Opinion: American dream evolves over generations
By Liska Koenig CHIEF COPY EDITOR
The United States was founded by many people who came here with big plans for their future and hearts filled with hope. America, the “promised land,” symbolized opportunity and the chance to start life over in a new place. The American dream stood for a life of personal comfort, prosperity and freedom.
The lofty ideal of the American dream is spelled out in the second sentence of the document that signified the birth of this nation, the Declaration of Independence: “... all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable Rights and that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
The current version of the American dream has changed to reflect our modern society. It now symbolizes many different ideals and aspirations. However, all of them represent some of the most important American principles: With hard work and determination, anything is possible.
There are as many versions of the American dream as there are people in the United States. For some, it means to live in a house with a white picket fence and a back yard, 2.5 kids, a family pet and a station wagon — the historic ideal of generations coming of age after World War II.
It can also mean a woman supporting herself and living independently. It can be the freedom to go back to school and change careers. It can mean the freedom to be openly gay or undergo gender re-assignment surgery.
Big metropolitan cities like San Francisco and New York symbolize the modern American dream. While it is possible to celebrate individualism and enjoy diversity in these areas, many sacrifice prosperity and material goods in exchange.
During these hard economic times, millions of Americans spend sleepless nights worrying about where their next rent or mortgage payment is coming from or what could happen if they were to contract a serious health condition.
The United States Department of Labor reported an unemployment rate of 9.8 percent for October 2009 — that’s about 30 million people or 37 times the population of San Francisco.
The current economic crisis has widened the gap between the affluent and the working poor. Bank bailouts — socialism for the rich — and extravagant bonuses for executives destroy equality of opportunity, an important piece of the American dream.
Education is the key to sharing the dream with more people in this country, because it enables them to make better choices even if they have been born on the wrong side of the economic fence.
Education is also one of the areas hit hardest by budget cutbacks, but there are no bailouts for schools. It is not in the interest of politicians and lobbyists for big corporations to invest in education, simply because no money can be made from giving people the tools to improve their lives.
In this era, we thought we could live the material American dream — the house, the yard or whatever it might be — with no down payment. This version of the dream was delivered not by improving education or increasing productivity and savings, but by Wall Street alchemy and borrowed money from Asia.
Especially in times like this, it is up to us as individuals to look around and reflect on our values as human beings. The American dream comes with attached responsibilities for our neighbors and fellow Americans. Looking into the future with hope should not be the privilege of a select few, it should be an opportunity available to all.
