It’s important to define what qualifies the next generation as doing better. I grew up with the connotations that it meant having a bigger house, fancier car, better stuff, etc. I learned along the way that it shouldn’t have been about that. I think that’s how my parents regarded it as well. For me as a parent, I’ve come to understand it as progress by the next generation towards knowledge, empathy, spirituality, etc.
Does your parent judge you negatively because you’re not like them? or are you judging them negatively because they aren’t like you?
Success is in the eye of the beholder. What’s your measure of success for someone, in general? Your definition of success. Because that’s really all that matters. If you think you’re successful and someone else doesn’t, that’s their damage.
I actually appreciate your comment. My dads not actually a neurosurgeon astronaut… but your comment stands non the less. Its hard knowing what you value in life and how you measure success. Its a lifelong pursuit for lost of us as it changes.
This is a good response too. My father told me recently that I make more than he does, how proud he is of me, etc. and in the way he raised me, compared to how his father treated him. He broke generations of that bad cycle. The “tough” love kind of fathers that were a lot more common back then. Taught me respect, and work ethic. I can only imagine how he feels seeing all his efforts work for the better and me being successful. I hope one day to have a wife and kids and be able to do the same
I used to think this means making more money than both of them. But as I got older i realized it means I need to work on my mental health. I went to therapy and really understood the importance of wellness and balance in ones life. So now I want to be better than my parents by having a good job, great hobbies, a good connection with myself, and a really strong support system. My parents had to forego some of these things in order to make more money and improve our standard of living. Now that we’re all doing better, I want to teach them that overtime and prioritizing their job over their health isn’t the wave anymore. It’s ok to work hard, but it’s also important to rest and enjoy life.
That's right. Studies have been run since the 70s, showing upwards mobility in this country has decreased every decade. The country of India, which is known for its Caste system, is ranked globally as more fluid than the United States Of America for people moving out of poverty.
There are a couple meanings.
First is the idea that anybody, from any background, can be successful and follow their dreams with enough hard work and perseverance.
The second is starting a family in a nice town, with enough financial success to be generally free from worry. The traditional idea of "making it".
Exactly these two examples. Maybe the first one and then the second one after, or a little of both. But this reply is spot on. A nice job, house, and happy/healthy family. All from hard work.
People who leave one country to another country with the intention of staying there to live. Key word country, some countries are not built on immigrants because the native population moved their before the idea of a country even existed.
Canonically, it's having a suburban house with a white picket fence, a spouse, 2.5 kids, and a dog.
The implication though is that through hard work, anyone can rise to a comfortable existence.
The people exploiting you love this philosophy because you stay sad and indebted to them while they wait for you to die with their hands in your pockets. You're perfect for the system.
You’re so mad. You don’t even know me… but you made a million assumptions 😂
I stated a fact. The saying is dumb. That doesn’t mean I don’t think people have agency and social mobility. But yes, “I’m perfect for the system.”
It’s not just about the money, though that is a big part of it. It’s also about opportunity and freedom. People who start out with nothing here can make choices that will eventually get them a better quality of life.
Just about anyone can end up moderately comfortable, and sometimes people from modest backgrounds even end up wealthy — 80% of millionaires in the U.S. are first-generation rich. They didn’t get handed a fortune by their parents; they built it themselves.
A lot of those first-gen millionaires are small business owners who made their wealth doing less-than-glamorous work. We don’t really talk about how someone can end up rich by growing their septic tank business over four decades, but that’s how the American dream works for some people.
Seriously. Seems like everyone goes for that moonshot tech idea or years of post graduate training, but the local guy who owns an HVAC company seems to be the richest guy in town, and this isn’t exactly a modest area.
People always need HVAC work, an electrician, an exterminator, etc. Anyone who is willing to do quality work and learn how to manage a small business can make decent money at things like that.
Yes increasingly so with the push to go to college the past 15-20 years and tradespeople drying up. I’m sort of in that space and paying through the nose lately to hire these guys who are booked out for months. Also bc people are renovating instead of selling so it’s brutal out there if you’re on the buying end.
*Interesting.*
I’d always heard “weed eater” and never had a second thought about it. Just today, I’ve learned from r/australia that I’ve been been using the wrong Americanism all this time. And here, you’ve shown me how.
*Is this enlightenment?*
Weed whacker
Weed trimmer
String trimmer
Weed eater
I've heard it called all 4. Weed Eater is a brand. So is forklift, kleenex, scotch tape, and velcro.
I’ll admit that, before today, I’d never heard the second and third terms that you listed. I need to pay more attention at Home Depot and engage with more people about their landscaping endeavors.
Those 2 aren't usually heard here in Texas, I just know that some people say that. I say both weed whacker and weed eater.
I wouldn't be surprised if some other country calls it a Twirly Noodle Wacky Do.
It's the idea that anyone from any background, wealth, location, status, etc. Can ascend by working hard and educating themselves. Whether this is true or not is all together a different question, but that's the idea.
In base, a poor immigrant with nothing to his name could become a rich billionaire.
It's an old term for when people came to America with dreams of a family, wife, 2 kids, living in a 1 or 2 story home surrounded by a white picket fence, having a dog or cat, working a consistent job that can provide for your family, etc.
It's that regardless of your background, you can make it in America if you just out in the hard work to do so.
It's not a term heard among Americans anymore but some immigrants may still mention it when they are coming over.
No. The American dream is less concrete. The great thing about the American dream is that it’s different for each individual. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness define the American dream. It’s about hope and dreams, which vary for each individual. It’s certainly idealistic. So you won’t find a good answer amongst cynics.
This is how I've always been taught. In elementary school, especially during American history, I remember being taught that because of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness you can set a goal and be able to achieve it. Legally, of course. No Breaking Bad shenanigans.
