musings on American dreams

[winterbadger]

A commentor in another thread on healthcare remarked on people being "in favor of people becoming as rich as their talent and hard work will take them"

And it made me think--when did this happen?

When I was a kid growing up, what I heard about as the American dream was "having a happy family, a good job, a new car, and a house in the suburbs". That was something that, especially in a manufacturing economy where even people with no more than a high school education could get and gradually master fairly well-paid jobs, was a realistic goal for most, if not all, Americans. And, moreover, it was a goal that placed individuals as part of a community. It's the George Bailey Dream.

Now the American dream seems to be to somehow become *rich*, have everything you want, and never have to work. It's not about working hard and gradually achieving a comfortable life. It's about somehow gaming the system or getting really lucky or duping other poor sods out of their savings so as to be a fabulously wealthy *individual*. It's not a dream that sees people as part of a community. It's not a dream that promotes cooperation and understanding or a sense of responsibility. It's an intensely selfish dream that puts the individual and their happiness at the centre of their life and sees almost everyone and everything else as hostile forces standing in the way of one's own greed. It's the Gordon Gecko Dream.

Profit is seen as an unmitigated good, and monetary reward is the sole goal. That change has all sorts of implications for how we structure society and its adjuncts. For example, a lot of services that are essential to life in a modern society used to be *utilities*; these were run for the public good and prices were set at a level that everyone could afford, based on cost to create those goods rather than "what the market will bear". Now many of those services are being run as commercial ventures; some of them are somewhat regulated as to prices they can charge, but they are getting into all kinds of trouble (look at the California power industry) that would never have happened when they were not-for-profit utilities.

And, of course, this carries over to healthcare. Now healthcare (insurance in particular) is a place to make fortunes. Funny, in my old fashioned way I thought it was a place where people worked to make healthy people.

Time for me to go wave my cane at the kids on the lawn...

Comments

[wcg.livejournal.com]

The notion of "the American Dream" as unbridled wealth became popular during the Gilded Age, and retreated from the public consciousness after 1915. Americans of that day, faced with the social wreckage brought on by 40 years of rampant capitalism, shifted their goals toward the George Bailey kind of vision that you mention. But the "I'll make my pile, and screw you" version of the American Dream has gained popularity again, starting back during the Reagan administration. I will forever remember one of Reagan's cabinet secretaries -- I think it was Don Regan but I'd have to look it up to be sure -- talking to a reporter about how Ebenezer Scrooge was just a good businessman.

[winterbadger]

I will forever remember one of Reagan's cabinet secretaries -- I think it was Don Regan but I'd have to look it up to be sure -- talking to a reporter about how Ebenezer Scrooge was just a good businessman.

*boggle* Yes, I can see how that would stick with you.

I take your point about the Gilded Age, but did the average person really think they could become one of the robber barons? I suppose with people like Carnegie around they may have--I just don't think of it as being a feature of of popular imagination. But 19th century American history is by no means my strong suit.

[wcg.livejournal.com]

I think it was a pretty popular idea at the time. Lots and lots and lots of store owners in the mid-west got themselves into financial trouble imagining they might be the next J. L. Hudson (Detroit) or Macy, or Sears. Also, Carnegie wasn't the only one of the robber barons who went from very modest circumstances to fabulous riches. Look at my old friend (ahem...) Jay Gould.

[winterbadger]

I was thinking about this more, and I realised I have to remind myself not to take storytellers like Frank Capra at face value. While some writers are valued for the way they hold the mirror up to nature, others--like Capra--are celebrated for the way they often hold the mirror up to our better natures. In his films, Capra shows us real Americans, sure, but he also shows us the real Americans he would *like* us to be. And "It's A Wonderful Life" is a classic example, very literally exploring the duality of human nature by showing the viewer both the best and the worst that people can be.

[dolphinish.livejournal.com]

The whole "make my pile and screw you" I think is connected to paranoia and a bloated nesting instinct.

Maybe this is far-fetched, but I remember listening to a serious discussion from a (srs Fox-watching) co-worker explaining how you HAD to spend at least $100 on a trip to the beach. Because God forbid, you be without snacks and drinks for a half an hour...and then there's sunscreen (which granted, is totally reasonable)...and then you HAVE to have a boombox, because you MUST have music. Gah. Whatever just happened to popping to the beach for a moment?

[hobbitblue.livejournal.com]

... and the corollary of "if you aren't rich its because you lack talent and didn't work hard enough", so you're a big failure. And likely die early because you're not rich enough to see a doctor.

[winterbadger]

Yep.

You know what strikes me as the UK equivalent (thanks to John Mortimer)? The changeover in the Tories from Harold MacMillan (of "Most of our people have never had it so good" fame) and the pre-war generation of leaders to the Thatcherite post-war mob of "me first" and "capitalism will solve everything" types.