The American Dream

The American Dream is one of the great cliches of our nation.  It is one of those sacred ideals (like freedom) that it is impossible to deny, yet extremely easy to morph and redefine.  I was surprised to learn that the actual phrase might only be as old as the 1930's, but regardless the concept has existed for much longer than that.  As Cullen pointed out, one very strange aspect of the American Dream is how it is so easily embraced by people who should be most disillusioned with it.  The idea that "This is America.  You can get anything if you work hard enough or get lucky enough," can actually prevent people from attaining their goals.  The American Dream is intended as an energy that can motivate people to reach their goals, but it can become a slogan for supporting the status quo.  In this sense it is an essentially ambiguous notion, used to help and to harm, to unite and to divide, and to change and to remain.  The only real certain thing about the American Dream is that we don't know much about someone who says, "I support the American Dream."