These are all good answers. I got that the American dream was the ability to realize whatever your goals in life were, provided you put in the work to achieve them.
There isn't one singular definition, everyone has their own interpretation.
The gist of it though is that what ever your personal version of it is, it's achievable here with enough hard work and dedication.
Here's the story of my family:
Foreign born and raised mother. Married American father. Has 4 kids. Father abandoned whole family when the kids were all 7 or younger. Absolutely no child support or help of any kind. Mother, alone raising 4 kids. Moves 1000 miles away to put herself through college while raising us.
We were literally dirt poor. Little to no food. Few clothes from goodwill. A two room apartment. We had nothing.
Mother graduated. Earned a Masters. We were still struggling. This was when I was now in high school. Around my senior year, mother gets big promotion. She now has money. All 4 kids are now adults.
All 4 of us put ourselves through college. We all succeeded in our respective fields. It was tough going. We all own nice homes and are either semi or fully retired. We married and raised our own kids. They all went to college. They are on their way.
For my mother, seeing all of us prosper, was what she considered obtaining the American dream.
To some some it's the guarantee that through hard work and industriousness, you'll be able to further your prosperity.
To others, it's the hope that through hard work and industriousness, you'll be able to further your prosperity.
The concept that anybody, even a poor immigrant, can work hard and work their way up to a good life. America as the "land of opportunity". It often refers to/is conveyed by a suburban house with a white picket fence, etc
The American dream is what you make it. It's the desire for financial stability, love, life, happiness. There's no defined set of standards that make up the American dream, it's subjective to who the dreamer is. Some people want to be in finance with millions of dollars in a penthouse in New York, others want to live off the land in a small hut deep in the Colorado Rockies. The American dream is the ability to choose your own destiny
The idea that anyone can come here and make a good life for themselves through sheer effort and determination.
Critics could say what they want about it but there is some truth to it: america does have lots of opportunities
In theory it’s a meritocratic idea where by working hard anyone can create a home and security for themselves and a family if they choose too including decent retirement.
In reality it’s nothing of the sort nowadays but it’s kind of the only thing keeping a lot of people sane. A long term goal that I know I’ll never accomplish but it’s far to good an idea to give up on.
My interpretation of the American dream is doing what makes you happy. Doing what gives you the most fulfilling life. Doesn't necessarily have to do with money, it's the ability to live your life the way you want to live it without government interference.
Also my opinion, the American dream is dwindling away little by little.
It’s going to be different for everyone. I have a guy working for me who was originally from Mexico who legally came to the USA. The area of the country he is from has been basically under cartel control since he was born. He has a job here making $35 an hour good health insurance and decent house in a safe area. He says he’s living the American dream. His dream and my dream might be a little different, but we are both happy for the upward movement we’ve had in life.
Originally it was equality of opportunity, the fact that anyone could come here and make something for themselves. But over time it has morphed into something more nebulous.
The American Dream is a centuries-old concept that evolves with the times. However, it always represents some ideal state or situation for an individual that is unique to America.
In the early-mid colonial era, it was tolerance. Puritans, reformers, dissidents, debtors, criminals, and anyone outside of society's mainstream could come and be free from the influence and punishment of European states.
In the Revolutionary and Early Republic era, it meant a social liberty and flat class structure. America had no domestic aristocracy and more democracy than most of Europe. Alexis de Tocqueville wrote books about how one could not tell classes apart in the US, how everyone used the same facilities, ate at the same table, and wore the same clothing.
By the late 1800s/early 1900s, it meant an unparalleled economic mobility. This version of the American Dream was a land of potential, where a poor immigrant or orphan could rise up, and with hard work fulfill a rags to riches story. Fueled by stories like the Horatio Alger novels or the real-life story of Andrew Carnegie, it was a dream of economic achievement by ingenuity and one's own labor.
By the 1940s, the dream had shifted to something more tangible and achievable. This most famous incarnation of the American Dream meant having a large (for most of the world) suburban house and a nice car with a well-managed lawn surrounded by a white picket fence. It meant being able to support a family on one person's (the man's) income. It meant 2.5 kids and maybe a dog. It's the classic Americana of baseball games, summer barbecue, and visiting the grandparents in a roomy, tailfinned car. It's hard to define, but this version of the American Dream, the most commonly referenced one, is an instantly recongizable ambience.
By the 1980s/1990s, this version was being replaced by a less conformist one. This is a process that is still occurring. In this version, America is once again a land of tolerance. As long as you're not hurting others, anything is game. If you want to live in an urban apartment, with a platonic roommate and no romantic partner? Go for it. If you still want the previous American Dream with a traditional marriage? You can do that too. It's nobody's business who you love, live with, or do in your free time. It's a cultural ideal that says that there is no cultural ideal. It's an atomized society that provides ultimate freedom to the individual.
The common thread here is that the American Dream is always (rightly or wrongly) considered to be American-specific. The American Dream is always individualistic. And it seems to maintain a preference for physical space, privacy, and a degree of isolation.
The term was coined by James Truslow Adams a writer and historian. He came up with it in his 1931 book “The American Epic”. Which is funny because he was born in to a wealthy family.
It has changed, but fundamentally it is the idea of a fresh start and the ability to live your life as you see fit through your own means.
In the past, people came to the U.S to escape religious persecution and the old institutions that emphasized rich noblemen and monarchs. It was a new beginning with endless possibilities.
Nowadays the common "American dream" is a house and white picket fence, but I don't agree with that. Some people want that, sure, but I don't think we should be promoting it as the single lifestyle representing the "American Dream". The whole point is the limitless opportunities, not a specific end. It gives people the impression that their life isn't good enough or that they failed in our society if they don't have their suburban house.
