Sunday, March 18, 2018
The American Dream
In the 1920s, the American dream became the acquisition of material things. That was best exemplified by the novel The Great Gatsby. Its author, F. Scott Fitzgerald, defined the aspirations of the age. From the 1920s, where how much you worked and made was the foundation of the American Dream, this generation is known to have truly lost any sense of work ethic. Many think we are complacent and self-absorbed itinerants who would rather work on “their individual style”, and experience life from the lawn of an amphitheater or in the crowd at a protest than actually contributing anything meaningful or worthwhile. Millennials today expect the "American Dream" to come easier now that we have advanced technologically and economically.
However, I believe what could be happening is that every generation has a new "American Dream". I mean society is constantly changing, which means what people ultimately value is changing as well. the American dream of the 1920’s was epitomized and fulfilled by the supper rich such as Gatsby and Tom, and those who make a penny at the expense of others. Examine the Millennial generation today and you will certainly find the determination to succeed that we see in Nick, Gatsby, and others. However, while we still dream of the successfulness of being uber rich, many of us would just as quickly say that owning an apartment in California with two other friends while each try to fulfil their acting careers is equally so, no matter the amount of wealth. This brings up the next point, which is that because my generation seems to be softening our defining success by monetary wealth, as our parents did, then what do we need to have to be successful?
I think today millennials are starting to stray away from the notion that money is true happiness, and have turned to nature and living an adventurous life being the true dream. Now that social media is the center point of many kids lives they are exposed to the beauty of traveling and seeing impeccable views through other peoples experiences. For example, people on Instagram like Emelina, Jack Morris, and Jay Alvarrez, are becoming the dream for traveling the world and going on adventures. These people don't necessarily have a lot of money or monetary value, yet I, and clearly many others, say they are successful because they have these experiences.
I find people today want more in life than a stable job and family. People want to explore what's around them and want to take risks. The "American Dream" is not a set thing that everyone wants to strive for. And generation after generation this dream is forming into something more tangible and exciting. It might be easier to obtain than the dream in the 1920s, but that just means more people can be happy and feel their lives were worthwhile.
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I really liked your blog! I thought it was very interesting overall, but I really thought it was interesting how you said that Gatsby and Tom made money at the expense of others. I can see where you're coming from, but I do think that Gatsby earned his money and worked his way to the top, whereas Tom was simply born into money. But I totally agree about how you talk about the difference between new generations and old generations, and how money is no longer the object that is most valuable. Nice!
ReplyDeleteI love this post. I really have never thought in-depth into the idea that every generation has this so-called element of the "American Dream". But after reading your post, it totally brought everything into life. As a whole, very well done!
ReplyDeleteReally nice post Erin. I think that you were spot on with the American Dream changing with each generation. We are so influenced by our peers that their desires for success may seem to be the "correct" idea of success, leading towards similar ideas on the American Dream. I have seen it too how having a lot of money is no longer considered the dream for our generation, instead living a carefree life seems to be. I really enjoyed reading this post.
ReplyDeletehey, you're amazing. Much like my other class companions, I loved that you talked about the American Dream and how it changes with each generation, adapting to the harsh effects of natural selection (LOL). Money does not equate to true happiness, but Americans seem to think it does, S T U P I D! k love ya(((;
ReplyDeleteHey Erin. Cool post. I had a sort of hard time following your logic at times but at its core I think this post had something interesting to say about how the idea of the American dream changes from generation to generation. I was a little confused by how this post started out seeming very pessimistic but ended on a quite positive note. Maybe this was intentional though, you were deliberately presenting conflicting ideas about our generation to reflect the uncertainty our society feels towards the future? But then maybe I'm reading too deep into this. The one part where I just flat out disagreed with you was also in the beginning you dismiss outdoor theater when I think an experience like that is one that stimulates your mind, lets you experience some form of culture, allows you to spend time with friends or loved ones, makes lasting memories. If anything we do in life is meaningful, it seems like that would be it. Also, if history has taught us anything, its that protest can be very productive and meaningful in my opinion. I'm not here to tell you how to think of course, just wanted to present my view. Overall quality stuff you wrote :)
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