Is The American Dream Becoming Too Materialism Summary

What is the American Dream? The american dream is a goal most americans wish to reach in fortune and riches. Based upon how people were raised or their financial status the dream will differ. In the three articles, Even Americans can’t afford the american dream by Andrew Soergel, Is the American Dream becoming too Materialistic? by Shanzeh Khurram, and The dangerous separation of the American upper middle class by Richard V. Reeves argues the views of if the American Dream is attainable to the majority of people. The American Dream has become more than just hard work making it nearly impossible to grasp based upon its original idea of achieving it on your own, hard work, and being what you want.

In the article Even Americans can’t afford

the American Dream by Andrew Soergel writes about how even the people the dream is based off of can no longer reach it. He writes, “ But a new study suggests such a lifestyle is little more than a fantasy for most. In fact, there isn't a single country in the world – including the U.S. – where the average worker can afford to finance the American dream, according to a report from TheRedPin, a Canadian real estate hub.” ( Soergel 1). This excerpt shows how there’s no way for the average worker to obtain the “American Dream” in today’s economy. It also shows how it’s even less likely in other countries that get paid less than those in America. One might say that the American Dream is about more than being an average worker and wanting to do above average in means to reach higher goals. However, the American Dream is hopeless to those who have to start out on their own with no help.
In the article “ Is the American Dream becoming too Materialistic?” by Shanzeh Khurram, the author addresses how the idea of the American Dream has become an idea based upon what you can buy or have instead of the original idea of hard work gets you where you want to be in life.

Khurram explained,” Unfortunately, the American dream is becoming more and more materialistic. I guess it was always a bit materialistic, but when I look at America today, I see a nation obsessed with shopping and buying unnecessary products. Previously, people aspired to have a nice house in the suburbs with a couple of cars. Now, there is no end to the products that people want: the latest IPhone, expensive cars, designer bags--the list is endless. The American dream revolves around luxury goods for most people. As Ellen Goodman put it, "Normal is getting dressed in clothes that you buy for work and driving through traffic in a car that you are still paying for, in order to get to the job you need to pay for the clothes and the car, and the house you leave vacant all day so you can afford to live in it."’ ( Khurram 1). This is an example of how in order to show your American Dream a person has to have expensive items with fancy name brands. It also shows how the dream has become more materialistic as technology has advanced. One might argue that what good is money if you don’t buy anything to show off what you have. However the American Dream was once about hard work and

dedication.
In the final article, The dangerous separation of the American upper middle class by Richard V. Reeves argues about the drastic difference in financial stability in Americans. Reeves writes, “ This separation is most obvious in terms of income—where the top fifth have been prospering while the majority lags behind. But the separation is not just economic. Gaps are growing on a whole range of dimensions, including family structure, education, lifestyle, and geography.” This shows that only five percent manages to live in comfort while the other ninety-five percent struggle to maintain an okay lifestyle. It's also an example of how the majority of those flourishing in the world are those who are usually set up by the rest of the family. That shows that achieving the dream on your own is nearly impossible.
In conclusion, the American Dream is no longer accessible to the average American. The dream is set up to only be “real” if you’re raised in a rich environment. The dream is an idea that has gone way passed what it was meant to be.