American Nightmare Thesis
The American Nightmare For better or for worse, many people have desperately sought after the treasured American Dream. It is a dream like no other; it has no specific guidelines for one to know whether or not they have achieved the dream, yet for millions, it is their sole reason for working. Although this may seem ludicrous to someone hearing of the Dream for the first time, most would agree that it is perfectly normal to have a desire for such an abstract goal, after all, who would not want economic stability? Despite not having a clear description, the Dream usually means something along the lines of having a family, a house, a car, and a stable job that pays handsomely. Some may ask, “why is it called the American Dream?” While it is
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true that almost everyone from every country wants the kind of life that the Dream describes, not every country’s people are as privileged as the middle and upper classes of America. Yes, America, the land of the free and the home of the brave. It’s no secret that the upper class of this first world country live a lavish and comfortable life, but at what cost do all these luxurious come at? Most people who aim for the Dream only look up and keep attempt to keep climbing towards it, while others, such as Ta-Nehisi Coates, argue that the American Dream is built upon the bodies and bones of the less fortunate. In Coates’ book, Between the World and Me, he writes about how the world is different for black people and the consequences of the American Dream. He titled this book as is because it seems that the whole world is so obsessed with this dream, but he’s looking at it all from an outside perspective and that puts him at a distance from the rest of the world. What exactly has this abstract dream of the American people cost the minorities, and is it even achievable? The prosperous dream indicates contentment and comfort, but the irony is that the Dream comes at the price of other people’s happiness and safety. To begin, the Dream is built upon the blood, sweat, and tears of America’s minorities starting from black slavery, therefore, it is impossible to say that the Dream is a symbol of pure joy. America’s prosperity is mainly owed to overworking its minorities and stripping them of their freedom, but when people speak of the Dream, they only think about the houses, cars, and money. Not once do they ever think about the discomforts that made these pleasures a possibility. Discussing the Dream is comparable to discussing a war of independence; it is great that a country gained its freedom, but at the same time, they cannot forget the people who gave their lives to make their country’s liberty a reality. This is not to say that blacks do not desire something as blissful as the Dream, the matter is that it is impossible for someone to have total joy when they aware of the price that was paid. Coates says the same is true for himself, “... And for so long I have wanted to escape into the Dream, to fold my country over my head like a blanket. But this has never been an option because the dream rests on our backs, the bedding made from our bodies” (Coates 11). Achieving the Dream implies that everything is self-earned and perfect; therefore, having the knowledge that the Dream is possible only because blacks suffered makes the Dream impossible. This country is rich because it abused African Americans, some people are able to enjoy their “Dream” because of this, but they are ignorant in regards to who actually worked to make their dream a reality. It is not surprising that the ones who pay for the Dream end up being the most suspicious of it. A recent article of a study about black people and their beliefs of the American Dream states that, “even as blacks made economic progress during the 1990s, they were still less likely to believe in the American Dream than their white counterparts. Even more surprising was that blacks with the highest socioeconomic status were the most skeptical of this American ideal” (Stout and Le 2). The results of this study accurately depict Coates’ feelings on the matter. People with high socioeconomic statuses are well educated more often than not, so if anyone knew the price of the American Dream, it would be them. This explains why they are found to be the most skeptical of the Dream despite being seen as the people who have achieved it. Coates says the Dream is resting on black people’s backs that act as a bedding; the only people who can achieve their fake dream are the people that are sleeping and oblivious; that explains why the article also states that, “It appears as if blacks are still less likely than whites to believe that hard work is a guarantee for success” (Stout and Le 8). Black people arguably have worked harder than any other ethnic group without much compensation in the whole history of the United States. It’s a no brainer that blacks would have less faith in the capitalistic system of the United States which suggests that hard workers are rewarded. Equally important, blacks and other minorities and immigrants are not the only one who must pay the price for the Dream, the Earth is suffering as well. Lori, a staff member of the African American Studies Department of John Jay College, wrote an article reporting about a study on the racial distribution of homeowners. She says, “Home ownership is clearly an important indicator of economic well-being as well as an important indicator of incorporation into mainstream society. It is one of the most recognizable symbols of the American Dream” (Skyes 10). The Dream’s main symbol is a house because it was the most expensive and useful luxury that was within normal people’s grasps at the time of the Dream’s conception. In modern times, rich individuals are known to own personal jets, robot maids, and even their own islands; the Dream’s limitations will only expand from here on out. Coates says, “Once, the Dream’s parameters were caged by technology and by the limits of horsepower and wind. But the Dreamers have improved themselves, and the damming of seas, the extraction of coal, and the transmuting of oil into food… has freed the Dreamers to plunder not just the bodies of humans but the body of the Earth itself” (Coates 150). Recent technological advancements allow for more luxuries for Dreamers to acquire by plowing through the Earth’s resources, so now, it is not just the blacks paying the price. Mother nature itself is providing as a bed for the them now as well. Despite all of this, the Dreamers still dream on, deceived by the illusion that their homes and cars are the result of their own hard work and brilliance. Moving forward, since the Dream can only truly be realized through ignorance, it is no more than a fantasy.
