Redefining the American Dream

There are two definitions listed for dream on dictionary.com which I find interesting, especially when viewed with the concept of the American Dream in mind. Dream is defined as “a wild or vain fancy”, and also as “a state of mind characterized by abstraction and release from reality”.

The American Dream has become both of these, though the term was originally coined to describe the ability to work towards prosperity through hard work and determination. It represented opportunity, and the chance at success. While this is still somewhat true, the American Dream has shifted in reality and fails to mention the uneven playing field which is preserved between the rich and the poor, nor the imperialism that has fueled this great expansive Dream, and the cost that this imperialism has on the quality of life for the ones who’ve been caught in it’s grasp. I am referring to the unequal balance of trade in the third world, to the coffee and cocoa industry which continues to offer disproportionate compensation to the ones who labor over the product, to the sweatshops which function as slave factories so sustain the American lifestyle. I am also referring to the enormous gap between prosperity and poverty in our country, to the fact that to most in our country, the Dream will remain simply a dream.

My problem with the American Dream as it currently exists is that there is no social responsibility built into the framework. Our nation is the wealthiest in the world, though we have plundered and taken for this cause. The elite have suppressed the poor through flawed tax practices, coming nowhere near the percentage of burden to taxed wealth that the middle and lower class pay. A 35% tax to someone who is wealthy isn’t nearly the burden that even a 10% tax is to someone who is poor. Opportunity lies within wealth and the poor simply lack opportunity.

The American Dream is no longer something to be desired. It represents a self serving attitude, and the disregard for the needs of others who fail to fit the agenda. The environment has been degraded, the poor have been oppressed, and the weak have been controlled for the gain of the privileged elite. The result of it all has been an unfulfilled run at material gain. We all as Americans have a responsibility to recognize the source of our wealth and realize the realities that come into play which allow us to afford our lifestyle. We need to recognize that an uncontrolled market is not in the best interests of the masses, and that the state needs to prevent the systemic exploitations which continue to favor a self serving few. We need to recognize that, like all things, there is a lifespan for such an exuberant lifestyle, that all good things have always come to an end, and that it is simply a matter of time before we are awoken from our dream. The rest of the world will only sleep for so long.