The American Dream

What has become of the American dream ?

First of all, this document is an adaptation of an article written by Robert Shiller from
the New York Times released on August 4th 2017. It tells the reader about how the
expression “the American Dream” has considerably evolved since its first appearance. The
textual article is also provided with an illustration by Katherine Lam on which is represented
a diverse group of people looking up to a flag of the United States.
At first, the idea of American Dream, as defined in the book “The Epic of America” by
James Truslow Adams in 1931, meant a place where anyone could prosper and take
opportunities to reach a fulfilling life and success. More a path than a destination, this
concept became more and more popular as time went on, notably during the 1960’s, thanks
to Martin Luther King’s famous “I have a dream” speech in 1963, which advocated for more
solidarity and less prejudice. It is the vision of the American dream Katherine Lam tried to
illustrate with her photograph. People of many cultures looking up to an American symbol.
Although this concept of an ideal country seemed like a great reason to move to the United
States, it started being used for commercial purposes in the 70’s and 80’s, twisting the
meaning of a place of opportunities and freedom to a country of material wealth through
property.
Some politicians such as the secretary of housing Ben Carson, who was still in office before
January 20th 2021 as well as Donald Trump, former American President, have come to
accept and embrace home ownership as one of the main goals of the American Dream. This
materialistic view of the Dream is widespread, as the “American Dream Index” created by
Forbes Magazine in 2019 is purely representative of economic concepts, such as
bankruptcies, employment and building permits, among others…
To conclude, the American Dream drifted from an actual dream to an entrepreneur’s
utopia, focusing solely on economy and property, forgetting completely the community and
solidarity aspect of it.