As previously mentioned, in order for the Dream to be realized by a person, he or she must truly believe that their success lies solely in their own accomplishments. If they ever came to the realization that their house was paid for through the bodies of blacks, then the dream is dead because it was not the Dreamer’s work that resulted in the Dreamer’s house. In an article regarding the obsession over the Dream, it is said that, “The myth of the American Dream is twofold… The material component suggests… a motive for immigration to America… The spiritual component, the metaphysics of the American Dream, is a blend of optimism and happiness... in which happiness is a thing to be pursued” (Sánchez 3). As the author suggests, a major portion of the Dream is happiness, a emotion that is meant to be sought after. Most people would be shocked if they discovered that they were thriving off of black bodies. Evidently, Ta-Nehisi agrees with this notion; he says, “This is the foundation of the Dream—its adherents must not just believe in it but believe that it is just, believe that their possession of the Dream is the natural result of grit, honor, and good works” (Coates 98). Dreamers can take pride in their possessions if they believe that they succeeded through their own efforts; unfortunately they must stay clueless to stay happy because they reaped more than what they sowed. In this case, Ignorance truly is
bliss. Evidently, the Dream is extremely fragile because just the knowledge of someone else’s work buying a Dreamer’s house would shatter the whole fantasy. The Dream’s fragility is nothing startling because its foundation is terribly weak. It is built upon rationalizations of torture to the black body. While writing to his son, Ta-Nehisi says, “There is no them without you, and without the right to break you they must fall from the mountain, lose the divinity, and tumble out of the Dream” (Coates 105). Black bodies are what keeps the Dream running; America’s resources do not spontaneously appear. Ta-Nehisi also says, “Without its own justifications, the Dream would collapse upon itself” (131). True, without being able to justify the destruction of others, the Dream is non-existent. Many people take for granted the opportunities that America has to offer. Immigrants are lured in by the fake ideals of the American Dream, but now, due to the economy’s instability and the world’s lack of resources, the Dream is becoming more and more of a distant goal that an increasing number of people are ceasing to believe in. Ironically, despite being the highest payers for the American Dream, blacks are the ones who enjoy it the least. Lori Latrice says, “The value of one’s home comprises the largest part of the average American’s portfolio. Some groups, namely blacks, have historically been left out of the home buying process, especially during the greatest housing boom in American history, which occurred in the early to middle part of the 20th century” (Skyes 1). Basically, Skyes is saying that although it was the most immense boom of the housing industry, blacks had close to zero representation of the group looking to buy houses. Also, early to middle part of the 20th century would approximately be around the years 1900 to 1950. Not surprisingly, these are the years of the great economic boom right before the Great Depression of 1929, and the lingering last years of slavery. It’s quite obvious which people had the biggest role in building the houses, and it's also quite sad that they were not able to live in the homes that they built. Although it was terrible for America to treat blacks the way they did, in a way, it’s almost understandable. The huge emphasis on having the home and achieving the American Dream was pushed to the extreme because after the Great Depression, people wanted some sort of stability in their lives. Of course a house to live in is appealing to people in need, especially since World War II broke out and the world was in turmoil, everyone longed for something safe to lean back on. This contributed to the advancement of the Dream; according to Antonio Sánchez, “The progressive nature of the American Dream –more homes, more value, more opportunity- ran up against a bitter reality as just the moment Americans were going to the polls. At no time since the Second World War had the physics of the American Dream been so bad” (3). With all of the hardships that Americans went through after the Great Depression and World War II, more people began to want even more houses because they served as a symbol of security and support.
