American Dream - one of the most common expressions in the world. To realize this dream in America, both migrants and indigenous people. The interest in understanding the American dream was especially popular in last years the existence of the USSR, when young people, based on Hollywood films, dreamed of cool jeans, beautiful houses, several huge Cadillacs in the garage. Despite such beliefs, the expression American dream it is much more than just some material values.
The American Dream is a widespread doctrine, according to which for any resident of the United States, legally and illegally, the opportunity to achieve fame, success and prosperity is available.
Expression American dream is understood as a general social doctrine (ideology) for the United States, which unites residents of the United States in search of happiness and prosperity. This ideology is based on the belief that any person living in the United States of America, realizing their energy and diligence, can achieve success in life and become a wealthy member of society. Almost everyone new President The United States, in its inaugural address, notes that under him, every American will become closer to his American dream.
According to some skeptics, the ideology of the American dream can be considered a social utopia, but it remains one of the main driving forces migration to the USA.
IN this case one can cite the example of US President Barack Husseinovich Obama, who was born into a family of migrants from Africa, thanks to perseverance received excellent education, a well-paid job and the highest position in the United States.
The diversity of nationalities and races inhabiting the expanses of the American continent, and the relatively small historical period of their "symbiosis" caused an urgent need to formulate a single ideology that could unite people from different countries of the world in united nation. Such an ideology has become "American dream", which has been cultivated for many decades and gave any person faith in the possibility of achieving success and even becoming the President of the United States.
As can be seen from the foregoing, the expression "American dream" is a concept that is difficult to define, and today there is no consensus on how to formulate it. The reason for this is that absolutely different people include completely different meanings in his understanding.
Usually american dream perceived as the highest ideal of existence in the United States, when you own a house, a car, a happy family and stable work that brings decent income for the existence and implementation of ideas.
american dream expression , in addition to the above, it is understood as the right of every person who has a job to career growth, as well as confidence in their own future.
Professor Yaroslav Gritsak notes that american dream concept means, in simple terms, “the belief that any person, with a sufficient degree of diligence, talent and perseverance, can reach the cream of society.
Historian and writer James Truslow Adams popularized the expression American Dream in 1931 in a book called "Epic of America", where he wrote about the American dream in the United States based on the values \u200b\u200bprescribed in the Declaration of Independence.
This book edition was published at the peak of the US Great Depression, when the US needed to build, create more in order to reduce the number of unemployed, homeless and unhappy people. The ideology of achieving success and prosperity through work became the main engine of the US economy, which ultimately made it possible to reduce the effects of the economic crisis.
Expression "American dream"- in many cases it is used to outline the vital material and spiritual ideals of the American population. IN " Political Dictionary» William Sefire (Safire's New Political Dictionary. Random House, New York, 1993) noted that: "The American Dream is the ideal of freedom or opportunity that was defined by the Founding Fathers; spiritual power american nation. If the US system is the skeleton of American politics, then the American dream is its soul."
The main elements of the American dream are:
- conscientious work and self-realization (self-madeperson)
- freedom of enterprise
- Social responsibility
- respect for fellow citizens
- increasing reputation and role in society
Your reflection American dream, received and in US law. So, the US Declaration of Independence says that: everyone's life should be better, richer and fuller, with opportunities for everyone according to their abilities or achievements - regardless of social class or circumstances of birth".
At the same time, the American dream is not only an opportunity, but also a responsibility. This is the equality of not only opportunities to achieve success, but also the equality of people before the law, regardless of race, nationality, gender and social status, it is also respect for the achievements and symbols common to the United States.
American dream and migrants
The primary personification of the American dream and the new opportunities offered to migrants seeking a better and more dignified life arriving in New York from Europe was the Statue of Liberty standing on broken chains and showing that freedom will lift you up and hard work will light the way to success.
The postulates of the All-American Dream were based on the confidence of the newcomers that the resources of the New World are unlimited and belong to everyone equally, that a person leaves any hierarchical dependence in the Old World, that the chances of achieving happiness, the right to which is recognized for everyone, are also equal for everyone. and depend only on personal qualities.
Migrants from Europe left Old World in the hope of breaking out of the hierarchical, estate system that limited social mobility. Once in the USA, such people became the most ardent supporters of freedom and equality, patriots of the USA, where they received unlimited opportunities for realizing their potential, they were actively involved in the development process civil society and political institutions.
People who received open opportunities in order to realize themselves, they begin to form the ideology of American patriotism, according to which you should be proud of the United States - a state that has provided a person with all available freedoms and opportunities.
American dream and religion
The Protestant religion and the Protestant work ethic played a big role in shaping the American dream. Protestantism, which is the dominant religion in the United States, promotes diligence to achieve goals and conscientious and honest work. Increasing the well-being of a person who works honestly is also considered a blessing.
Every Protestant is required to share with the church a portion of his income earned through conscientious labor. However, you can read about the peculiarities of religion in the USA and attitudes towards it.
