In “The Great Dictator” Charlie Chaplin said “In this world there is room for everyone and the good earth is rich and can provide for everyone. The way of life can be free and beautiful. But we have lost the way. Greed has poisoned men's souls.” What is greed? Greed is an excessive desire to acquire or possess more than what one needs or deserves, especially with respect to material wealth. As a citizen of the United States, many have heard of the term the “American Dream”. James Truslow Adams, in his book “The Epic of America”, which was written in 1931, stated that the American dream is "that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.” …show more content…
(Adams p.214-215). It’s according to this dream that many people acquire this goal of becoming successful at all cost in America. At all cost, meaning they would do anything to gain success. The U.S even though it is based on opportunity has fallen to greed. The U.S citizens have fallen to greed because of selfish desires, wanting to maximize profit, and a strong fixation towards self-growth. Selfish desires have developed into a social norm in the United States.
The U.S as of now is based on capitalism. Capitalism correlates around an economic and political system in which a country's trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit, rather than by the state. Based on the ideals of capitalism the rich acquire more wealth and the poor remain poor. Even though the inequality of capitalism is apparent, the government has protected the rich and has made it harder on the less fortunate. Jerry Z Muller said “In recent decades, developments in technology, finance, and international trade have generated new waves and forms of insecurity for leading capitalist economies, making life increasingly unequal and chancier for not only the lower and working classes, but much of the middle class as well.” Capitalism encourages competition, which is where a monopoly is set in place. Competition is also apparent when it comes to self-desire. For one to acquire top market one has to dispose of competition. Companies such as Apple, Walmart and Microsoft are prime examples of monopolies that have monopolized the market. Apple is well known when it comes to technology and has been the head of the industry for years. The greed of the company remains apparent though. “According to a teardown report from research firm IHS, the components and manufacturing cost of a 16GB iPhone 6s cost Apple $236. The device is selling for $649 and the iPhone 6s Plus is $749 in the U.S. …show more content…
without a contract with a wireless carrier.” That is a 69% profit. Many communities have established anti-Walmart. Stephen L Halebsky calls it “Small Towns and Big Businesses”. (Halebsky pp 1315-1317) Walmart is trying to establish themselves into smaller towns to get rid of any business in sight even though Forbes reported that the Walton family is worth $149 billon. One can say Materialism is also apparent in selfish-desires. Materialism is a tendency to consider material possessions and physical comfort are of great importance. Materialism fuels self-desire due to the evolution of technology and the importance of money. The feeling of wanting possessions has been instilled into Americans to fill any void (see fig. 1). Data shows that materialism is rising: Crimmins study trends from the late 1960s among American high school seniors and college freshpersons on four private values: (1) materialism, (2) family life, (3) personal serf-fulfillment, and (4) personal dedication to the public interest. They find that private materialism has risen sharply, family life slightly, and both personal self-fulfillment and serving the public interest have either declined slightly or hardly changed, depending on the specific question Data shows that post industrialization, young individuals goals are to own two cars and a big house. Many did not care about serving the public. It show that people as consumers tend to buy more and worry about others less. All these factors are selfish desires that citizens of the U.S acquired that leads to greed. The American Dream applied an unhealthy fixation on maximizing profit through greed. Entrepreneurs are often known to do anything to maximize profit, no matter the consequences. A business is an organization that provides goods or service to the consumers. One may work for an organization for pay. Companies tend to take advantage of the necessity of jobs in the U.S. Companies are required to pay minimum wage to citizens which cost $8.25 per hour. Companies tend to try to lessen payroll through outsourcing overseas causing a significant amount of job loss. “Growing U.S. trade deficit with China cost 3.2 million jobs between 2001 and 2013, with job losses in every state.”(Kimball, Will, Scott) Manufacturing companies such as Nike continue to maximize profit by outsourcing.” Nike pays contracted Indonesian peasant girls an average of 82 cents a day to manufacture running shoes that cost $5.60 to make, Nike then sells the shoes for $150.”