Beech Tree News Network

Recently, President Obama criticized some reality TV shows, saying that they have helped create a generation of youngsters who are obsessed with wealth and celebrity. Obama commented that these celebrities who have showcased their wealth before fans have inadvertently changed the ambitions of young people. The President said, “The American dream involved some pretty basic stuff -- a good job where you felt some security, a good education ... People felt if they worked hard they could get there ... I don't think people went around saying to themselves, ‘I need to have a 10,000-square-foot house’ ... I think there has also been a shift in culture. We weren't exposed to the things we didn't have in the same way that kids these days are. There was not that window into the lifestyles of the rich and famous” (http://social.entertainment.msn.com/tv/blogs/reality-tv-blogpost.aspx?po...). President Obama may have a point.

The American Dream is the commonly-held concept that freedom includes the opportunity for prosperity and success, and that upward social mobility may be achieved through hard work. The idea of the American Dream is rooted in the U.S. Declaration of Independence which states "all men are created equal" and are "endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights" including "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Dream).

Additionally, our economy has changed. Some have described our economy as an hour-glass economy, meaning the wealthy have gotten wealthier, the middle class is shrinking, and the lower class is growing. Dusty Horwitt reported that “10 percent of Americans control 70 percent of our wealth” (Rosenblum & Travis, 2006, p. 148). Barbara Ehrenreich pointed out that many people earn less than they need to live on: “67 percent of the adults requesting emergency food aid are people with jobs” (Rosenblum & Travis, 2006, p. 144). Although those having more education earn more than those with less education, the wealth of middle income families has declined. Clearly, in an hour-glass economy, the lifestyles of the rich and famous are more difficult to attain.

    Many have commented on the American Dream. Some of those comments are listed below:
•    Now … I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream…. – Martin Luther King, Jr.
•    The basic American promise that if you work hard, you could do well enough to raise a family, own a home, send your kids to college. – Barack Obama
•    America did not invent human rights. In a very real sense, human rights invented America. – Jimmy Carter
•    I think the American Dream says that anything can happen if you work hard enough at it and are persistent, and have some ability. The sky is the limit to what you can build, and what can happen to you and your family. – Sanford I. Weill
•    When we make college more affordable, we make the American dream more achievable. – William J. (Bill) Clinton
•    I have spent my life judging the distance between American reality and the American dream. – Bruce Springsteen

The American Dream is not about the lifestyle of the rich and famous. As Maya Lin said, “…The American Dream is being able to follow your own personal calling. To be able to do what you want to do is incredible freedom.” The American dream is part of what makes our nation great, and I want that for my grandchildren.