The American Dream is alive and well. Its rationality is questionable but the idea that we can, through hard work and maybe a little luck, move our family up the social ladder, is still prevelant. Current political rhetoric is filled with references to the meritocracy that we are supposed to aspire to (We Built It, bootstraps, social safety net/crutch, etc.). The titles of this post and my blog, once again, are ripped from a song about the American Dream.
A lot of people will say that to them the American Dream means white picket fences, a chicken in every pot, and an unhealthy fear of the displaced. Neighborhoods, as Ernest Hemingway put it, "of wide lawns and narrow minds". But to me the American Dream is a little bit more broad and much more personal. To me the American Dream means giving your children a better chance at happiness than you had. That could mean a more stable home, a better financial position, or a bigger rolodex. I've seen the American Dream play out before my eyes as I've watched my father's career and rise to a much higher level of affluence than our family has seen. As a kid I listened to my dad's keyboard tic-tack until past midnight every weekend and we've had to cancel trips to Orioles games or walks to the park because he had to be on an urgent conference call. His American Dream required sacrifices. It usually does.
Aaaaaaaaaaaaanyways. That's what the American Dream is to me. We'll see if this has changed in a few weeks.