Unfortunately, blacks are not the only ones to suffer in this country. America’s history is filled with a surplus of abuse towards various groups. Take for example, the Chinese immigration movement of the 1800’s. “By the 1880s Chinese immigrants were being viewed not only as an inferior and undesirable population, but also as an actual threat to American culture, American government, and even the Caucasian race. Peoples of European background could not understand how the Chinese could live in such crowded, poor conditions and work so hard for such low wages. They concluded that the Chinese possessed some super-human power” (“The Chinese Experience” 1). Chinese immigrants were lured into the United States in hopes of achieving the American Dream. Unfortunately, American employers took advantage of the Chinese and sent them to do the most dangerous work with high mortality rates. America’s transcontinental railroad is exists thanks to Chinese immigrants who were willing to use risky equipment such as dynamite. America owed much of its success to this railroad because it made transportation much quicker and more efficient. The Chinese were given terrible wages looked down upon as if they were cockroaches thriving in horrendous living conditions. To further clarify, a large population of America believes in and seeks after what is known as the American Dream. Unfortunately, the American Dream is an illusion because achieving it requires that one buys a house through his or her own efforts alone. The truth of the matter is that the prosperity and abundance of house owners exist because black people suffered; therefore, no Dreamer actually achieved their own dream on their own. It’s almost comical that people put so much emphasis on a dream without any clear guidelines or goal. No one knows whether or not they achieved the Dream, they can only surmise. To the Dreamers, a home is desirable because of all the uncertainty and turmoil in the world. Built up anxiety leads people to want a secure place to stay. Just as Ta-Nehisi says, “Black life is cheap, but in America black bodies are a natural resource of incomparable value” (Coates 132). It’s unfortunate that black people are constantly abused in America, but they are the source of the prosperity which the rich folk of the nation are thriving off of.
Personal Preface First and foremost, I would like to thank you for reading my paper. While reading Ta-Nehisi Coates’ book, Between the World and Me, I noticed he liked to talk a lot about the American Dream. This spoke out to me a lot because my parents are both first generations that immigrated to the United States. My father studied in Alabama, so coming to California was a huge change for him because he was used to seeing only two ethnicities in the east coast, blacks and whites. Over in San Jose, there are all different types of skin colors here. I’m not going to lie and say that we are all colorblind here, because we’re not. I do, however, feel that there is less racism here than other parts of the country because we are so diverse. After being here for over 20 years, my father has yet to achieve the American Dream. We do not own a house, we own two very modest cars, and we are quite humble compared to our neighbors. I grew up in a rich area, but my family was not rich. Because of this, I understand the longingness for the Dream. Although I most certainly have not experienced anything near as traumatizing as many of my black friends, I feel that I am one inch closer to them than most people because I grew up not being able to afford much more than what was necessary. Some people will grow up never experiencing poverty, and they can study and act like they know what it’s like, but being poor and a minority is something you need to experience first-hand to get a genuine understanding of it. I really felt for Coates as I read his stories. Writing this paper was very hard, make no mistake about that. But in a way, it was a great experience to revisit my memories alongside Coates of when I was the only Asian child for miles in the east coast.
true that almost everyone from every country wants the kind of life that the Dream describes, not every country’s people are as privileged as the middle and upper classes of America. Yes, America, the land of the free and the home of the brave. It’s no secret that the upper class of this first world country live a lavish and comfortable life, but at what cost do all these luxurious come at? Most people who aim for the Dream only look up and keep attempt to keep climbing towards it, while others, such as Ta-Nehisi Coates, argue that the American Dream is built upon the bodies and bones of the less fortunate. In Coates’ book, Between the World and Me, he writes about how the world is different for black people and the consequences of the American Dream. He titled this book as is because it seems that the whole world is so obsessed with this dream, but he’s looking at it all from an outside perspective and that puts him at a distance from the rest of the world. What exactly has this abstract dream of the American people cost the minorities, and is it even achievable? The prosperous dream indicates contentment and comfort, but the irony is that the Dream comes at the price of other people’s happiness and safety. To begin, the Dream is built upon the blood, sweat, and tears of America’s minorities starting from black slavery, therefore, it is impossible to say that the Dream is a symbol of pure joy. America’s prosperity is mainly owed to overworking its minorities and stripping them of their freedom, but when people speak of the Dream, they only think about the houses, cars, and money. Not once do they ever think about the discomforts that made these pleasures a possibility. Discussing the Dream is comparable to discussing a war of independence; it is great that a country gained its freedom, but at the same time, they cannot forget the people who gave their lives to make their country’s liberty a reality. This is not to say that blacks do not desire something as blissful as the Dream, the matter is that it is impossible for someone to have total joy when they aware of the price that was paid. Coates says the same is true for himself, “... And