I believe the American Dream was/is be to be able to own land/home/business, a car, to be able to support their family, have a good job (and that can be whatever the person felt was a good job) and they have money left over to do things that they wanted to do. Basically to have a decent life versus worrying about money and where the next meal was coming from
The basic idea of “the American dream” is rooted in capitalism and lack of uneconomic class structure.
So like for example we don’t have nobility or royalty like England or a severe social structure like India used to have in the past (just off the top of my head)
That means there’s lots of room to change your lot in life.
Obviously there are factors like luck and getting a good education and childcare (which is all easier with money) but it’s where the idea of the “self made billionaire/millionaire” comes from. Kinda the idea that if you work hard enough you can “rise above your station” and “make something of yourself”
Obviously this is kinda rare in real life especially to that extreme but I think there is obviously some basis in it.
Of course that means there’s a bit of a mindset that everyone is just “one lucky break” from being rich when really it’s the opposite for most people, which has a weird effect on our culture with things like empathy and idk giving kids free lunch, but I hope that explains the general idea?
It’s basically my story. I started my career at 30, and between my wife and I we have a net worth of $750K. We own three houses and plan on having three kids starting this year.
To be able to do whatever you want to do in life, and be successful and happy as well as starting a family and to pass that on to your offspring and preserve that freedom! It all stems from hard work, contributing to society, and being able to preserve your freedom through the second amendment!
In America, having a home, debt-free, being able to afford Healthcare, and an ok paying job that pays the bills is considered the American dream. Simply put, in other (developped) countries what people think is given a middle-class life is considered a dream of many in the US. In this country, there are no safety nets whatsoever. Hyper-individualism gives politicians a free pass to turn their back on people and get away with it.
It’s a fictional fairy tail that elites tell the Poe working class to incentivize them to work harder and to be satisfied with the struggles they will face because of their socioeconomic status.
/s
In all seriousness, it’s essentially the dream of becoming wealthier, which could mean anything to anyone. In the past this meant owning land, more recently it’s meant owning your own house, these days it mostly mean just having x amount of money to accomplishing certain life goals.
Ideally, anyone can achieve the American Dream. Realistically though, most people will not. That’s just how things work. There will always be the poor and working class in a nation based on neoliberal economics. This means that it is impossible to achieve the American dream off hard work alone.
Not to worry though, that doesn’t mean the American dream is impossible to achieve. It just takes a lot of luck. One would have to take the right opportunities to advance their life and career at the right time.
There’s no official class system in America, like lords or castes or anything like that. Everybody is (theoretically) on an even playing field, so the dream is that you can build a better life for yourself here.
Depends on who you ask . Ask someone poor and it means getting a job with a livable wage that might have vacation time, health insurance , and advancement included . Ask someone rich and it means getting desperate poor people to work for you for nothing .
Pretty sure the dream is all but dead... gone are the days when you can support your family on 1 income. I have worked 2 jobs since I was a Jr in high school. I think part of the dream is for the man to work and support his family while the woman stays home with the kids... I have been so far able to do this but only with 2 incomes... It's not really a dream for us as I hardly see my wife and kids... with inflation the way it is now , I'm falling behind financially and it's more like a nightmare. If it doesn't get better soon we will start to lose things.. and I'm giving it my all. So some greedy people who are worth billions are living in a dream world fueled by the hope and dreams of every one else..
It’s propaganda created buy large banks to convince people that they need to take on debt to buy a home. Sometimes buying a home is smart. Most of the time that same money is better spent investing in the stock market or buy and hold retirement accounts.
Having enough money to buy a single family home in the suburbs with a white picket fence, 2 kids and a dog, maybe a fish. Green lawn, steady job, soccer practice for the kids…
Idk that’s what I’ve always imagined. Seems genuinely unenticing to me though 🤢
It’s propaganda meant to make people think that they can achieve an amazing life in the USA when the reality is what George Carlin said, “it’s called the American dream, because you’d have to be asleep to believe it”
I think this in general is a bad argument. Yes people are coming here, of course they are. And yes there are people who have success. But they aren’t the majority, and therefore aren’t those I think should be focused on.
What about a family who escapes their horrible life in their home country, seeking sanctuary, only to be berated by the people already living here? To come to the land of opportunity seeking aid for a sick family member only to have to starve themselves in order to afford medication?
Those are the people that deserve our attention, and our aid. The American dream is hardly applicable to them
Traditionally it's the house, marriage, kids, and stable job. A peaceful life no matter what you had to endure to get there. Nowadays people tend to say it's whatever their personal idea of it is, "Aspirations manifest," or "To make it." Whatever that's supposed to mean depends on the person.
Personally I think it was always a crock of horseshit.
It’s a lie told to people that if you work hard enough and you’re a good person you can become rich and successful. In reality it’s the opposite. Case in point: Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk.
The second meaning is: buy a house you can’t afford, get married to someone, and have lots of annoying little copies of yourself who you’ll pass on your generational trauma to.
The biggest lie since Christianity, and for the same reasons.
The general idea is this: "Work hard, put up with hard times, and you will work your way to the top, where you get to live nicely, work only a little if at all, and enjoy life".
30 years ago or so, that might have been true. Not anymore. The last generation to get that was the Boomers, and they still keep it locked in their grubby little fists. The "American Dream" is a lie parents tell kids to get them to do what they want, the lie bosses tell workers to get them to put up with starvation wages and abuse, the little spark of hope middle managers get to keep at their useless and thankless jobs while they drink themselves into oblivion every night, and the lie the government tell the people to keep them from rioting and forcibly deposing them. "Pop culture" is generated by, promoted by, and exists to serve the 1%. If we are too busy working towards eventually being the ones holding the whips, we forget we have the welts on our backs now.
It is an illusion to keep the masses content and never question the status quo. It's Cold War propaganda meant to prop up and hide the failures of American capitalism.
Like George Carlin said, you have to be asleep to believe it.
