The American
Dream
In the chapter, Who Rules America?, the author Domhoff explains the traditional
customs of raising children and etiquette for the upper class or highest tier
of wealthy people. He describes what
their life consists of and what it takes to get into that tier. Domhoff
illustrates you can marry into the class, already come from the class, or work
to get into the top tier. Working to get into the top tier is also called
social mobility, or commonly referred to as ‘The American Dream’. The dream that
any person from any background can work hard and move up in society and accumulate
wealth. This is the idea that hard work will eventually pay off for you and
your family.
Domhoff
quotes an anonymous source in this chapter saying, “There has been more
continuity then change among the business elites and upper class in America”
(268). This quote implies you must be born into the upper class in order to be
in the upper class and you are much less likely to have the ability to get into
the upper class if you were not born into that class. That quote depicts the heart of this blog
post, is the American Dream dead?
The next several video clips helped
answer this question. The first video, authored by Foroohar, said “nearly half of men whose fathers were in the
bottom 20% of the socioeconomic spectrum, remained in the bottom 20%. In
comparison to Denmark and Sweden, only a quarter of men remained in the bottom
20% of the spectrum.” This finding implies the ability to move up tiers by hard
work is more prevalent in Europe then in the US. He equates this not only to the lack of
importance the US places on free public education but also the fact that 1% of
Americans own 40% of the money that is going in and through the US in a given
year. These points all lead to the conclusion that the“American Dream is dead
in the US but alive and well in Europe”.
During all of my assignment readings and watching related
video clips, all I could ponder about was it really possible that the American
Dream is not longer obtainable for my generation. Is America is no longer the
land of promise? No longer the best country in the world? These questions were
further reinforced by a vivid video clip I saw a few months ago. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16K6m3Ua2nw
This clip is from the beginning
of a TV show and makes some very emotional, valid points.
Personally, I believe the American Dream is still alive. My parents both came from poor
backgrounds and worked endlessly until to get where they are. My dad is an
extremely intelligent computer scientists and my mom a businesswomen. I could talk about them both to no end, but I
am going to summarize my mom’s story. She started working at McDonalds when she
was 14. She continued to work through high school and college not only to pay
for school but also to support her other 3 siblings. When she graduated
college, she got her first corporate job at Sallie Mae. She worked there for 14
years eventually getting her own group and a Vice President position. From
there she was scouted by recruiters and was placed as a COO. Later, a private
equity firm hired her as and placed her as the CEO of the competing company. This
is impressive when you consider how she started.
To me, this is a real life example of the American
Dream. I agree that in todays times it may be harder to climb the corporate
ladders to get to the top, but I in no way can count it out. And how can I when
I see the dream-taking place by the two people who raised me? I am still a full
believer in social mobility, I just think it probably takes a lot more work and
a little more luck for our generation.
In an anthropology class I am taking, we look at structural violence and how social institutions in society teach us to overlook the struggles of the lower class and start to believe that the problems they encounter are a result of their inability and incompetence. However, this couldn’t be further from the actual reality. Looking at the Leonhardt article we see that only a low percentage raised in the bottom fifth is able to “make it” into the top fifth. The class that one is born into does not dictate their ability. This is seen with the individuals who are able to achieve social mobility, but is also confirmed by those raised in the top fifth percentile and slide into lower classes, even though this may be less likely than the opposite. Leonhardt references Nathaniel Hendren who also attributes geographic contingency to social mobility. He states that “where you grow up matters.” This is confirmed by Ms. Calvin, a resident of Atlanta who is less likely to achieve upward social mobility as a result of her geographic location. She spends most of her time travelling to work which perhaps would not be the case if she didn’t live in marginalized lower income areas.
ReplyDeleteNathan’s mothers experience is an inspiring one: she made it into the corporate world. Many people keep pushing through their struggles to be able to achieve this; to be able to tell this story. There is a determined passion that exists making even the faintest of hearts believe that anyone can make it. Though many will work hard to try and achieve this, a majority will fall through confirming the elusive nature of the American Dream.
Nathan, I definitely agree that the “American Dream” still exists. However, it is not just a simple task like it used to be. A person can work hard and do all the right things, but unless they are the best candidates for the specific job or even given an opportunity to move up the social ladder to attempt to get into that upper class category, there is a bigger chance that it won’t happen in their lifetime.
ReplyDeleteIn addition to the possibility of accepting an opportunity that may appear, I somewhat agree with Lampra Jones from the In Climbing Income Ladder, Location Matters article. She says, “If you don’t know the right people, you’re not going to get anywhere”. In the world we live in today, there are less job opportunities and more connections occurring. In the US, there a more jobs waiting for the children of the upper class owners to get through school and are old enough to take over the position or the company. This makes it difficult for someone who has worked through school and made it that far without the connections because the connections could make the difference between the two candidates.
