Nightmare: The American Nightmare

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The American Nightmare
The American Dream is a difficult subject to grasp. It can mean many different things to different people. It varies differently depending on the person who is speaking about it. Senator Marco Rubio gives the best guideline definition describing it as a “happy home” and “the ability to live without fear for your safety and that of your family”. Sadly, the belief in the American Dream is deteriorating. One of the main reasons for this decline is the rise in education costs. The American Dream now requires a certain education, but most people are not able to afford these costs. These costs are mostly associated with college and the rising prices of the materials needed to succeed in college. The American Dream is becoming much more unattainable due to the same matter that is keeping it relatively alive: education.
The harsh reality surrounding the American Dream is that it has died with humans becoming more Realist. The people stopped believing in the hope that everyone can become rich. They started to lower their expectations. According to Valerie Strauss of the Washington Post, “About 6 in 10 workers feel they will be let go in the near future” (Washington Post-Miller Center Poll). Also according to this poll, only 39% of people feel their children will be living better than they have. Contrast this to the same 54% saying they live a better life than their parents did. These show that the people in today’s world have a bleak view for the future. They believe their children will not be as privileged as they are. The process of finding a good job and getting a nice house and family is extremely hard to come by. Nearly half the marriages lead from divorce and housing costs have risen dramatically. Since th...

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...ot need their education to validate themselves as successful. Although these people have all became super wealthy, this phenomenon only happens to a select few. Also, these people all attended great colleges and some attended Ivy League colleges. Also, these college costs are rising to help support the faculty. They need to keep these people to help lead to their students’ success. Because of this many students had to make the choice of “large amounts of debt or giving up on their dreams” (Rubio).
The American Dream is a complex idea. Some feel grateful to have it as a driving force behind their hard work. Others feel it as a crushing idea because they know it will never be reached. But, behind the masquerade of it all, the root of all this paranoia is the education system. It controls the American Dream and controls people’s feelings towards the American Dream.

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