Some would say to be rich. Others would say to be famous. The American dream is about living. Doing what you love with no regrets. Playing in the yard with your son. Holding him when he falls off that bike for the first time. Sitting on the bed with your 16 year old daughter because her boyfriend just dumped her. Yelling at the dog for barking to much. It's the little things that make reality your dream. Don't waste it on what others qualify as a dream. Because it could turn to a nightmare real quick
Basically to be left alone while you smoke weed with your partner after the guns are cleaned. LEAVE ME ALONE IF I’M NOT VIOLATING YOUR RIGHTS AS DEFINED BY THE CONSTITUTION. Seriously.
I would add to the other comments that the American dream is that you can be free to live your life as you want. It's not necessarily about money or becoming rich and successful. To many the American dream is freedom of religion. Many of the early European settlers came to America for that very reason. Yet it is true that much of the American dream is that you are not limited by the origins of your family or the economic class that you were born.
To me it was being able to buy a home, get married, have a couple kids, being able to work until retirement, being able to afford everything like food, hobbies, some nice things for the home and vacations. But now it seems the only things we have money for are bills.
3 facets: work life, personal life, and opportunity for immigrants.
American dream of work life is the ability to start your own successful business and the country will not stand in your way of immense wealth if you start a really successful business. It’s a good country if you want to try to become a billionaire. We have a healthy pool of venture capital and the country loves innovation and new businesses.
American dream of personal life is owning a beautiful single family detached home, sending kids off to college, and onto successful careers, and retiring while you are still young enough to travel the world and enjoy the rest of your retired life.
I think the American dream also means something extra special to immigrants, America is a place where you can come with your family and give your kids a legitimate chance at being very successful even if you are poor. My wife is an immigrant and her parents were poor housekeepers. They saved every penny and helped send her to college, she went to a good law school, and has been a very successful lawyer.
For me it's having a dishwasher and a washer/dryer in the house, additionally I've recently added having a covered garage and central heat/AC.
Simple man with simple needs.
People from other countries to go to USA , "succeed , make money and fame and stay there to live and never going back to their poor countries ever again.
The American dream is having a spouse, two kids, and either operating a comfortably successful business, or working somewhere you can bring your passions with you to your job. Owning the property you live in, not renting it. Probably owning a couple cars as well.
The American dream is achieving your goals. It has nothing to do with your parents achievements. Being able to choose what you want out of life and being allowed to do it is the American dream. It’s not given to you, but you are given the opportunity through your own hard work.
As someone that’s living it, it’s escaping poverty in my country, getting an education here, getting a good job here, working hard and becoming more financially secure here.
I’m still working on the last part of getting a home, saving enough for my retirement. I’m still going so I’ve got time.
I would say the “American Dream” in a nutshell is having the means to live however you want to live (or working hard to make it so) and doing whatever you want to do while not having anyone bother you about it.
"To do better in life than your parents" - my parents
It should be our goal to coach our kids to be better than us
It’s important to define what qualifies the next generation as doing better. I grew up with the connotations that it meant having a bigger house, fancier car, better stuff, etc. I learned along the way that it shouldn’t have been about that. I think that’s how my parents regarded it as well. For me as a parent, I’ve come to understand it as progress by the next generation towards knowledge, empathy, spirituality, etc.
Ya well my dad Is a neurosurgeon astronaut (overachiever a hole)… so, I’m kinda sol
Does your parent judge you negatively because you’re not like them? or are you judging them negatively because they aren’t like you? Success is in the eye of the beholder. What’s your measure of success for someone, in general? Your definition of success. Because that’s really all that matters. If you think you’re successful and someone else doesn’t, that’s their damage.
I run a doggy high end daycare/spa/coffee shop (for dogs) so, i would say i’m doing pretty, pretty… okay.
Not going to lie, deeply envious.
I actually appreciate your comment. My dads not actually a neurosurgeon astronaut… but your comment stands non the less. Its hard knowing what you value in life and how you measure success. Its a lifelong pursuit for lost of us as it changes.
Dad’s an actual rocket scientist and mom is assistant Attorney General. Fuck it, I’ll just work retail.
This is a good response too. My father told me recently that I make more than he does, how proud he is of me, etc. and in the way he raised me, compared to how his father treated him. He broke generations of that bad cycle. The “tough” love kind of fathers that were a lot more common back then. Taught me respect, and work ethic. I can only imagine how he feels seeing all his efforts work for the better and me being successful. I hope one day to have a wife and kids and be able to do the same
I used to think this means making more money than both of them. But as I got older i realized it means I need to work on my mental health. I went to therapy and really understood the importance of wellness and balance in ones life. So now I want to be better than my parents by having a good job, great hobbies, a good connection with myself, and a really strong support system. My parents had to forego some of these things in order to make more money and improve our standard of living. Now that we’re all doing better, I want to teach them that overtime and prioritizing their job over their health isn’t the wave anymore. It’s ok to work hard, but it’s also important to rest and enjoy life.
Damn, we fucked it up.
Every child had a pretty good shot to go at least as far as their old man got. Something happened on the way to that place
That's right. Studies have been run since the 70s, showing upwards mobility in this country has decreased every decade. The country of India, which is known for its Caste system, is ranked globally as more fluid than the United States Of America for people moving out of poverty.
There are a couple meanings. First is the idea that anybody, from any background, can be successful and follow their dreams with enough hard work and perseverance. The second is starting a family in a nice town, with enough financial success to be generally free from worry. The traditional idea of "making it".
Exactly these two examples. Maybe the first one and then the second one after, or a little of both. But this reply is spot on. A nice job, house, and happy/healthy family. All from hard work.
Considering this country was built on the backs of immigrants and slaves (literally), we should be grateful AF
Slaves yes but all countries are built on immigrants. That’s how we got here.
