Material America

For generations, Americans have taken pride in a concept called the American Dream. This concept travels back to the early European settlers and founders of America, who firmly believed that by making a living and working hard, one could establish a better standard of living. However, as America's economic industry has fluctuated over the years, the definition of the American Dream has also shifted in meaning. Material possessions have quickly compensated as necessities for survival, while money itself has easily replaced the old-fashioned morale in work ethic. Many feel this shift in culture has signified the end of true American ideals, while others feel that changes in a society's values are inevitable. No matter what stance is taken, defining the important features of today's generation undoubtedly would equate to prioritizing wealth and social status above all other aspects of living. In essence, the old-fashioned American Dream has diminished, and in its place is one of competitive greed, selfish desire and excessive materialism.

Ever since the writing of the Declaration of Independence, Americans have been entitled to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." As years passed, however, this pursuit of happiness has transformed into a pursuit of possessions, thought to achieve such happiness. From once valuing the ability to afford food, clothing, shelter, or what one would consider the bare necessities, our culture has bypassed indulgence in now insisting to have the best of what is out there, from huge mansions and fancy cars, to lavish service and absurd possessions. This is not the first time America has seen this sense of artificiality, as it became present in previous decades, such as the roaring twenties.

In F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby," the illusion and conquest of wealth in society is a standard factor, determining the division of status in rich and poor, similar to the present day. Many consider "The Great Gatsby" an accurate portrayal of the downfall of the American Dream, because it represented how American values had changed so drastically, and would continue to change. Moreover, it portrayed the concept that money cannot buy happiness, as seen within the unfortunate death of Gatsby at the story's conclusion.

For many, the actual definition of the American Dream can most closely be identified as "having two children, living in a suburban house, with a car garage and a white picket fence." After World War II, this indeed was the standard of living for many families, and the lifestyle people worked to achieve. Due to the chaos of the war aftermath, it is understandable why families wanted to settled down in the suburbs, make a living, and go back to their ways of normalcy. However, this version of the American Dream, otherwise known as the dream for the middle-class, is not easily achieved even in today's society.

As said by Beth Potier of the Harvard Gazette, "a middle-class lifestyle is increasingly out of reach for middle-class families, many of whom go broke trying to attain it." Potier goes on to say that despite society's excessive spending on material goods, the majority of average families cannot even afford the inevitable burden of paying mortgage, and one out of seven families with children will file for bankruptcy by the end of this decade. Consequently, the previous "standard" definition of the American Dream, rooting back to the fifties and the sixties, cannot be applied to working families today because for many, achieving even a home remains a financial strain.

If this fact is true for middle-class citizens in America, how is it healthy, or even sane, for the average American to compare their lifestyle with that of the glitz and glamour seen on television? With the invention of reality TV, Americans now can also witness the "reality" of celebrity life, which is still extremely flamboyant in status compared to that of the average American. Watching these sorts of programs seem to fool people into thinking that certain possessions are attainable, or even worse, that these are possessions they absolutely need to have. The reality is, by comparing themselves to the upper-class, whose wealth was most likely inherited or won by chance, Americans are putting themselves into a false mindset of what is important. It is rare that the average working citizen looks below their own social stature to see they actually have it better than many people, and should be grateful of their circumstances.

In a quote from the 'Worldly Goods' chapter of "Everyday, Everywhere," Hirschberg states, "Today, any American with enough cash or a credit card can purchase the requisite markers of social status and communicate an aura of importance and prestige...competition and acquisition have become the salient features of American society..." As exemplified further in the chapter, we seem ti be the only nation whose "social identity" of its people is determined by material possessions. To state that the modern-day cell phone, car and computer are absolute necessities is of one nature; however it is ludicrous that people still insist on having the better model phone, the fastest car and the newest computer. Moreover, the attitude of society is still changing, in that not only do we feel we need all of these possessions, but by having them, we are displaying our social status, and moreover, achieving social superiority over those that lack these objects.

In a culture dominated by media and advertisements, perhaps Americans are not at fault for holding such desire for materialism. Maybe the consumerist ideals of our nation have developed and conditioned us to be greedy and thoughtless with our values. No matter who or what is to blame, Americans have clearly contributed in some way to the transformation of the American Dream. Contentment in simply surviving and living is obsolete in modern American society; overindulgence for wealth and possessions is now custom. Consequently, because of this pattern, it appears Americans may continue living in this fashion for many years, despite the ongoing financial struggles that many American families face. No matter how safe and secure people feel by having possessions, there unfortunately is no guaranteed correlation between money and happiness.