The American Dream

1. How would you describe the “American Dream?”

            The American dream embodies itself in many different ways. However, when I hear the words “American Dream”, I can’t help but think of an idealistic, picturesque lifestyle. There is a small white house with green shutters in a quiet, suburban neighborhood.  An old oak tree shades the front lawn, complete with a small tire swing. A substantially large city is about 25 minutes away, where my family and I go on the weekends to spend our hard-earned money, stimulating the local economy.  There’s a diverse, effective school to send the kids to, and a church to get involved in. This kind of white picket fence environment is not universal throughout America, but the guiding principles that allow for this lifestyle are universal. America’s founding documents allow for a capitalist economy, freedom of religion, and free education, to name a few. Therefore, in my view this American dream is allowed because of the freedom provided by democracy. The ability to freely express ideas, practice religion, and elect our leaders allows American citizens to build a life that suits them, and it will hopefully allow me to live in this small suburban home one day!

2. What is your definition of wealth?

            Money. Material gain. How many yachts you have. These things describe wealth. By this measure, I am far from wealthy. My two door ’96 Honda civic doesn’t constitute a fancy sports car, and my savings account is abysmally empty.       

             That was mostly a joke. I believe wealth is more effectively measured by another metric. It should be defined in a non-materialistic way; a measure of the depth of relationships one has and the meaning of one’s life. According to this concept, I am relatively wealthy. Maslow described this idea in his “hierarchy of needs”.

I see this pyramid as a more accurate definition of wealth. One moves to the next level of the pyramid once the previous need is fulfilled. There are still different levels that people have achieved, so the comparative element of wealth is still present. While money is still required to fulfill the first two levels, the upper levels of the pyramid make no mention of monetary wealth. They instead require relationships, and the pursuit of meaning in life. This is the true definition of wealth.

3. What are Americans’ attitudes toward wealth and poverty?

            Americans view monetary wealth as a way to distinguish between groups. The more money you have the higher your status. This is probably a fair distinction. When people have more money, they have more influence in communities, and they can control how the society is run. However, people have differing views when it comes to the political control wealthy people should have. This concern is expressed through phrases like “We are the 99%”, suggesting that the income gap between the 1% extremely wealthy and the rest of America results in a unequal distribution of power. The one percent, the minority, controls a disproportionate amount of American life. Other groups, like Republicans, believe this distribution of power is fair; those people worked to gain that kind of power and influence. However, I think every American sees the need to reduce the size of this poverty gap.       

4. What is your attitude toward wealth and poverty?

            The 99% movement is founded in truth, the income of the top 1% of America has risen drastically since the ‘70s. While it may be true that the people who have achieved that level of wealth have worked hard to get there, the growing poverty gap that this creates needs to be addressed. This can be achieved most effectively through education. By educating and encouraging kids coming from historically disadvantaged groups, educators can equip them with the tools required to be successful in the “real world”. I believe government programs are not a truly effective solution. In order to change the cycle of poverty that causes generations of families to be stuck in the same poor conditions, we must change America’s culture. We need to teach parents how to be effective nurturing parents, a tactic that can not only fulfill the needs outlined by Maslow, but can also encourage proper cognitive development in children. I believe that this will be the most effective solution in shrinking this gap in our society. Parenting techniques really do have a lasting impact on the cognitive and emotional development of children. Children raised by nurturing parents will be well equipped to succeed and break the cycle of poverty. It starts in the home!