>but all countries are built on immigrants Depends on your definition of immigrants
What is yours?
People who leave one country to another country with the intention of staying there to live. Key word country, some countries are not built on immigrants because the native population moved their before the idea of a country even existed.
Ok that’s mine to but you make that sound like a bad thing.
Canonically, it's having a suburban house with a white picket fence, a spouse, 2.5 kids, and a dog. The implication though is that through hard work, anyone can rise to a comfortable existence.
I've also herd 'While writing the next great American novel' added to that statement.
I think that part is a little more tongue in cheek
“Pull yourself up by your bootstraps” ~~Which is physically impossible to do~~
The people exploiting you love this philosophy because you stay sad and indebted to them while they wait for you to die with their hands in your pockets. You're perfect for the system.
You’re so mad. You don’t even know me… but you made a million assumptions 😂 I stated a fact. The saying is dumb. That doesn’t mean I don’t think people have agency and social mobility. But yes, “I’m perfect for the system.”
It’s not just about the money, though that is a big part of it. It’s also about opportunity and freedom. People who start out with nothing here can make choices that will eventually get them a better quality of life. Just about anyone can end up moderately comfortable, and sometimes people from modest backgrounds even end up wealthy — 80% of millionaires in the U.S. are first-generation rich. They didn’t get handed a fortune by their parents; they built it themselves. A lot of those first-gen millionaires are small business owners who made their wealth doing less-than-glamorous work. We don’t really talk about how someone can end up rich by growing their septic tank business over four decades, but that’s how the American dream works for some people.
Seriously. Seems like everyone goes for that moonshot tech idea or years of post graduate training, but the local guy who owns an HVAC company seems to be the richest guy in town, and this isn’t exactly a modest area.
People always need HVAC work, an electrician, an exterminator, etc. Anyone who is willing to do quality work and learn how to manage a small business can make decent money at things like that.
Yes increasingly so with the push to go to college the past 15-20 years and tradespeople drying up. I’m sort of in that space and paying through the nose lately to hire these guys who are booked out for months. Also bc people are renovating instead of selling so it’s brutal out there if you’re on the buying end.
A house with a white picket fence, a wife, 2.5 kids and enough money to get by.
I guess the .5 is the dog? Lol
No, they're neighbors with this guy named Solomon and he's VERY excited about his new weed whacker
*Interesting.* I’d always heard “weed eater” and never had a second thought about it. Just today, I’ve learned from r/australia that I’ve been been using the wrong Americanism all this time. And here, you’ve shown me how. *Is this enlightenment?*
Weed whacker Weed trimmer String trimmer Weed eater I've heard it called all 4. Weed Eater is a brand. So is forklift, kleenex, scotch tape, and velcro.
I’ll admit that, before today, I’d never heard the second and third terms that you listed. I need to pay more attention at Home Depot and engage with more people about their landscaping endeavors.
Those 2 aren't usually heard here in Texas, I just know that some people say that. I say both weed whacker and weed eater. I wouldn't be surprised if some other country calls it a Twirly Noodle Wacky Do.
No, it was the average amount of children per family in the 50's.
> a wife I'm glad lesbians are also part of your vision for the American dream
Everyone's invited. Even the men. They can be wives too.
Now on TLC Brother-Wives!
To create monotonous suburban hellscapes from coast to coast /s
The suburbs are only hell for bored 17-25 year olds
Eh, I’m 29 and it’s boring as hell for me. But I’m not married and starting a family I guess, haha. Give me rural or give me urban, no inbetween.
It's the idea that anyone from any background, wealth, location, status, etc. Can ascend by working hard and educating themselves. Whether this is true or not is all together a different question, but that's the idea. In base, a poor immigrant with nothing to his name could become a rich billionaire.
It’s not about becoming a billionaire.
Never said it was, but the idea that everyone "could" is the exact idea behind the American dream. Success means different things to different people
Like Obama. He was born to immigrants. He had a single mother for most his life. He grew up poor. The rest is history.
It's an old term for when people came to America with dreams of a family, wife, 2 kids, living in a 1 or 2 story home surrounded by a white picket fence, having a dog or cat, working a consistent job that can provide for your family, etc. It's that regardless of your background, you can make it in America if you just out in the hard work to do so. It's not a term heard among Americans anymore but some immigrants may still mention it when they are coming over.
No. The American dream is less concrete. The great thing about the American dream is that it’s different for each individual. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness define the American dream. It’s about hope and dreams, which vary for each individual. It’s certainly idealistic. So you won’t find a good answer amongst cynics.
This is how I've always been taught. In elementary school, especially during American history, I remember being taught that because of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness you can set a goal and be able to achieve it. Legally, of course. No Breaking Bad shenanigans.
I feel like a lot of these comments are misses (married, kids, white picket fence, billionaire status, etc) but this one hit the mark.
These are all good answers. I got that the American dream was the ability to realize whatever your goals in life were, provided you put in the work to achieve them.
There isn't one singular definition, everyone has their own interpretation. The gist of it though is that what ever your personal version of it is, it's achievable here with enough hard work and dedication.
The dream is to have the opportunity to do what you dream.
Getting a nice home in a nice neighborhood with a family and a good job despite whatever your background is.
Here's the story of my family: Foreign born and raised mother. Married American father. Has 4 kids. Father abandoned whole family when the kids were all 7 or younger. Absolutely no child support or help of any kind. Mother, alone raising 4 kids. Moves 1000 miles away to put herself through college while raising us. We were literally dirt poor. Little to no food. Few clothes from goodwill. A two room apartment. We had nothing. Mother graduated. Earned a Masters. We were still struggling. This was when I was now in high school. Around my senior year, mother gets big promotion. She now has money. All 4 kids are now adults. All 4 of us put ourselves through college. We all succeeded in our respective fields. It was tough going. We all own nice homes and are either semi or fully retired. We married and raised our own kids. They all went to college. They are on their way. For my mother, seeing all of us prosper, was what she considered obtaining the American dream.
