The Inevitability Of The American Dream
Throughout the early twentieth century shone the American Dream – the idea that everybody has the opportunity to become successful, regardless of their financial backgrounds. People fell in love with the idea, because it gave them high hopes, and it was very relevant at the time. In the past century, however, many things have changed. Due to the overall transition of the economy and society, the American dream is no longer relevant in America. Signs of the increasing irrelevance of the dream are eminent in society. As Richard Eskow mentions in an online article, people have to be rich to get a college education, and “education... is ‘the great equalizer… the facilitator of the American dream,’” Having a proper education is an ideal aspect
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According to the Lifestory report, 19% of people with incomes under $50,000 say that they have achieved the dream, whereas 44% of people with incomes of $100,000 say so. Two points can be noted from this statistic. The first is how income affects the perception of the dream. Those with more money think the dream is true. This in itself is not surprising; in fact, it seems perfectly intuitive. The major matter that the statistic reveals is how only a minority of people, rich or poor, believe that the American dream is still alive (“The American …show more content…
Even if that is the case, it would still mean only a minority of people would experience the dream. Allison Kopicki and John Lapinski, two NBC reporters, state that nearly half of American voters are just barely making ends meet (only enough to pay bills and obligations, and not much more). An additional 17% express financial insecurity, stating that they do not make enough to pay their bills. This means that only a minority of Americans have enough money for luxuries. The reporters also state that 84% of the financially insecure say the dream is dead, as well as 49% of those with secure financial statuses. These large percentages indicate that people generally do not see the relevance of the American dream anymore
According to the Lifestory report, 19% of people with incomes under $50,000 say that they have achieved the dream, whereas 44% of people with incomes of $100,000 say so. Two points can be noted from this statistic. The first is how income affects the perception of the dream. Those with more money think the dream is true. This in itself is not surprising; in fact, it seems perfectly intuitive. The major matter that the statistic reveals is how only a minority of people, rich or poor, believe that the American dream is still alive (“The American …show more content…
Even if that is the case, it would still mean only a minority of people would experience the dream. Allison Kopicki and John Lapinski, two NBC reporters, state that nearly half of American voters are just barely making ends meet (only enough to pay bills and obligations, and not much more). An additional 17% express financial insecurity, stating that they do not make enough to pay their bills. This means that only a minority of Americans have enough money for luxuries. The reporters also state that 84% of the financially insecure say the dream is dead, as well as 49% of those with secure financial statuses. These large percentages indicate that people generally do not see the relevance of the American dream anymore