(Derber pp 64) Charles Derber calls it “global musical chairs”. Many companies with influence use this method: “Corporations able to hire cheap labor around the world and can threaten to leave a community unless workers submit to lower pay or local government agree to various incentives to keep companies from pulling up stakes”(Derber pp 63). Colleges are also maximizing profits. In college sports, student athletes are partaking in dangerous sports, but they feel mistreated. The NCAA made $989 million in 2014, yet athletes are not tended too. Even though the NCAA receives so much profit, the NCAA bans student athletes from receiving funds from sponsors. NCAA has done everything to increase profit and little to help student athletes. If a student athlete take funds from outside parties that can affect the whole school. The consequences have instilled fear into the students. Adrien Foster a former running back for the University of Tennessee said "I really didn't have any money. I had to either pay the rent or buy some food. I remember the feeling, like, `Man, be careful,' but there's nothing wrong with it. You're not going to convince me that there is something wrong with it." The NCAA makes students believe they are doing wrong, but all they are trying to do its live. Adrien Foster said” I feel like I shouldn't have to run from the NCAA anymore. They're like these big bullies. I'm not scared of them.” College publishing companies are also taking advantage of necessities. College textbooks are on the rise and increasing faster than tuition (see fig. 2). Many of these publishing companies are barely changing the content in the books, but are making supposed new editions to charge a higher price. In an article from Pediatrics they describe the increase perfectly: Once just a weighty tome, the college textbook has evolved into a package including text, colorful supplements and software. But those bells and whistles, which critics and many students call unnecessary, are the main reason textbook prices are rising at more than twice the rate of inflation, according to a new government report. The Government Accountability Office, in a study officially being released today, finds the average student spends nearly $900 on textbooks and supplies, or 26% of tuition and fees per year at typical public four-year colleges. (2005) The greed for maximizing profits changes the way businesses approach situations. They have resorted to going around the need of others to increase profit. U.S citizen’s strong fixation towards self-growth brings upon greed. Money in today’s society ensures power, so everyone strives for it. Once they acquire the power they do anything to maintain it and increase as an individual. For example, Martin Shkreli an entrepreneur who specializes in healthcare businesses and also the founder of Turing Pharmaceuticals AG took advantage. He obtained the license for a pill called Daraprim. Daraprim is used to fight against infections for the body, eyes and brain. Daraprim, primarily used by HIV patients took a 5,455% price increase. The price of Daraprim went from $13 to $750 per tablet. Yes he receives backlash for greed, but he feels no shame. Martin Shkreli said “If there was a company that was selling an Aston Martin at the price of a bicycle, and we buy that company and we ask to charge Toyota prices, I don't think that that should be a crime.” That mindset remains apparent in the U.S. Fear remains instilled in U.S citizens mind. As citizens, many fear that they will not improving as individuals and financially. U.S citizens consistently save and are not into giving. In a survey done with 1,700 participants by Bettermet.com, 47% of American in 2014 set New Year resolutions related to self-fulfillment. Saving money seems essential in the U.S since money makes the world go round. In the survey 39% wants to save money, 29% wants to pay off debts and 12% wants to invest. The U.S is status obsessed. People tend to want more than they actually need and remain unsatisfied. Citizens tend to believe that the higher ones income the higher one feels: In 1986 the Roper polling organization asked Americans how much income they would need to fulfill all their dreams.
The answer was $50,000. By 1994 the "dreams-fulfilling" level of income had doubled, from $50,000 to $102,000. Upscaling had definitely taken hold. Of course, $102,000 is not everyone's dream. In a consumption system premised on differences, dreams will also differ. And predictably, the higher one's income, the more one must have to feel fulfilled. Those making more than $50,000 said they would need $200,000 for total fulfillment, while lower-income people calculated that they would need only about $88,000 a year.
(Schor) The amount for one to feel “self-fulfillment” continues to grow each year. Many citizens feel entitled to improve themselves as individuals and care less about others. The U.S founded on generosity and opportunity has formed into a greedy nation. Citizens have the tendency to acquire thoughts that are selfish. Through capitalism, competition, and materialism these selfish desire become apparent. A nation that depends so much on currency has help develop a mindset that maximizing profits is more important than individuals. U.S companies continue to outsource jobs while instilling fear not only into workers, but students as well. Through all the situations that transpire, only self-growth remains important. One will do anything to acquire power and grow as an individual. Anything, even if it means making other people’s lives difficult. As time progress one can continue to see the importance of self fulfilment. Citizens hope to grow as an individual and fear to remain lower than one’s ideal. Through the ideals that the American Dream has established, America remains a greedy nation.
