The American Dream Brandon King Analysis
I want to be buried in the middle of a huge yard surrounded by a white picket fence. I want my children to laugh and cry, knowing I gave them everything they needed. I want my parents to be proud and my husband to know I love him. I want the American Dream. Perfection is faultless, free, exact, ideal, the ultimate, and most importantly, different for everyone. Just as perfection varies for each person, the American Dream can not be consistently defined with the same eight-or-so words. In Brandon King’s essay “The American Dream: Dead, Alive, or On Hold?” he argues, “The American Dream, however, is based on perception, on the way someone imagines how to be successful,” claiming there is no wrong way to live the American Dream (King, para 5). Similar to perfection, the definition of success is not exclusive. King stresses
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the imagination of success for each individual. Imagination is stimulated by personal characteristics, for someone without athletic talents would not strive to rank number one in the NBA. King includes a survey from the New York Times stating, “…Americans were also asked questions about what they believed constituted being “successful,” with the majority naming things such as a steady job, financial security for the future, being able to retire without struggling, and have a secure place of residence” (King, para 2). He later describes today’s American Dream as more modest than before; for example, people used to be more concerned about, “…owning a home or car and being able to buy other expensive goods…” in contrast to the less greedy views of today (King, para 2). That said, the current American Dream focuses on having a stable income and middle-class lifestyle instead of targeting the material items. It is always easier to blame other people for things. “He ate all the cookies,” “she hit me before I hit her,” and the classic “my dog ate my homework” are excuses for the hardships we put ourselves through. This rings true for the doomed American Dream we strive for: we blame the government. Taxes are the government’s weapon in murdering the middle class’ financial stability. Their biggest enemy is the debate on fairness versus equality. One common speculation mentioned by King is, “…Wall Street will effectively deter any meaningful recovery on Main Street” (King, para 4). If taxing stays fair, inequality will remain constant because the upper-class will still have to pay the same as the middle- and lower-class though their income is substantially higher. Economic Nobel Prize winner Paul Krugman has something to say about inequality—he states, “Americans still tend to say, when asked, that individuals can make their own place in society,” suggesting those want to be successful will be successful if they try hard enough (Krugman, para 8). Later in that paragraph he contradicts this point, “We may believe that anyone can succeed through hard work and determination, but the facts say otherwise” (Krugman, para 8). When looking at statistics, Krugman believes it can be hard to succeed even if the person is working hard and has determination. That said, the American Dream can be unattainable for some as the results are not reciprocating the effort.
In my eighteen years of existence, school has been known to lead to a bright future—and possibly the American Dream. That said, two professors of economics, Gary Becker and Kevin Murphy, mention in their article “The Upside of Income Inequality” more high school graduates continued their education as payment for degrees increased. In addition, they mention, “When returns [of women going to school] fell in the 1970s, the fraction going on to college declined. The rise in returns since 1980 has been accompanied by a significant rise in the fraction going on to college” (Becker and Murphy, para 6). Less graduates went to college in the 1970s until people were paid more for their degree in 1980; this implies that more people were financially stable in the 1980s because they continued their education. That said, journalist Edward McClelland alludes to the ‘70s as the era with, “…blue-collar aristocrats…” and continues to say, “That all began to change in to 1980s. The recession at the beginning of that decade—America’s first Great Recession—was the beginning of the end for the bourgeois proletariat” (McClelland, para 4 and 5). As the culture of high-class blue-collar workers of the 1970s became the low-class bourgeoisie, the recession took over the United States. If we investigate the economic standpoint of the ‘70s and ‘80s with the rise in continuing education after high school, it suggests the growing importance of education dictated the first Great Recession by requiring the passion-indulged money-makers to receive an education before they were paid what they always had been. The blue-collar jobs declined in the early ‘80s, leading to unemployment and a larger need for further education. As education is important for growth, some can not afford it, causing a long lineage of lower-class Americans; this represents a strain on the American Dream—especially from an economic standpoint. Financial status is not the only ingredient in this American Dream stew.
At first, Brandon King uses examples of the Great Depression, the Great Recession, and other economic standpoints to support his allegation of proving the American Dream is still alive. King contradicts his economic claim with, “Instead of trying to interfere with the enterprise that creates jobs and growth, we should rely on the values of the American Dream: that anybody can climb out of hardship and achieve success” (King, para 8). King is saying it does not matter where someone begins as long as they aspire to be successful. This counters the previously mentioned comment by Paul Krugman: not everyone can achieve success no matter how hard they try. Brandon King adds another source from a newspaper editor in Atlanta to affirm this claim, “’the Great Recession didn’t kill the American Dream. But the promise of a good life in exchange for hard, honest work has been bruised and frayed for millions of middle class Americans’” (Chapman in King, para 8). The American Dream is attainable for those who have to resources, but most people fail because they have to start at the
bottom. It is no secret that there is an American Dream out there. When Brandon King asks if it is dead, alive, or on hold, it can be concluded there is no specific dream to apply to everyone, making the American Dream very much alive. The people of the United States can see success as having five Camaros or simply putting food on the table—it differs for each individual. It is important to remember hard work does not always reap the best rewards and a class level is merely a label for financial status. The perfect American Dream is always attainable as it lives in each and every one of us, no matter where the beginning may lie.