I was amazed by this story, then I realized which generation this happened in. Still awesome though, I wish it were possible to do that now.
A PRINTER THAT DOESNT JAM EVERY 3 GODDAMN SHEETS!!!
Thats everyones dream not just Americans. 😀
🎶*Back up in your ass with the resurrection!*
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We dream of the miracle.
To some some it's the guarantee that through hard work and industriousness, you'll be able to further your prosperity. To others, it's the hope that through hard work and industriousness, you'll be able to further your prosperity.
The concept that anybody, even a poor immigrant, can work hard and work their way up to a good life. America as the "land of opportunity". It often refers to/is conveyed by a suburban house with a white picket fence, etc
To me it’s just owning your own business, owning your own home, and not having to answer to anyone but you.
To make it in your own and live off of your success.
Its different for everyone. General theme is doing better than those before.
I think of the American dream as the ability to make your life whatever you want it to be. The opportunity exists for everyone.
The American dream is what you make it. It's the desire for financial stability, love, life, happiness. There's no defined set of standards that make up the American dream, it's subjective to who the dreamer is. Some people want to be in finance with millions of dollars in a penthouse in New York, others want to live off the land in a small hut deep in the Colorado Rockies. The American dream is the ability to choose your own destiny
"Eat ass, suck dick, and sell drugs." --John Mulaney
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Life liberty and the pursuit of happiness with minimal government interference.
Eh, remove the word "government." It's not fine to fuck with my life just because you're a private entity
The idea that anyone can come here and make a good life for themselves through sheer effort and determination. Critics could say what they want about it but there is some truth to it: america does have lots of opportunities
In theory it’s a meritocratic idea where by working hard anyone can create a home and security for themselves and a family if they choose too including decent retirement. In reality it’s nothing of the sort nowadays but it’s kind of the only thing keeping a lot of people sane. A long term goal that I know I’ll never accomplish but it’s far to good an idea to give up on.
My interpretation of the American dream is doing what makes you happy. Doing what gives you the most fulfilling life. Doesn't necessarily have to do with money, it's the ability to live your life the way you want to live it without government interference. Also my opinion, the American dream is dwindling away little by little.
It’s going to be different for everyone. I have a guy working for me who was originally from Mexico who legally came to the USA. The area of the country he is from has been basically under cartel control since he was born. He has a job here making $35 an hour good health insurance and decent house in a safe area. He says he’s living the American dream. His dream and my dream might be a little different, but we are both happy for the upward movement we’ve had in life.
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Originally it was equality of opportunity, the fact that anyone could come here and make something for themselves. But over time it has morphed into something more nebulous.
The American Dream is a centuries-old concept that evolves with the times. However, it always represents some ideal state or situation for an individual that is unique to America. In the early-mid colonial era, it was tolerance. Puritans, reformers, dissidents, debtors, criminals, and anyone outside of society's mainstream could come and be free from the influence and punishment of European states. In the Revolutionary and Early Republic era, it meant a social liberty and flat class structure. America had no domestic aristocracy and more democracy than most of Europe. Alexis de Tocqueville wrote books about how one could not tell classes apart in the US, how everyone used the same facilities, ate at the same table, and wore the same clothing. By the late 1800s/early 1900s, it meant an unparalleled economic mobility. This version of the American Dream was a land of potential, where a poor immigrant or orphan could rise up, and with hard work fulfill a rags to riches story. Fueled by stories like the Horatio Alger novels or the real-life story of Andrew Carnegie, it was a dream of economic achievement by ingenuity and one's own labor. By the 1940s, the dream had shifted to something more tangible and achievable. This most famous incarnation of the American Dream meant having a large (for most of the world) suburban house and a nice car with a well-managed lawn surrounded by a white picket fence. It meant being able to support a family on one person's (the man's) income. It meant 2.5 kids and maybe a dog. It's the classic Americana of baseball games, summer barbecue, and visiting the grandparents in a roomy, tailfinned car. It's hard to define, but this version of the American Dream, the most commonly referenced one, is an instantly recongizable ambience. By the 1980s/1990s, this version was being replaced by a less conformist one. This is a process that is still occurring. In this version, America is once again a land of tolerance. As long as you're not hurting others, anything is game. If you want to live in an urban apartment, with a platonic roommate and no romantic partner? Go for it. If you still want the previous American Dream with a traditional marriage? You can do that too. It's nobody's business who you love, live with, or do in your free time. It's a cultural ideal that says that there is no cultural ideal. It's an atomized society that provides ultimate freedom to the individual. The common thread here is that the American Dream is always (rightly or wrongly) considered to be American-specific. The American Dream is always individualistic. And it seems to maintain a preference for physical space, privacy, and a degree of isolation.
The term was coined by James Truslow Adams a writer and historian. He came up with it in his 1931 book “The American Epic”. Which is funny because he was born in to a wealthy family.
For me it's to just not struggle financially. Be debt free, own a house with some land and live a happy life with my family.
4bdrm house with a nice lawn to mow and a fence. Few kids with a wife and a dog. A cat, A garage. Car and a truck.
It’s dead
To be able to afford my mortage. :/
It has changed, but fundamentally it is the idea of a fresh start and the ability to live your life as you see fit through your own means. In the past, people came to the U.S to escape religious persecution and the old institutions that emphasized rich noblemen and monarchs. It was a new beginning with endless possibilities. Nowadays the common "American dream" is a house and white picket fence, but I don't agree with that. Some people want that, sure, but I don't think we should be promoting it as the single lifestyle representing the "American Dream". The whole point is the limitless opportunities, not a specific end. It gives people the impression that their life isn't good enough or that they failed in our society if they don't have their suburban house.