The philosophy of the American Dream has been with Americans for centurie; James Truslow Adams says that, regardless of social class, "life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement” (Adams). Although this vision has never fully encompassed the entirety of America, it has been generally a positive ambition that all Americans should look past their circumstances and rely on only themselves to succeed at life. However, American capitalism and Marxist ideas have contradicted the traditional dream. Materialism is a simple concept, but its definition has been skewed over time. At ...
Wealth, material possessions, and power are the core principles of The American Dream. Pursuit of a better life led countless numbers of foreign immigrants to America desiring their chance at the vast opportunity. Reaching the American Dream is not always reaching true happiness. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby achieves the American Dream, but his unrealistic faiths in money and life’s possibilities twist his dreams and life into useless life based on lies.
The American dream can be defined as the promise of living in America with opportunities for all, regardless of social class, and according to their ability and effort (Schnell, 2010). Proponents of the American dream believe that there is equal opportunity for all in the American society to achieve success. Success is not pegged on social status, race, or creed, but rather on an individual’s own efforts. The definition of the American dream has unique interpretations to different people. The most common meaning is that of a life of abundance and prosperity, characterized by economic rewards that enable one to live a middle class life of comfort. Here, success is measured by material possessions such as beautiful homes, cars, a high income, and the ability to spend on luxury items. America is considered a land of plenty, and as such, many who come to the United States in search of the American dream have this form of success in mind.
People from all around the world have dreamed of coming to America and building a successful life for themselves. The "American Dream" is the idea that, through hard work and perseverance, the sky is the limit in terms of financial success and a reliable future. While everyone has a different interpretation of the "American Dream," some people use it as an excuse to justify their own greed and selfish desires. Two respected works of modern American literature, The Great Gatsby and Death of a Salesman, give us insight into how the individual interpretation and pursuit of the "American Dream" can produce tragic results.
The Founding Fathers once preached that the American Dream entailed the right to “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness,” nothing more, nothing less (Declaration of Independence). For centuries, the American Dream meant having a good job, owning a house, having a nice family, and generally enjoying life the best way possible. As history progressed however, people started working toward achieving individualistic success by any means necessary. Go back to the 1930s in New York City one fine spring morning. A boy, Moss Hart, remembers that back then “wealth, rank, or an imposing name counted for nothing. The dream of the wonderful American consisted of having a decent chance to scale the walls and achieve what they wished” (Kamp 1). Now flash-forward a century into the year 2014. Today in America, success does not reflect how muc...
The answer was $50,000. By 1994 the "dreams-fulfilling" level of income had doubled, from $50,000 to $102,000. Upscaling had definitely taken hold. Of course, $102,000 is not everyone's dream. In a consumption system premised on differences, dreams will also differ. And predictably, the higher one's income, the more one must have to feel fulfilled. Those making more than $50,000 said they would need $200,000 for total fulfillment, while lower-income people calculated that they would need only about $88,000 a year.
The American Dream, as referred by all, speaks of the great nation – America - which upholds the notion of “equality, liberty and fraternity” and, that all men are created equal by the Creator and hence, are given equal rights for equal opportunity at success. The American Dream glorifies the nation of America as the highest Super-power in the wor...
Before 1931, the phrase “American Dream” did not exist (Churchwell 344) the way it does now. But in that year, James Truslow Adams wrote a book called The Epic of America, which declared that “the American dream of a better, richer, happier life for all of our citizens of every rank, which is the greatest contribution we have made to the thought and welfare of the world...Ever since we became an independent nation, each generation has seen an uprising of ordinary Americans to s...
The concept of the American Dream has always been that everyone wants something in life, no matter if it is wealth, education, financial stability, safety, or a decent standard of living. In addition, everyone will try to strive to get what they want. The American Dream, is said to be that everyone should try and get what they hope they can get in life. In the play A Raisin in the Sun the author Hansberry tells us about a family where each has an American Dream, and Hughes in the poem “ Let America be America Again “is telling us to let America be the America that was free for us to obtain The American Dream. Hansberry and Langston see America like as a place to find the dream desired, although they also see limitation to obtain the American Dream, such as poverty, freedom, inequality, racism and discrimination.
Wealth inequality is a real issue that needs to be fixed. The imbalanced growth of the upper class compared to the middle class is a danger to American society as a whole. The rich becoming richer while the middle class remains the same leads to a power imbalance, with the rich using their money to run the country the way they see fit while the middle class speaks to ears that do not listen. The issue of wealth inequality needs to be fixed by raising taxes on the rich.
