe that they should be paid 7.50 and hour like Burger King burger flippers!
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