for so long I have wanted to escape into the Dream, to fold my country over my head like a blanket. But this has never been an option because the dream rests on our backs, the bedding made from our bodies” (Coates 11). Achieving the Dream implies that everything is self-earned and perfect; therefore, having the knowledge that the Dream is possible only because blacks suffered makes the Dream impossible. This country is rich because it abused African Americans, some people are able to enjoy their “Dream” because of this, but they are ignorant in regards to who actually worked to make their dream a reality. It is not surprising that the ones who pay for the Dream end up being the most suspicious of it. A recent article of a study about black people and their beliefs of the American Dream states that, “even as blacks made economic progress during the 1990s, they were still less likely to believe in the American Dream than their white counterparts. Even more surprising was that blacks with the highest socioeconomic status were the most skeptical of this American ideal” (Stout and Le 2). The results of this study accurately depict Coates’ feelings on the matter. People with high socioeconomic statuses are well educated more often than not, so if anyone knew the price of the American Dream, it would be them. This explains why they are found to be the most skeptical of the Dream despite being seen as the people who have achieved it. Coates says the Dream is resting on black people’s backs that act as a bedding; the only people who can achieve their fake dream are the people that are sleeping and oblivious; that explains why the article also states that, “It appears as if blacks are still less likely than whites to believe that hard work is a guarantee for success” (Stout and Le 8). Black people arguably have worked harder than any other ethnic group without much compensation in the whole history of the United States. It’s a no brainer that blacks would have less faith in the capitalistic system of the United States which suggests that hard workers are rewarded. Equally important, blacks and other minorities and immigrants are not the only one who must pay the price for the Dream, the Earth is suffering as well. Lori, a staff member of the African American Studies Department of John Jay College, wrote an article reporting about a study on the racial distribution of homeowners. She says, “Home ownership is clearly an important indicator of economic well-being as well as an important indicator of incorporation into mainstream society. It is one of the most recognizable symbols of the American Dream” (Skyes 10). The Dream’s main symbol is a house because it was the most expensive and useful luxury that was within normal people’s grasps at the time of the Dream’s conception. In modern times, rich individuals are known to own personal jets, robot maids, and even their own islands; the Dream’s limitations will only expand from here on out. Coates says, “Once, the Dream’s parameters were caged by technology and by the limits of horsepower and wind. But the Dreamers have improved themselves, and the damming of seas, the extraction of coal, and the transmuting of oil into food… has freed the Dreamers to plunder not just the bodies of humans but the body of the Earth itself” (Coates 150). Recent technological advancements allow for more luxuries for Dreamers to acquire by plowing through the Earth’s resources, so now, it is not just the blacks paying the price. Mother nature itself is providing as a bed for the them now as well. Despite all of this, the Dreamers still dream on, deceived by the illusion that their homes and cars are the result of their own hard work and brilliance. Moving forward, since the Dream can only truly be realized through ignorance, it is no more than a fantasy.
As previously mentioned, in order for the Dream to be realized by a person, he or she must truly believe that their success lies solely in their own accomplishments. If they ever came to the realization that their house was paid for through the bodies of blacks, then the dream is dead because it was not the Dreamer’s work that resulted in the Dreamer’s house. In an article regarding the obsession over the Dream, it is said that, “The myth of the American Dream is twofold… The material component suggests… a motive for immigration to America… The spiritual component, the metaphysics of the American Dream, is a blend of optimism and happiness... in which happiness is a thing to be pursued” (Sánchez 3). As the author suggests, a major portion of the Dream is happiness, a emotion that is meant to be sought after. Most people would be shocked if they discovered that they were thriving off of black bodies. Evidently, Ta-Nehisi agrees with this notion; he says, “This is the foundation of the Dream—its adherents must not just believe in it but believe that it is just, believe that their possession of the Dream is the natural result of grit, honor, and good works” (Coates 98). Dreamers can take pride in their possessions if they believe that they succeeded through their own efforts; unfortunately they must stay clueless to stay happy because they reaped more than what they sowed. In this case, Ignorance truly is
bliss. Evidently, the Dream is extremely fragile because just the knowledge of someone else’s work buying a Dreamer’s house would shatter the whole fantasy. The Dream’s fragility is nothing startling because its foundation is terribly weak. It is built upon rationalizations of torture to the black body. While writing to his son, Ta-Nehisi says, “There is no them without you, and without the right to break you they must fall from the mountain, lose the divinity, and tumble out of the Dream” (Coates 105). Black bodies are what keeps the Dream running; America’s resources do not spontaneously appear. Ta-Nehisi also says, “Without its own justifications, the Dream would collapse upon itself” (131). True, without being able to justify the destruction of others, the Dream is non-existent. Many people take for granted the opportunities that America has to offer. Immigrants are lured in by the fake ideals of the American Dream, but now, due to the economy’s instability and the world’s lack of resources, the