the imagination of success for each individual. Imagination is stimulated by personal characteristics, for someone without athletic talents would not strive to rank number one in the NBA. King includes a survey from the New York Times stating, “…Americans were also asked questions about what they believed constituted being “successful,” with the majority naming things such as a steady job, financial security for the future, being able to retire without struggling, and have a secure place of residence” (King, para 2). He later describes today’s American Dream as more modest than before; for example, people used to be more concerned about, “…owning a home or car and being able to buy other expensive goods…” in contrast to the less greedy views of today (King, para 2). That said, the current American Dream focuses on having a stable income and middle-class lifestyle instead of targeting the material items. It is always easier to blame other people for things. “He ate all the cookies,” “she hit me before I hit her,” and the classic “my dog ate my homework” are excuses for the hardships we put ourselves through. This rings true for the doomed American Dream we strive for: we blame the government. Taxes are the government’s weapon in murdering the middle class’ financial stability. Their biggest enemy is the debate on fairness versus equality. One common speculation mentioned by King is, “…Wall Street will effectively deter any meaningful recovery on Main Street” (King, para 4). If taxing stays fair, inequality will remain constant because the upper-class will still have to pay the same as the middle- and lower-class though their income is substantially higher. Economic Nobel Prize winner Paul Krugman has something to say about inequality—he states, “Americans still tend to say, when asked, that individuals can make their own place in society,” suggesting those want to be successful will be successful if they try hard enough (Krugman, para 8). Later in that paragraph he contradicts this point, “We may believe that anyone can succeed through hard work and determination, but the facts say otherwise” (Krugman, para 8). When looking at statistics, Krugman believes it can be hard to succeed even if the person is working hard and has determination. That said, the American Dream can be unattainable for some as the results are not reciprocating the effort.
In my eighteen years of existence, school has been known to lead to a bright future—and possibly the American Dream. That said, two professors of economics, Gary Becker and Kevin Murphy, mention in their article “The Upside of Income Inequality” more high school graduates continued their education as payment for degrees increased. In addition, they mention, “When returns [of women going to school] fell in the 1970s, the fraction going on to college declined. The rise in returns since 1980 has been accompanied by a significant rise in the fraction going on to college” (Becker and Murphy, para 6). Less graduates went to college in the 1970s until people were paid more for their degree in 1980; this implies that more people were financially stable in the 1980s because they continued their education. That said, journalist Edward McClelland alludes to the ‘70s as the era with, “…blue-collar aristocrats…” and continues to say, “That all began to change in to 1980s. The recession at the beginning of that decade—America’s first Great Recession—was the beginning of the end for the bourgeois proletariat” (McClelland, para 4 and 5). As the culture of high-class blue-collar workers of the 1970s became the low-class bourgeoisie, the recession took over the United States. If we investigate the economic standpoint of the ‘70s and ‘80s with the rise in continuing education after high school, it suggests the growing importance of education dictated the first Great Recession by requiring the passion-indulged money-makers to receive an education before they were paid what they always had been. The blue-collar jobs declined in the early ‘80s, leading to unemployment and a larger need for further education. As education is important for growth, some can not afford it, causing a long lineage of lower-class Americans; this represents a strain on the American Dream—especially from an economic standpoint. Financial status is not the only ingredient in this American Dream stew.
At first, Brandon King uses examples of the Great Depression, the Great Recession, and other economic standpoints to support his allegation of proving the American Dream is still alive. King contradicts his economic claim with, “Instead of trying to interfere with the enterprise that creates jobs and growth, we should rely on the values of the American Dream: that anybody can climb out of hardship and achieve success” (King, para 8). King is saying it does not matter where someone begins as long as they aspire to be successful. This counters the previously mentioned comment by Paul Krugman: not everyone can achieve success no matter how hard they try. Brandon King adds another source from a newspaper editor in Atlanta to affirm this claim, “’the Great Recession didn’t kill the American Dream. But the promise of a good life in exchange for hard, honest work has been bruised and frayed for millions of middle class Americans’” (Chapman in King, para 8). The American Dream is attainable for those who have to resources, but most people fail because they have to start at the
bottom. It is no secret that there is an American Dream out there. When Brandon King asks if it is dead, alive, or on hold, it can be concluded there is no specific dream to apply to everyone, making the American Dream very much alive. The people of the United States can see success as having five Camaros or simply putting food on the table—it differs for each individual. It is important to remember hard work does not always reap the best rewards and a class level is merely a label for financial status. The perfect American Dream is always attainable as it lives in each and every one of us, no matter where the beginning may lie.