Each of us has heard this expression, someone treats it with disdain, not fundamentally distinguishing it from the principle of "bread and circuses", identifying american dream only since allowance, TV and hamburgers. However, this is not the case.
Mixing concepts american dream and consumer society in our country has developed back in the days of the USSR, when anti-American, anti-capitalist propaganda concerned everything. She did not spare american dream. The United States was in many ways the antithesis of the USSR, and American success, of course, was based on prosperity, which was unacceptable in the Soviet Union. And as american dream American vices were described to us, in particular, such as the absorption of hamburgers, popcorn and Coca-Cola in a movie theater or other in public places. Ironically, the same substitution occurred in the minds of many Americans, but at a later time, at the end of the 20th century.
The very notion of American dream" (eng. " american dream”) is often used to describe some kind of national ideology that unites Americans. However, a clear definition american dream" does not exist. Every resident of the United States puts into it their own ideas about the wonderful capitalist future.
Usually this thesis is considered one of the foundations of the Protestant work ethic, which is probably true.
1. freedom of the individual and freedom of enterprise;
2. “self-madeperson” (that is, a person who independently, through hard work, has achieved success in life) and a highly paid job;
3. reputation and the process of transition from one social class to another, higher, of course.
Achieve success through hard work
Reference american dream based on:
Based on the principles set forth in the Declaration of Independence of 1776 (“men are created equal and endowed by their Creator with inalienable rights, including the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, regardless of social class or circumstances of birth”).
Based on the ideas of James Adams, who officially introduced the concept of the American Dream in his book The Epic of America in 1931.
Considering the time when the concept of the American Dream appeared, it is not difficult to guess that its appearance is associated with the Great Depression, as an incentive for the entire American people to overcome the crisis.
The American Dream is really a dream, not just a need to satisfy primitive needs. No one can reliably say now whether it developed spontaneously, or was carefully thought out and instilled in society by the authorities, but, having appeared in the minds of people, it moved them to success. Success has become not a means to achieve comfort, it has become the goal of life. All social strata began to be included in the process of achieving success, which could not but affect economic indicators countries (at that time the dollar was still pegged to the gold reserve, so economic growth was real). With the growth of the well-being of citizens, their needs also increased, which led to an increase in production, and again to an increase in well-being. So it doesn't matter how the American dream came about, but it did its job perfectly.
It is worth noting that the model of the US state is based on the Protestant work ethic, which preaches diligent and conscientious work. The accumulation of capital is only a consequence of honest labor, which is pleasing to God, which means that capital itself is also good. More than 50% of Americans profess Protestantism, which has had a very beneficial effect on society's acceptance of the values of the American dream.
American dream has become a kind of standard of happiness in a consumer society. Although for many people in the United States the American dream is identified with own house, built on their own income on their own land with a large courtyard, a car, a large friendly family and friendly neighbors. One of the main characters american dream is the Statue of Liberty in New York.
In conclusion, we can quote David Brooks about American Dream:“Americans live their lives dreaming of the future. To understand America, one must take seriously the central cliché of American life, the American dream. Even though we face the boredom and banality of everyday life, this dream revitalizes us, empowers us, and forces us to work so hard, move so often, invent so vigorously, and change so rapidly. We continue to strive for something new and different, even if it doesn't always bring us benefit and pleasure."
1792 days ago
The American Dream is almost a spiritual ideology for all of America. This term was first used in a historical treatise by James Adams to encourage people during a period of depression that affected different layers population.
The Meaning of the American Dream
This term does not and cannot have a single meaning for all. In general, the American dream is understood as freedom of opportunity and a high level of well-being.
For immigrants, such a dream means changing from a country with worse conditions to one with better conditions. For the Americans themselves, this dream contains the following postulates:
- Freedom of the individual;
- Freedom of enterprise;
- Freedom of expression;
- Work for good to achieve success.
Many works have been written and many songs have been sung on the theme of the American dream. Cinema sings of it. The theme of dreams runs like a red thread through many plays and musicals. The living embodiment of this ideology is a private Vacation home in a prestigious area, high class car, private school for children, a personal gardener and respectable neighbors.
The material symbol of such a dream is the Statue of Liberty. A high salary is her indispensable attribute. Social equity is another characteristic this term. No one has the right to condemn another if he is successful and rich.
American dream today
Today, Western ideology is undergoing significant changes. Even 65 years ago, the productivity of Americans was extremely high. Later, in the United States, they began to promote world hegemony, instead of healthy competition, as the competitive market turned out to be oversaturated with offers.
If earlier the average American believed that hard work and determination were the two keys to indispensable success. That's all now more people are in debt, become unemployed, live paycheck to paycheck.
Will the American dream survive under such conditions? If the economy of the West does not experience more huge upheavals, then this ideology will only change slightly to suit the new time, but new crises threaten the American dream with complete destruction.
