The Myth of the American Dream Exposed by Niall Ferguson and Timothy Noah

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The Myth of the American Dream Exposed in Niall Ferguson's "The End of the American Dream? How rising inequality and social stagnation are reshaping us for the worse." and Timothy Noah's "The Mobility Myth" The common stereotype of the American dream is a house with a white picket fence, a deck with a grill, kids, dogs, and most importantly – happiness. That is what most people think of with the American dream. Some may say that the American dream is different for all, and that it is what one makes out of their life. Niall Ferguson and Timothy Noah are two men who argue that the American dream does not exist – or, if it did, it has disappeared. The American dream is indeed a myth, a simple term for mere luck, and it affects people because of all the misguided hopes and dreams of the middle and lower classes. Ferguson and Noah argue that social mobility is caused by the upper class, and I agree because in my experience, the only thing that has ever mattered is what your last name is, and how much money is tied to that name. In Niall Ferguson’s article, “The End of the American Dream: How rising inequality and social stagnation are reshaping us for the worse,” Ferguson explains social mobility, inequality, and how the “American Dream may be disappearing. He starts with a quote from Elon Musk, who is an example that the ... ... middle of paper ... ...merica promised. Those of us who do “climb a ladder” just found the ladder astray, an example of mere luck. Most of the time, the ladder is very cautiously passed down from generation to generation with a steel lock that an outsider could not break. Ferguson and Noah present excellent points as to why mobility does not exist. They talk about how your status depends on who “mommy” and “daddy” are, and how the American dream is either disappearing or nonexistent. The ability to move forward does depend on who your parents are, so hope you have the right parents. Works Cited Ferguson, Niall. "The End of the American Dream? How rising inequality and social stagnation are reshaping us for the worse." The Daily Beast 12 Aug. 2013. Online. 12 January 2014. Noah, Timothy. "The Mobility Myth." The New Republic 243.3 (2012): 14-17. MAS Complete. Web. 6 Jan. 2013.

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