For over 100 years people have immigrated to America in hopes of achieving the American Dream. Ideas behind the American Dream date back to the Declaration of Independence which states, ‘all men are created equal’ and that they are ‘endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights’ such as ‘Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness’. Of course, the definition of the American Dream and what it means in today’s society has changed over the years, and can also be defined different ways by different people, but a standard definition would historically include a person being successful and making a decent life for themselves and their family through hard work and dedication. The idea of the American Dream is incredible, and has received the attention of many. People all over the world have dreamt of moving to the United States and starting a new, free life for themselves, but is the American Dream even attainable? In today’s society the American Dream appears to base its idea of success off of material items like money and expensive possessions, so how can someone fully achieve the American Dream when there is always something new to buy? When does the American Dream become the American Nightmare? In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby (1926), Jay Gatsby is the perfect example of someone desperately aspiring to achieve the American Dream, but in the midst of his endeavors, takes his eye off the prize and loses himself in the materialistic world that surrounds him. Another character that struggles in his quest to attain the American Dream is Willy Loman in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman (1949). Willy dedicated his entire life to becoming a successful salesman, but focuses too much on popularity and achieving material c...
America has been labeled "The land of opportunity," a place where it is possible to accomplish anything and everything. This state of mind is known as "The American Dream." The American Dream provides a sense of hope and faith that looks forward to the fulfillment of human wishes and desires. This dream, however, originates from a desire for spiritual and material improvement. Unfortunately, the acquisition of material has been tied together with happiness in America. Although "The American Dream" can be thought of as a positive motivation, it often causes people to strive for material perfection, rather than a spiritual one. This has been a truth since the beginnings of America, such as the setting of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, which is an example of this set in the 20’s. The characters in this novel are too fixed on material things, losing sight of what is really important.
Income inequality has affected American citizens ever since the American Dream came to existence. The American Dream is centered around the concept of working hard and earning enough money to support a family, own a home, send children to college, and invest for retirement. Economic gains in income are one of the only possible ways to achieve enough wealth to fulfill the dream. Unfortunately, many people cannot achieve this dream due to low income. Income inequality refers to the uneven distribution of income and wealth between the social classes of American citizens. The United States has often experienced a rise in inequality as the rich become richer and the poor become poorer, increasing the unstable gap between the two classes. The income gap in America has been increasing steadily since the late 1970’s, and has now reached historic highs not seen since the 1920’s (Desilver). UC Berkeley economics professor, Emmanuel Saez conducted extensive research on past and present income inequality statistics and published them in his report “Striking it Richer.” Saez claims that changes in technology, tax policies, labor unions, corporate benefits, and social norms have caused income inequality. He stands to advocate a change in American economic policies that will help close this inequality gap and considers institutional and tax reforms that should be developed to counter it. Although Saez’s provides legitimate causes of income inequality, I highly disagree with the thought of making changes to end income inequality. In any diverse economic environment, income inequality will exist due to the rise of some economically successful people and the further development of factors that push people into poverty. I believe income inequality e...
When the term ‘American Dream’ was first mentioned in 1931 by James Truslow Adams, he described it as “that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.” (Clark). When Adams mentioned the term, it had much more of an idealistic meaning, rather than the materialistic meaning it has in modern society. At the time of it’s mention, the dream meant that prosperity was available to everyone. In the beginning, the American Dream simply promised a country in which people had the chance to work their way up through their own labor and hard work (Kiger). Throughout history, the basis of the dream has always been the same for each individual person. It
Americans have the opportunity to pursue what they love and achieve their goals in life (Rank np). Many people in America have different ideas and pictures in their heads of what the American Dream means. From the idea that it's about making a lot of money and owning a big house, to creating a good life for your children in a good environment there is a wide range of meanings of the dream. Others believe that America is this great melting pot full of people with all sorts of different ethnic backgrounds (Michels np). The American Dream was first introduced during America’s great depression by a man named James Truslow Adams. He first came up with the phrase “The American Dream” in his book, The Epic of America. In his book he taught Americans what they had to do in order to live the dream (Wills np). Explaining the Dream, Adams told America, that “the American Dream is the belief of the American society that each individual can, through hard working and strength of mind, achieve anything.” (Michels np) People still use the ideas from his book and use them in everyday