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“It’s time to restore the American Dream,” said U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell of California on May 31 as he joined the 2020 presidential race, the latest in a long line of politicians to use the American Dream to attract voter interest.
But is the American Dream real or, as the latter word suggests, purely imaginary? Either way, it is impossible to ignore the enormous impact the idea of the American Dream has had on Americans and the nation as a whole since it was first conceived by historian James Truslow Adams in 1931. Much like other powerful mythologies such as religion, the American Dream is psychologically entrenched in everyday life. It shapes, not just the view of the world for those who choose to believe in it, but the decisions one makes and the actions one takes.
On the bright side, this absorption of and immersion in the American Dream accounts for the tremendous value it often adds to people’s emotional lives. As a utopian ideal, the American Dream functions as a beacon of hope, something to strive for and keep one’s spirits up when times get tough. As a common denominator, it helps bring Americans together, as it is one of the precious few things we can all relate to in an increasingly multicultural and, too often, divided society. For those new to the country, the American Dream serves as a user-friendly vehicle of assimilation, allowing one to express one’s Americanness while still retaining one’s ethnic identity. Accommodating and tolerant of difference, the American Dream is, I believe, the nation at its best. This is not surprising given that its fundamental tenets were conceived by the Founding Fathers, refined by the likes of Emerson, Whitman, and Thoreau, and, finally, articulated by the most popular historian of his day. The American Dream is, quite simply, a masterpiece, a work of art whose ideological beauty can arguably never be surpassed. That many a politician, including Donald Trump, as well as Madison Avenue have embraced it should be expected, as the thing is an unequivocal “killer app” of salesmanship.
That said, like anything of great value, the America Dream has proven to be a wellspring of trouble for many who have overly invested themselves in it. Rather than view it as just an ideal, some of us have taken it as something of which most of us are entitled, like the opportunity to vote or Social Security benefits. When what these folks mistake as a promise is broken by some economic event—a recession, corporate cutbacks, outsourcing, or another unfortunate but quite normal “correction”—their trust in the system is often crushed.
The sudden disappearance of the American Dream or, should I say, its maddening unreliability and undependability, is thus a source of great frustration for many. Constantly coming and going, the American Dream seems to almost always reside in the past or loom in the future, rarely ever existing in the here and now. Although frequently on the horizon, just around the next corner, it is more often viewed as having once thrived, and that its (and thus our) best days are behind us. A Google search (of more than 1 billion results) reveals that the American Dream is, more often than not, “fading,” “withering,” “shrinking,” “sliding,” “unraveling,” “squeezed,” “threatened,” “broken,” “going backwards,” “in reverse,” or “dying,” if not already “dead.”
A look back at the remarkable cultural history of the American Dream suggests that we should not give up on it even with all the challenges we now face. Despite its typical diagnosis, being in critical condition or having kicked the bucket, the American Dream has always seemed to recover. Our mythology has proved to have more lives than the proverbial cat. The hopefully continual flow of immigrants to this country has and will continue to serve as a breeding ground for the American Dream as their enthusiasm and energy to achieve great things rubs off on the rest of us. New immigrants tend to believe in the mythology most fervently, and politicians at all levels continue to employ the American Dream as the centerpiece of their campaign strategies.
There are other reasons to be bullish on the American Dream despite the challenges the nation faces. The country’s increasing diversity will help fuel the American Dream, as our different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives are beneficial for identifying opportunities and bringing them to life. And although a cliché, Yankee ingenuity will still be a principal driver of the American Dream. Our startup business climate proves that our hard-wired urge to build a better mousetrap is as alive as ever. And if that’s not enough, the core values of the nation have not really budged an inch despite the incredible changes in society since 1931. These will continue to serve the interests of the American Dream whether it be boom times or bust.