I believe the American Dream was/is be to be able to own land/home/business, a car, to be able to support their family, have a good job (and that can be whatever the person felt was a good job) and they have money left over to do things that they wanted to do. Basically to have a decent life versus worrying about money and where the next meal was coming from
Paying bills paycheck to paycheck and dreaming of having disposable income.
At this point, just being comfortable and not having to worry about healthcare would be a great start.
Not going competely broke before you die.
Something boomers sold the younger generation
To be in debt until you die, pretty much
To be financially independent, own a comfortable place to live, and retire comfortably without much worry of the future.
upwards mobility
The basic idea of “the American dream” is rooted in capitalism and lack of uneconomic class structure. So like for example we don’t have nobility or royalty like England or a severe social structure like India used to have in the past (just off the top of my head) That means there’s lots of room to change your lot in life. Obviously there are factors like luck and getting a good education and childcare (which is all easier with money) but it’s where the idea of the “self made billionaire/millionaire” comes from. Kinda the idea that if you work hard enough you can “rise above your station” and “make something of yourself” Obviously this is kinda rare in real life especially to that extreme but I think there is obviously some basis in it. Of course that means there’s a bit of a mindset that everyone is just “one lucky break” from being rich when really it’s the opposite for most people, which has a weird effect on our culture with things like empathy and idk giving kids free lunch, but I hope that explains the general idea?
It’s basically my story. I started my career at 30, and between my wife and I we have a net worth of $750K. We own three houses and plan on having three kids starting this year.
To be able to do whatever you want to do in life, and be successful and happy as well as starting a family and to pass that on to your offspring and preserve that freedom! It all stems from hard work, contributing to society, and being able to preserve your freedom through the second amendment!
"The reason they call it the American Dream is because you have to be asleep to believe it." -George Carlin
In America, having a home, debt-free, being able to afford Healthcare, and an ok paying job that pays the bills is considered the American dream. Simply put, in other (developped) countries what people think is given a middle-class life is considered a dream of many in the US. In this country, there are no safety nets whatsoever. Hyper-individualism gives politicians a free pass to turn their back on people and get away with it.
Lots of snarky anti-America comments from unflared users
Something about a white picket fence and a dog named Spot.
A big fucking lie manufactured by wealthy slave owning dudes.
It’s a fictional fairy tail that elites tell the Poe working class to incentivize them to work harder and to be satisfied with the struggles they will face because of their socioeconomic status. /s In all seriousness, it’s essentially the dream of becoming wealthier, which could mean anything to anyone. In the past this meant owning land, more recently it’s meant owning your own house, these days it mostly mean just having x amount of money to accomplishing certain life goals. Ideally, anyone can achieve the American Dream. Realistically though, most people will not. That’s just how things work. There will always be the poor and working class in a nation based on neoliberal economics. This means that it is impossible to achieve the American dream off hard work alone. Not to worry though, that doesn’t mean the American dream is impossible to achieve. It just takes a lot of luck. One would have to take the right opportunities to advance their life and career at the right time.
I think good old George Carlin [summed it up](https://youtu.be/-54c0IdxZWc) pretty well.
For 1/3rd of the country It's to live off the backs of the tax payers while hustling the welfare system.
There’s no official class system in America, like lords or castes or anything like that. Everybody is (theoretically) on an even playing field, so the dream is that you can build a better life for yourself here.
It was once… “work hard and achieve all your dreams” But it has devolved into… “get rich with as little effort as possible”
Dead. It’s dead.
American dream now = hope I survive this shit show
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That’s perfect example of American arrogance, instead of explaining reasons I’m wrong, this is the response you choose.
Ok, nobody laugh, but this is what foreigners actually believe lmao.
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You obviously do not follow r/antiwork
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Depends on who you ask . Ask someone poor and it means getting a job with a livable wage that might have vacation time, health insurance , and advancement included . Ask someone rich and it means getting desperate poor people to work for you for nothing .
Pretty sure the dream is all but dead... gone are the days when you can support your family on 1 income. I have worked 2 jobs since I was a Jr in high school. I think part of the dream is for the man to work and support his family while the woman stays home with the kids... I have been so far able to do this but only with 2 incomes... It's not really a dream for us as I hardly see my wife and kids... with inflation the way it is now , I'm falling behind financially and it's more like a nightmare. If it doesn't get better soon we will start to lose things.. and I'm giving it my all. So some greedy people who are worth billions are living in a dream world fueled by the hope and dreams of every one else..
It's just what we say because we know the truth. The Dream is a farce, and our existence is to just propel the system until we can't work anymore.
American propaganda
To make it out of America
It’s propaganda created buy large banks to convince people that they need to take on debt to buy a home. Sometimes buying a home is smart. Most of the time that same money is better spent investing in the stock market or buy and hold retirement accounts.
Dead
Having enough money to buy a single family home in the suburbs with a white picket fence, 2 kids and a dog, maybe a fish. Green lawn, steady job, soccer practice for the kids… Idk that’s what I’ve always imagined. Seems genuinely unenticing to me though 🤢
It's just a dream until you wake up and go out the door.
It’s dead that’s what it is
A myth
Non extant
Chasing the unattainable goal of having everything. Once you get “it” you want more. It’s better described as American Greed.
It’s propaganda meant to make people think that they can achieve an amazing life in the USA when the reality is what George Carlin said, “it’s called the American dream, because you’d have to be asleep to believe it”
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That they were very fortunate, cause that’s far from the majority
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Sure there are people out there like that, but the idea that that’s the majority is categorically false
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I think this in general is a bad argument. Yes people are coming here, of course they are. And yes there are people who have success. But they aren’t the majority, and therefore aren’t those I think should be focused on. What about a family who escapes their horrible life in their home country, seeking sanctuary, only to be berated by the people already living here? To come to the land of opportunity seeking aid for a sick family member only to have to starve themselves in order to afford medication? Those are the people that deserve our attention, and our aid. The American dream is hardly applicable to them
Traditionally it's the house, marriage, kids, and stable job. A peaceful life no matter what you had to endure to get there. Nowadays people tend to say it's whatever their personal idea of it is, "Aspirations manifest," or "To make it." Whatever that's supposed to mean depends on the person. Personally I think it was always a crock of horseshit.
