Compare And Contrast The American Dream Vs Reality

Did you know that 120,000 people file for bankruptcy every month in the U.S? Many of these people see their “American Dream” slipping away. What is really the American Dream? Do people actually achieve this dream ? The American dream is just an idea that anyone can be successful, wealthy, and happy through hard work. For decades the idea of becoming wealthy and successful has been in people’s mind. Although Americans work day by day trying to achieve this promised lifestyle, many are unsuccessful; not because of the way they live, but because of the contrast in reality. The American Dream contrast with its reality due to uniformity, competition and families falling apart.
Although individualism is a great part of someone’s

identity, the reality for many is uniformity. The lack of individualism and desires for complications, such as being like one’s neighbor, are what help to make the contrast. People have a tendency to desire things. For example, in a neighborhood when someone buys a new car, the rest of the neighbors feel the need to buy one as well. Not only do people tend to want to be the first, but also better, like being the first to buy a newer car, phone, or a more expensive house, but they want to live up to a standard many of them can’t afford. Today’s society lives a lifestyle they can’t afford. According to a Career Builder survey, 40% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck all their life (Snyder). As uniformity grows people get more and more into the cycle of spending more than they have, most people want to fit in to societies “dream” life. Many people wanting to achieve this lifestyle take actions such as, getting loans. A loan, is money the bank is lending you, which you have to pay back. It is common that these actions later in life crush people’s lifestyle with debt.
Another big aspect of the American Dream is opportunity, but the reality is that there are tons of competition in jobs and education. The dream for many is to have an education and get a career going once they graduate. The reality is far away from the truth though. First of all, education if not affordable. With years education has become more and more expensive. The people that are able to afford and finish college find it difficult to get their career going. In 2012, 53% of graduates were unemployed (ConsolidatedCredit.org). Not only are these people unemployed but they are left with major debts. Many students that borrow money (for example student loans) end up with high student depts. In America 1 out of 10 people carry a student dept (ConsolidatedCredit.org). The competition for jobs keeps growing day by day. A large amount of people living in the U.S are unemployed, this contrast the Dreams “land of opportunities” slogan.
The American Dream also represents the idea of a family, but the reality if the opposite. Many homes have been destroyed by the financial instability of their family. Nowadays, both husband and wife work to try and make ends meet. However, that is not always the case. Parents struggle to provide for their family and it often creates tension between them. “Debt can bring problem into marriage, nearly 80% of couples who get divorced cite financial difficulties as one of the major reasons” Says the Dollar Stretcher (McCormick). One reason most families struggle is because fewer families are sustained by married parents. This means that with only one parent providing for the house the income will be lower. With parents working most of the time it is harder to keep families united. Many family traditions, such as family sit-down dinners, have been lost due to this American Dream lifestyle. With broken families and broken finances it’s clear that the American Dream is getting harder to fulfill.
Uniformity, competition, and broken families is what contrast the American Dream reality. Being crushed by debt is not a lifestyle, you can change your life by having a balance of dreams and reality that don’t differ.