Let me start by clarifying that I do, in fact, believe the American dream exists; however, I do not believe it exists in the ways we are taught as children and oftentimes, young adults. The way that vast amounts of American youth have been taught to perceive the United States and it’s history is through the perspective of old, straight, white men. I can’t remember a time before my junior year of high school that I began learning about real American history – history that is uncensored when it comes to discussing the darker side of things – discussing where in our history America was wrong. Before then, talks about the country was a lot of, “slavery and racism were bad, but everything was fixed and it isn’t a problem anymore.”, and “Women and people of color couldn’t vote, but that was fixed too. There’re no more problems, and those were the only ones.”

When it comes to the American dream, my understanding had always been very similar to the beginning of the description given to us by the Library of Congress article which states, “that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to the ability or achievement.” The way I was initially taught, I understood the American dream to be completely faultless. You come to America, or you're from America, and because of that you're able to do anything that you want to do by just pulling yourself up by your bootstraps and working your way up the totem pole because you can. My understanding of the American dream today, after beginning to learn American history through more unbiased lenses, as well as the lenses of different minority groups who came to America in pursuit of this “dream” -- I understand that this is not realistic. There are so many systemic problems in America to this day that make it almost impossible for certain people to be able to achieve this dream. As great as this country is, there are some very serious problems that have not been fixed from the start. This country is built with only a few types of people in mind, and everybody that doesn't fit that binary -- everybody who is not an American born straight white male seemed to have the odds stacked against them; some more than others. 

I think, that the American dream isn't about making your way up the totem pole, it could maybe become that in the future, but as of right now not everybody is equal in this country. Not everybody has equal opportunity in this place that we live. it would take a lot to convince me that a country where people need to fear for their lives every time they walk outside of their door because of the color of their skin, lovers are afraid to hold their partners hand in public because if the wrong person sees they could fall victim to assault, women's healthcare isn't taken seriously because they aren't trusted to know their own bodies better than the male doctor attending to them, trans folk are still being murdered in cold blood for literally existing, veterans are left homeless after fighting for this country, there's still a wage gap between people based on race and sex, and the people sworn to protect and serve the community are killing the people they are sworn to protect and serve -- is one rooted in equality. it's not. right now the American dream is about our ability as people of the United states to dismantle these systems of injustice and bias, and make America a place of true equality and equal opportunity. 

the good part about America, are the freedoms we as citizens are granted -- freedoms we can use to help work together to fight for the rights of our brothers, sisters, and siblings. 

 

I chose Dread Scott's “what is the proper way to display the American flag” as the artistic representation of what the American dream, as it stands right now, means to me. I chose this because I feel that a huge part of making the American dream a dream that is actually pursuable by all people - Is understanding how people view the United states, and question it’s true values. 

I encourage you to look through the link I posted about this interactive piece, that touches on a lot of perspectives from Americans and people all over the world. The history of this piece raises a lot of questions about The United states and what it stands for, patriotism, Nationalism, freedom of speech, and so much more. this piece is extraordinarily controversial, and Dread Scott actually pariticipated as a defendant in the Supreme Court case United States vs Eichman. 


Sierra Caban

Evyan Mustafovski

I think when I was a bit younger the idea of the “American Dream” was something to strive for and be comfortable. It’s a state of fulfillment and happiness that if you work hard enough, anyone can achieve it. If you can conform, you can keep plugging away and be successful. I think that people from other countries have an overblown idea of the dream. The streets in the United States are not paved with gold and riches for the average person.

I think that for many Americans, the words of Langston Hughes poem “Harlem” ring true. He begins by simply stating “What happens to a dream deferred?” He then goes on to compare it a heavy load or a raisin drying in the sun. The longer the dream is chased the more realistic I think many of us become about it’s attainability. 

A great example of the American Dream is the Jackson 5 from Gary Indiana. Ironically there was a made-for-TV movie from the 90’s entitled The Jacksons: An American Dream.   (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cq5qoF14P-8) The story of a working class family and their father Joe Jackson who worked in a steel mill but saw talent in his children and pushed them to perform and eventually become musical superstars. One of his children, Michael would go on to become arguably the greatest entertainer in the history of the world. To me, that’s the fantasy dream presented to many of us children but as we get into adulthood, we see that it only happens for a select few of us. In a way, we are always chasing this dream. We are somewhat conditioned to become good consumers and good workers to pay our taxes and work towards the dream.

Another personal favorite of mine that sums up the American Dream is a 1972 song from the Isley Brothers titled “Work to Do”.  (Link listed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08tYrBCgXlU ) Lead singer Ron Isley sings lyrics such as “Oh, I’m out here trying to make it” and “It takes a lot of money to make it”. I think these are the founding principles of the real American dream, work hard and hope for the best.

The picture above and the movie Mr.Carter represents the American Dream perfectly. The movie shows the whole dream, even the bad side of America. But also show all the routes kids could take to grow and find success no matter what pitfalls and chains hold them back. There is always a route to success in this country.
Fabian Anguiano

As James Truslow Adams mentions in The Epic of America, “that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone [emphasis added], with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.” In this, he describes the dream not as an individual dream, but as something collective. The dream makes sense in a vacuum but accessibility to “ability” and “achievement” vary. What is currently most important to rising to the dream is cultural capital versus personal intelligence and ability. Minorities are expected to assimilate via dress and decorum, code-switching and hiding every aspect of their minority status that they’re able to; to be “one of the good ones.” Langston Hughes describes these obstacles in detail in “Harlem,” what the obstacles feel like, and how discouraging they are as attempts are made to achieve the dream; “Maybe it just sags / Like a heavy load.”

                An excellent work on this subject is Beyoncé’s “Formation.” It includes both Black culture and Black History, showing Black women proudly occupying settings such as plantations and, quite starkly, powerfully dancing in a swimming pool—a setting very strongly associated with segregation. Beyoncé employs braggadocio, weaving her history and Black history with the wealth that came with her rise to what would be considered a more standard American Dream. She embodies what the majority of society sees as the dream. We see images of violence in historical slavery and continued racial violence, interspersed with lyrics of opulence, “When I rock my Givenchy dress,” and lastly “Always stay gracious, best revenge is your paper.” I interpret this lyric as “check out where I started, now check out my luxurious lifestyle funded by my audience.” The line “Always stay gracious” reminds me of The House on Mango Street with Esperanza describing how those who rise above may still maintain empathy with those who have not had the same opportunities or luck.

This representation is so important for marginalized individuals, especially young Black women who see someone with such success who looks like them and with whom they can more readily identify than the average hyper-rich individual. And this brings us back to hope—of course individuals for whom this song was written will not all rise to such a level, but this is an example of it happening and the more examples of this, the better. Not to mention the discourse pieces like these can prompt.

Link here: “Formation,” Beyoncé