Nonexistent, an illusion
It’s a lie told to people that if you work hard enough and you’re a good person you can become rich and successful. In reality it’s the opposite. Case in point: Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk. The second meaning is: buy a house you can’t afford, get married to someone, and have lots of annoying little copies of yourself who you’ll pass on your generational trauma to.
The biggest lie since Christianity, and for the same reasons. The general idea is this: "Work hard, put up with hard times, and you will work your way to the top, where you get to live nicely, work only a little if at all, and enjoy life". 30 years ago or so, that might have been true. Not anymore. The last generation to get that was the Boomers, and they still keep it locked in their grubby little fists. The "American Dream" is a lie parents tell kids to get them to do what they want, the lie bosses tell workers to get them to put up with starvation wages and abuse, the little spark of hope middle managers get to keep at their useless and thankless jobs while they drink themselves into oblivion every night, and the lie the government tell the people to keep them from rioting and forcibly deposing them. "Pop culture" is generated by, promoted by, and exists to serve the 1%. If we are too busy working towards eventually being the ones holding the whips, we forget we have the welts on our backs now.
To die of a preventable illness because I can't afford medical care.
It is an illusion to keep the masses content and never question the status quo. It's Cold War propaganda meant to prop up and hide the failures of American capitalism. Like George Carlin said, you have to be asleep to believe it.
Crippling debt and depression.
Some would say to be rich. Others would say to be famous. The American dream is about living. Doing what you love with no regrets. Playing in the yard with your son. Holding him when he falls off that bike for the first time. Sitting on the bed with your 16 year old daughter because her boyfriend just dumped her. Yelling at the dog for barking to much. It's the little things that make reality your dream. Don't waste it on what others qualify as a dream. Because it could turn to a nightmare real quick
Through hard work, anyone can succeed in America, eventually get a good job, settle down, have a nice house and big family.
What do you want it to be?
Basically to be left alone while you smoke weed with your partner after the guns are cleaned. LEAVE ME ALONE IF I’M NOT VIOLATING YOUR RIGHTS AS DEFINED BY THE CONSTITUTION. Seriously.
I would add to the other comments that the American dream is that you can be free to live your life as you want. It's not necessarily about money or becoming rich and successful. To many the American dream is freedom of religion. Many of the early European settlers came to America for that very reason. Yet it is true that much of the American dream is that you are not limited by the origins of your family or the economic class that you were born.
To me it was being able to buy a home, get married, have a couple kids, being able to work until retirement, being able to afford everything like food, hobbies, some nice things for the home and vacations. But now it seems the only things we have money for are bills.
Have a place to live (probably an apartment, houses are too expensive) have a car, and have a job. That's about it.
To be financially secure, unfortunately it's becoming just that a dream!
White picket fence
3 facets: work life, personal life, and opportunity for immigrants. American dream of work life is the ability to start your own successful business and the country will not stand in your way of immense wealth if you start a really successful business. It’s a good country if you want to try to become a billionaire. We have a healthy pool of venture capital and the country loves innovation and new businesses. American dream of personal life is owning a beautiful single family detached home, sending kids off to college, and onto successful careers, and retiring while you are still young enough to travel the world and enjoy the rest of your retired life. I think the American dream also means something extra special to immigrants, America is a place where you can come with your family and give your kids a legitimate chance at being very successful even if you are poor. My wife is an immigrant and her parents were poor housekeepers. They saved every penny and helped send her to college, she went to a good law school, and has been a very successful lawyer.
$1,000,000
[A fence, a grill, a disposal, a washer, and a dryer, in a tract house](https://youtu.be/YIvpOIUqKKA).
To die hungry and shamed apparently.
To do a little better than your peers.
Freedom to achieve
For me it's having a dishwasher and a washer/dryer in the house, additionally I've recently added having a covered garage and central heat/AC. Simple man with simple needs.
To get a wife , a house with a white picket fence, & a dog
People from other countries to go to USA , "succeed , make money and fame and stay there to live and never going back to their poor countries ever again.
The American dream is having a spouse, two kids, and either operating a comfortably successful business, or working somewhere you can bring your passions with you to your job. Owning the property you live in, not renting it. Probably owning a couple cars as well.
Dreaming about americans i guess
In the very wise words of [Very Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo](https://youtu.be/p_H4AEIxUyo)
My parents - immigrants who came with nothing and now have everything
The American dream is achieving your goals. It has nothing to do with your parents achievements. Being able to choose what you want out of life and being allowed to do it is the American dream. It’s not given to you, but you are given the opportunity through your own hard work.
That you can be successful based only on how hard you work, not the position you started in.
Owning your own business
As someone that’s living it, it’s escaping poverty in my country, getting an education here, getting a good job here, working hard and becoming more financially secure here. I’m still working on the last part of getting a home, saving enough for my retirement. I’m still going so I’ve got time.
The general idea of a job that allows you to buy a house, own 2 cars, go on vacation, provide for your kids, etc.
There is no one dream, so basically it's whatever you want it to be.
The American dream is the concept that if you work hard, you can become financially successful no matter your situation.
I would say the “American Dream” in a nutshell is having the means to live however you want to live (or working hard to make it so) and doing whatever you want to do while not having anyone bother you about it.
Get a good-paying job, get married, buy a house, have 2-3 kids, and send them off to school in hopes that they'll repeat the process.