The American dream: Is it still alive? | IN 60 SECONDS

People in the United States still strive to attain the "American dream." But what is it, and is it still attainable? AEI's Samuel J. Abrams explains using analysis from the AEI Survey on Community and Society.

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"Into the Atmosphere" by Bad Snacks — provided by YouTube Audio Library

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[AAA-dzur]

As an immigrant, I feel like the American dream still alive. People who live in the United States might not see it, but compared to the third world country that I came from, America is still great. So yes, it is still alive for me at least.

[sdozer]

The American Dream was DOA in the 50s. It wasn't there for so many marginalized people. Why should it be now? I agree with the community overall, a better community, a better family, and a better government are what we need, not wealth, home ownership, and making sure we have more income than our parents made.

[keselekbakiak]

So they just abandon the dream and accept the fact that they will never reach the dream. They dont change the dream, they just give up.

[d_Howard]

What you have described as "The American Dream" isn't really that close to my understanding of it. I think my understanding is much more nuanced. Let me explain.

When the colonists left Europe to come to America, they were leaving behind a caste system that limited a person's progress, their ability to rise up the social ladder, simply because of the accident of their birth. In many European countries, all land was ultimately owned by the king, who gave barons land in return for military service. The barons allowed serf and peasants to farm their land, but never own it. The peasant class, the agrarian class (serfs), the merchant class, the priestly class, the Aristocracy and the Royalty were fixed by the one's birth. Laws were enacted to make it extremely difficult and rare for anyone to move upward out of their social class into another class. Marrying outside of your class was a definite no-no!

If you weren't born into the Aristocracy, or the Nobility, or whatever, you would never be able to move up.

America was different. "Come to America and pursue your dream." In America, people weren't limited by the circumstances of their birth. In America, people could move up the social ladder by sweat and hard work. In America, people enjoyed the fruit of their labor. In America, people weren't taxed to death in order to keep them poor.

In America, ANYONE could become President. There were no classes, there was no Nobility or Aristocracy. Everyone was equal, and could pursue their version of the American Dream as they saw fit. Want to own your own home? You can do it through hard work. Want to go to college and get educated? You can do it through hard work. Want to own your own company or business or farm. You can!

What is the American Dream? In America, there are no limits placed on you other than those you place on yourself. If you are a go getter, you can go get it! If your a hard worker, you can earn it! If you have a dream, you can make it come true. This is the true American Dream. People can be successful. however they define "success", through their own efforts.

If you're a slacker, you have no one to blame but yourself.

Here is the motto of the American Dream: "I came from nothing, and worked my way up. Look at me now!"

[ashutoshpurushdhakal]

I think happiness is the American dream

[Anti-Peaceforcepolice]

The American dream you have to be asleep to believe it.
George Carlin.

[VOLightPortal]

The American Dream is heavily optimized to maximize corporate share holder profits, bonuses for top executives, and subsequent stock market growth at the expense of everything else. So in a sense, this aspect of The Dream is still very much alive. It's very good for anyone who wants to benefit from stock appreciation when investing in American companies.

[PlayCodeCreate]

Link to poll didn’t take me to a poll. The question was there and a vid but bigger where I assume the poll would/should be

[Medley]

It is dead as disco.
In 1970, a CEO earned 30 x the salary of an average employee.
In 2017, a CEO earned 360 x the salary of an average employee.
The richest 20 Americans own as much as (the poorer) half of the US population.

[jbrisby]

This video doesn't tell us whether the American Dream is still alive, it simply tells us that most people believe that it is, because they've heard that it is from people in the media, including YouTube.

[samwozniak]

The background music is an absolute banger

[oseandepartmentofnarcotics]

Im a singaporean, it is my belief that the grass is truly greener on the other side. Even if the USA isn't in a good shape as it was in the past, it will be better than others no matter what.

[cabellero]

The "American Dream"
Hmm?

If such Is feasible then Why are Only 2% of the Entire Population enjoying it??

Many people had parents, grandparents who worked Very Hard and yet were unable to make it big in a financial or monetary sense.

Today, Young people see the AD as $$, influence, power to control

The AD is about Freedom, Not Extreme Monetary Wealth or Influence!

Money is Not the end goal. Confidence and Self Determination are

[triple.t]

Quick, fast, and effective points and information, very good educational video.

[jamesmichaelwalker]

I. Thx!
II. I believe that the American Dream is still alive. Not only this is the current Prosperity, Happiness and Wellbeing Age is accelerating but also the US is the most prosperous nation on earth.
III. However, it's relevant to consider some shifts that can help all.
3.1. The American Dream in a context of predominance of Routinized Industrial Economy could be different from the American Dream in a context of Complexity Economy Era.
3.2. The American Dream in a context of predominance of Homo Economicus agents could be different from the American Dream in the one of the predominance of simultaneous Homo Economicus, Homo Emotionalis, Homo Naturalis, Homo Symbolicus and Homo communicus. In fact, the rise of the above mentioned preference is making it easier for Satisfaction and Loyalty to become a lost art. It's becoming very difficult to satisfy them.
Since then, their approach of American Dream could be different.

[jeffs]

It’s only a dream & then you wake to the grim reality

[jamesmichaelwalker]

IV. Experts have found that during the Complexity Economy Era, the economic upgrading will be associated with social downgrading. Meaning that there will be an acceleration and amplification of the socioeconomic inequalities in health, education, jobs, income, wealth and residential goods and services during the 21st century.
Evidence of that is provided with the rise of AI-driven Innovations that are increasing the risk of SKILL-BIASED TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE (SBTC)
Therefore, it has become relevant to build more RADICAL INCLUSIVE INNOVATION that reduces the risk of SBTC.

[TedSeeber]

If family and community matter, then home ownership matters. Wealth doesn't

[AbhinavKumar-xbwr]

As an Indian student who is literally fed up of the 3rd class system in our country, I would say yes the American dream is a legitimate thing and I would do literally anything in the states and be happy rather than consistently performing good in my areas of interest in india and still be judged and taunted continously.

[tmq....]

The homeless and the people who don't have a job: "There's something called American dream?"