The American Dream does exist and I believe that the world is what we make of it. Nathan's mother worked hard and persisted upon the future. My mother took courses while she raised my brother and me, now she completed her training to work in the health field. She wanted to provide a better life for her family and worked hard. America does have opportunities, but we just have to be willing to make associations and have the stamina to grab hold of those advantages.
ReplyDeleteMy junior year of high school in my english class I was required to give a twenty minute speech incorporating what I thought the American Dream was and what it meant to me. I was instructed to include my American Dream and where I hoped to be some day. Looking back, I don't think I was old enough to know exactly what I wanted. It was hard to say where I wanted to be in 10 years and today I am still unsure of what occupation I would like to pursue.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this post, I find myself thinking about social class. The majority of the people that attended my high school were middle class white people and had the opportunities to succeed. There is a fine line, though. One could throw their opportunities out the window and end up moving down a class, or they could work really hard and engage in the American Dream and move up. If students were required to give an American Dream speech in a different city such as Detroit where there is a wide variety of classes, I am sure the classmates and teacher would have a different view of the American Dream than I received my junior year of high school.
In reference to your question, "[is] it really possible that the American Dream is not longer obtainable for my generation?" and at the same time knowing facts like "1% of Americans own 40% of the money that is going in and through the US", I easily become quite doubtful of what I am trying so hard to convince myself is true. I love the clip you provided, because if I had to back my reasoning for thinking that the American Dream really is being lived in Europe and not here, my reasons would be the same as his, for all the statistics he used to justify his point. However, I also think that, as many other concepts have been redefined, maybe the American Dream has too.
ReplyDeleteWe just live in a rather unfortunate generation where the only way to have any type of success is getting a college degree, when that was not always the case. It just goes back to a concept we introduced at the very beginning of the semester, which is that the biggest contributing factors that how our lives will play out are where you are born and who you are born to.
Morgan i agree with your comment, more people today are getting jobs based on connections and socio-economic status then education. Even after attending top tier universities, those people are not guaranteed jobs. After all isn't that why we all attend university? To have doors open around us, and live the american dream? College graduates and non college graduates these days are getting jobs based on networking. There are hundreds of workshops dedicated to improving your networking skills. Networking is in this time the way to climb the social mobility ladder. Morgans quote from Lampra Jones "“If you don’t know the right people, you’re not going to get anywhere” is defining what social networking is all about. To Nathan's view I agree as well, it is possible to climb the ladder with very hard work I just believe it is made easier if you know and have the right people supporting you.
ReplyDeleteI know personally of a couple people who have recently graduated and have not yet found a job. Those same people are not any less qualified than the other people I know who have received jobs from some of the best companies to work for in the nation. Pepsi, Seventeen magazine, google are all the places those people now work. All of those job openings came off of networking and connections. Sorority sisters, uncles who were family friends with someone who referred someone, and the list goes on. All the advice I have received from those people have been as around, know your connections and use them.
I am in accordance with the fact that the American Dream still exists, but as mentioned in many of our readings, climbing this ladder started off difficult and is increasing in difficulty as time passes. Successfully participating in upward social mobility has a more specific set of requirements now than it did 20 or 30 years ago. You need to live in the right place, like the NY Times article highlighted--those who grow up in non-affluent places are likely to remain so in the future. Another requirement for upward social mobility is the networking aspect, which works ridiculously efficiently for wealthier families. The more people you connect with, the more opportunities you can embark on in the future, this is exactly why the professional social networking site LinkedIn is gaining so much steam. Another large factor is access to education; those who lack the opportunity to pursue education are punished in society. It is difficult to get a minimum wage job like working at a McDonald's if you do not have a high school diploma. Additionally, I feel that another reason for successful upward movement on the rungs of society is your potential. It is easy to say that hard work will get you anywhere, but harder to prove if you are not set up for it. Granted, there are many individuals that come from nothing and aspire to greatness, which is great, but it is also not as common anymore. What about those who, in their hard work and dream following, have become debilitated with a back or brain injury? It is hard to achieve your aspirations when you are unable to stand for too long, lift more than 10 pounds, or access your short term memory with ease. What about those who immigrate from a foreign country and experience difficulty getting hired because of their accent, or even their name, which isn't exactly 'American'? Why is it necessary to put on your resume 'speaks fluent English' if you have a non-European first of last name? As students of this prestigious University, we have a leg up on most people in the world and we are all lucky to be given the opportunity to attend UM. We have potential, but we have become accustomed to the thought of hard work, and hard work alone, being enough for any opportunity. It is not so, times are changing, and we are fortunate to be sheltered by UMich when everybody else isn't. Hard work doesn't get you where it used to.
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