Sunday, March 15, 2015
Once Upon an American Dream
(I'm including these pictures because this is what one of my friends turned in as her project on the American Dream and I found it was very fitting... even though she just completely forgot to do the project.)
I'm a little confused about this blog post because, in my opinion, the 1920's was less than optimistic.
I think it's hard to define what the American Dream is, as it is solely based on the individual. To the world in the 1920's, the presented "American Dream" that society wanted to believe was what they truly wished to have was money, riches, jewels, nice things, parties, alcohol, and everything that makes the 1920's roarin'. However, in the Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald alludes that the American Dream is something so much deeper. The American Dream represents hope of a brighter future. This is what has brought various settlers and immigrants to the New World for ages. For many, America represents a place where they are free to pursue their dreams and escape any hardships they encounter in their home country.
This is what the American Dream means to me. For the amount of crap we give America on almost a daily basis, it's hard to argue that America isn't an amazing country. So many focus on the "freedoms that we aren't granted," rather than focusing on the amazing freedoms that we do have. We tend to get so focused on what we don't have rather than appreciate what we do. We are taught that wealth isn't materialistic, but it seems that no one truly believes that. When my sister was preparing to go to Argentina for a year and a half, my dad constantly told her that she'd finally see what true poverty is. She worked closely with many people who literally had nothing and yet had everything. They washed their little clothing in a hole in the ground, yet they had the greatest love for God and their families. That's what true wealth is, and it's something that we Americans (United Statesans?) forget. If the American Dream is to find wealth, then we're doing it wrong. Material wealth will never measure up to the wealth that comes from close personal relationships and the pursuing your passions.
It constantly amazes me that other countries are struggling with dictators and consistent war, and yet we complain that the government has put up security measures that "invade our privacy" and yet save us from utter destruction. No, the country's not perfect and never will be. That's unrealistic. But the United States grants us a lot of freedom and gives us hope towards a brighter future. There are so many opportunities given to us in the United States that we often overlook. But until we can see how bad others have it, we will never appreciate the land of the free: a beacon of hope and a magical, foreign place to others fighting for their freedom in their own countries. Others dream of coming to America, and many of us dream of getting out.
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I agree with pretty much everything you said in your post, like I usually do (I feel like I always end up commenting on your posts, sorry!). I think it's important to realize that even though we don't have literally everything in America, we do need to appreciate what we do have. In America, some Americans have the concept of the grass being greener on the other side. I find that people tend to romantize other countries like Canada or the UK but fail to see all the not-so-great things that those countries have to deal with that we don't even have to think about. As humans though, I think that we tend to always want more, even when we have everything. America isn't a utopia, but it isn't as bad as some other countries who truly need revolutionary change. On the flip side, its also very important to realize that just because another country has it worse, it doesn't demean the fact that there is some crappy things that are going on in America. This can be equivocated to the fact that just because I'm upset about getting a B in a class doesn't mean that my feelings are less important or less real to me when compared to someone who just failed a class. Comparing pains is not always a safe argument, just because everyone is affected by their personal issues differently. Even still, your blog post was a pleasure to read, as always! Great work!
ReplyDeleteTrue, Americans as a whole focus a lot on the freedoms we aren't granted instead of being grateful for the ones we have. I think this is a human issue, like Shaunaci was saying. We are always going to want more from our government, and not be satisfied with what they give us. But I think in many ways, this kind of selfish ambition is what makes the American system so great. When we protest against the comparatively small invasions on our freedoms we encounter, the government makes a change. We vote into power people who will cater to our demands for freedom, and we therefore create a cooperative government. I don't think we should ever stop pushing to retain the freedoms we aren't granted; that would be contrary to the American model. But I do agree that we should take more time to be grateful for the opportunity and freedoms we are given in the US.
ReplyDeleteI really like some of the arguments you made, especially the point you made about Americans being taught the wealth is not materialistic but not believing what they are taught. I completely agree with you. I feel like people like to say that they don't care about material objects, but their actions speak differently. The advertisements we watch are focused on selling us products that will make us "happy."For example, I just saw a Coldstone commercial that was playing "make me smile" by uncle Kracker. The commercial was advertising how their ice cream would make people smile. It's also interesting because advertisements imply that the people who are wealthier can buy more products and are, therefore, happier. I don't agree with this. As we see in Great Gatsby, just because someone is wealthy doesn't necessarily mean they are totally happy.
ReplyDeleteI really like some of the arguments you made, especially the point you made about Americans being taught the wealth is not materialistic but not believing what they are taught. I completely agree with you. I feel like people like to say that they don't care about material objects, but their actions speak differently. The advertisements we watch are focused on selling us products that will make us "happy."For example, I just saw a Coldstone commercial that was playing "make me smile" by uncle Kracker. The commercial was advertising how their ice cream would make people smile. It's also interesting because advertisements imply that the people who are wealthier can buy more products and are, therefore, happier. I don't agree with this. As we see in Great Gatsby, just because someone is wealthy doesn't necessarily mean they are totally happy.
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