The American Dream: founded on hope, youth, and stocks. When I think of the American Dream, I think of the final destination in the so-called "pursuit of happiness" (not the excellent Will Smith movie.) To me, the American Dream is the hope for absolute comfort in all aspects of socio-economic life. For example, stable finances. With this having been established, it could be said that the American Dream has been truly 'accomplished' by those who are wealthy. I'm not sure whether or not I agree with this, but I certainly don't believe in the phrase "money doesn't buy happiness." To me, someone who is wealthy is someone who has enough money and enough future financial stability to be entirely comfortable. This is my literal definition of wealth. Figuratively, someone who is wealthy is happy with family, friends, and meaning, but that might be getting a little to TOK.
In America, it seems as though there are two to three divides in people that make up the entirety of socioeconomic recognition. These are, of course, our three social classes. While these "classes" are almost entirely intangible, they define the entire quality of life for citizens. "Lower class" individuals, or those living in poverty, are forced to survive off of unsubstantial welfare and are constantly battling the upper class insistence that the poor should have to fend entirely for themselves. All the while middle class individuals are struggling to remain in the middle with their low paying jobs, as most of their salary is being cut off by the big guy, the upper class. Is the upper class the bad guy, then? Hardly. Taxes take away a substantial chunk of upper class finances in order to pay for government ordeals such as welfare and social security. So who is the bad guy? Well, to both the lower and middle class, it's the upper class. To the upper class, it's the lower class. To the government, it's everybody. Essentially, America views wealth and poverty as the means of separating the good guys and the bad guys.
So, who do I think is the bad guy? I'm not exactly sure where I stand on the issue of wealth and poverty. On one hand, the wealthy are wealthy because the worked hard to get there. Very rarely does a CEO get where he or she is without filing a few papers or waiting a few tables. Conversely, America has become the poor man's nightmare. Not only is financial stability lacking, there a hardly any jobs available to begin stabilizing. I don't agree with a Robin Hood mindset- steal from the rich give to the poor- I think if someone works for his or her money, then he or she should be able to keep it. However, we can't just allow entire families to perish as a result of bad luck and a generally unstable economy. Maybe the economy will see a boost in the near future, but until then, thanks, Obama.
I really liked how you brought the famous quote "money doesn't buy happiness" into your blog. I agree with you completely, and I think that financial stability is something that will support a happy life. I also think it is interesting that you define wealth as comfort instead of in terms of amount of money. This makes me think about how there is almost a line where everyone is striving to achieve their own financial stability according to the many lifestyles of Americans. The way you broke wealth into good and bad was interesting. It definitely brings up the political issues of taxing and the "top 5 percent" problem.
ReplyDeleteAshlea. Future Wolfpacker. Great blog writer. Well done. I liked how you described the American Dream in more of an economic standing rather than a social standing like I did. While it can go either way, I believe, you made some great points. I agree with Louise that it was beneficial to incorporate the quote "money doesn't buy happiness", well because it does. Have you ever been to the mall? My point exactly. (Kidding...kind of.) While you didn't refer to Gatsby specifically, your blog post still related. Gatsby is considered the upper class or the wealthy which you mentioned throughout your blog post. So, who do I think is the bad guy? Um...That's a good question. It kind of got me thinking, but I'll keep my thoughts about that to myself. (:
ReplyDeleteI really liked your views on how wealth is used to separate the good guys from the bad guys. That's a very interesting perspective! I think that in American society our definition of wealth separates classes from one another and creates hostility. It creates the opportunity for classes to blame one another. I hate this setup. As far as the quote you mentioned, I think that money can buy people temporary happiness, but it's not going to satisfy our deeper desires. It's like the stereotypical rich girl with daddy issues situation. A girl doesn't spend enough time with parents, they feel bad and buy her presents to make up for it. She may be satisfied temporarily, but she's still going to crave that personal connection with her parents. I don't know, money can buy happiness to an extent, I just think that there are things money can't buy that are more importatnt.
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