Dream is becoming more and more of a distant goal that an increasing number of people are ceasing to believe in. Ironically, despite being the highest payers for the American Dream, blacks are the ones who enjoy it the least. Lori Latrice says, “The value of one’s home comprises the largest part of the average American’s portfolio. Some groups, namely blacks, have historically been left out of the home buying process, especially during the greatest housing boom in American history, which occurred in the early to middle part of the 20th century” (Skyes 1). Basically, Skyes is saying that although it was the most immense boom of the housing industry, blacks had close to zero representation of the group looking to buy houses. Also, early to middle part of the 20th century would approximately be around the years 1900 to 1950. Not surprisingly, these are the years of the great economic boom right before the Great Depression of 1929, and the lingering last years of slavery. It’s quite obvious which people had the biggest role in building the houses, and it's also quite sad that they were not able to live in the homes that they built. Although it was terrible for America to treat blacks the way they did, in a way, it’s almost understandable. The huge emphasis on having the home and achieving the American Dream was pushed to the extreme because after the Great Depression, people wanted some sort of stability in their lives. Of course a house to live in is appealing to people in need, especially since World War II broke out and the world was in turmoil, everyone longed for something safe to lean back on. This contributed to the advancement of the Dream; according to Antonio Sánchez, “The progressive nature of the American Dream –more homes, more value, more opportunity- ran up against a bitter reality as just the moment Americans were going to the polls. At no time since the Second World War had the physics of the American Dream been so bad” (3). With all of the hardships that Americans went through after the Great Depression and World War II, more people began to want even more houses because they served as a symbol of security and support.
Unfortunately, blacks are not the only ones to suffer in this country. America’s history is filled with a surplus of abuse towards various groups. Take for example, the Chinese immigration movement of the 1800’s. “By the 1880s Chinese immigrants were being viewed not only as an inferior and undesirable population, but also as an actual threat to American culture, American government, and even the Caucasian race. Peoples of European background could not understand how the Chinese could live in such crowded, poor conditions and work so hard for such low wages. They concluded that the Chinese possessed some super-human power” (“The Chinese Experience” 1). Chinese immigrants were lured into the United States in hopes of achieving the American Dream. Unfortunately, American employers took advantage of the Chinese and sent them to do the most dangerous work with high mortality rates. America’s transcontinental railroad is exists thanks to Chinese immigrants who were willing to use risky equipment such as dynamite. America owed much of its success to this railroad because it made transportation much quicker and more efficient. The Chinese were given terrible wages looked down upon as if they were cockroaches thriving in horrendous living conditions. To further clarify, a large population of America believes in and seeks after what is known as the American Dream. Unfortunately, the American Dream is an illusion because achieving it requires that one buys a house through his or her own efforts alone. The truth of the matter is that the prosperity and abundance of house owners exist because black people suffered; therefore, no Dreamer actually achieved their own dream on their own. It’s almost comical that people put so much emphasis on a dream without any clear guidelines or goal. No one knows whether or not they achieved the Dream, they can only surmise. To the Dreamers, a home is desirable because of all the uncertainty and turmoil in the world. Built up anxiety leads people to want a secure place to stay. Just as Ta-Nehisi says, “Black life is cheap, but in America black bodies are a natural resource of incomparable value” (Coates 132). It’s unfortunate that black people are constantly abused in America, but they are the source of the prosperity which the rich folk of the nation are thriving off of.
Personal Preface First and foremost, I would like to thank you for reading my paper. While reading Ta-Nehisi Coates’ book, Between the World and Me, I noticed he liked to talk a lot about the American Dream. This spoke out to me a lot because my parents are both first generations that immigrated to the United States. My father studied in Alabama, so coming to California was a huge change for him because he was used to seeing only two ethnicities in the east coast, blacks and whites. Over in San Jose, there are all different types of skin colors here. I’m not going to lie and say that we are all colorblind here, because we’re not. I do, however, feel that there is less racism here than other parts of the country because we are so diverse. After being here for over 20 years, my father has yet to achieve the American Dream. We do not own a house, we own two very modest cars, and we are quite humble compared to our neighbors. I grew up in a rich area, but my family was not rich. Because of this, I understand the longingness for the Dream. Although I most certainly have not experienced anything near as traumatizing as many of my black friends, I feel that I am one inch closer to them than most people because I grew up not being able to afford much more than what was necessary. Some people will grow up never experiencing poverty, and they can study and act like they know what it’s like, but being poor and a minority is something you need to experience first-hand to get a genuine understanding of it. I really felt for Coates as I read his stories. Writing this paper was very hard, make no mistake about that. But in a way, it was a great experience to revisit my memories alongside Coates of when I was the only Asian child for miles in the east coast.