Another important principle is hidden in the ideology of the American dream. The value of a person is directly related to his socio-economic status. Success equates a person to the category of saints, and a loser becomes an outcast, whom everyone bypasses. This is the other side of this idea. Her shadow politics.
Today's Americans live in an oversaturated world where many old models simply don't work. How do they deal with the inevitable changes?
People seek to maintain a high standard of living with credit and loans. Now good credit history as valuable as business reputation person. The relatively young American culture has an impact on the whole world, but changes in it hardly go beyond the borders of this huge state. Immigrants still believe in the American dream, while US citizens themselves are trying to live in a new way.
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Starting somewhere in the 70s of the last century, elements of American culture slowly began to seep into the USSR, and this despite the “ iron curtain". Gradually, a kind of bright image of the United States of America was cultivated among the youth in the country. Several generations of young Soviet people In the 70s-90s they adopted the American way of life, fashion, style, music, ideology. They thought the USA was very cool. Many dreamed of going there, because there is freedom, democracy, the opportunity for self-expression and other delights of life.
An example of the American way of life
What is so special about the USA? Why do many people around the world still believe that this country is perfect? The concept of "American way of life" has become an ideological cliché. And for good reason. After all, they painted a picture of a state of abundance, general prosperity, freedoms and opportunities. It is believed that the way of life of American people is very active and dynamic, they are businesslike and decisive.
Mandatory attributes of any self-respecting American are: a car, loans, a two-story house in the outskirts of the city. And, of course, how can one do without liberal democracy and religious pluralism?! Regardless of social status and origin, everyone is equal before the law, according to at least, that's what the propaganda of the American way of life sounds like. In general, everything that every self-respecting person should strive for, and in America it is very easy and simple to get it.
How did the American Dream begin?
At the time, James Adams wrote the treatise "The Epic of America", where for the first time such a phrase as "the American dream" was mentioned. He imagined the States as a state in which everyone can get what they deserve, and the life of any person will become better, fuller and richer. Since then, the phrase has taken root and has been used not only in a serious, but also in an ironic sense. At the same time, the very meaning of the American dream is vague and has no clear boundaries. And it is unlikely to ever be clearly defined. After all, everyone puts their own meaning in this concept and that makes the American dream all the more compelling. Also, this concept is very closely related to immigrants from other countries, where often there is not such an extensive individual freedom as it is promoted in the States. It is believed that it is in America that one can achieve success in life through hard independent work.
What is its essence?
The American dream is dreams of beautiful life and, above all, wealth. In Europe, for example, there was a fairly clear class distinction; for many people, achieving prosperity was simply beyond reality. The states were the country where for the first time individual entrepreneurship was so developed that everyone could achieve material well-being. And the dream has become the goal of millions of people in pursuit of getting rich quick.
colonists North America in the 18th century, they very quickly realized the limitless possibilities that this new continent gives. In their communities, the hard work of a person for his own enrichment became a virtue, while, naturally, it was necessary to donate to the needs of the community itself. On the contrary, poverty was known as a vice, since only an insolvent, weak-willed and spineless person could not achieve anything with those unlimited opportunities that the new continent gave. Such people were not respected.
Thus, there was a formation based on material goods. It was new morality, new religion where success became a sign of God's love. The 19th century was a milestone in the mass emigration of desperate hunters for fortune from the countries of the Old World to new world, where there was still no real culture and civilization, but unlimited opportunities were provided for obtaining wealth. For these people the main values of life were wealth and not moral, cultural and spiritual development. Accordingly, what other vector of development, besides capitalism, could these settlers give to future generations of Americans?
Thus a new way of life was created
If in Europe wealth and property were inherited or the struggle for them was carried out only within the privileged class, then in America they became available to absolutely everyone. There was fierce competition, as there were millions of applicants. In turn, this unbridled passion for the accumulation of wealth has led to an incredible greed that has engulfed American society. Due to the fact that it consisted of emigrants from all possible countries, representatives of various nationalities, religions and cultures, it turned out just an incredible symbiosis.
America provided Free access to enrich absolutely everyone indiscriminately, which gave rise to fierce competition and the prudent pragmatism of the population, which was simply necessary for survival. The United States created its traditions from diverse and unusual realities, fusing them into something new.
Incredible combinations
America is a land of incredible contrasts. So, at least, back in 1890, Bedekker, a well-known travel guide from England, commented on it. It did not just coexist, but coexisted with phenomena that were opposite in nature: ardent religiosity and a materialistic worldview, participation and indifference to others, good breeding and aggressiveness, honest work and a passion for manipulation, respect for the law and rampant crime, individualism and conformism. All this was bizarrely combined and organically woven into the new American way of life.
Actually, conformism has become one of the foundations of this way of life. Since America did not yet have a strong state that would, with the help of public structures, social institutions and established traditions were able to organize and streamline the entire motley crowd of migrants, conformism became the only possible form of survival. In the United States, the creation of all public institutions began from scratch, from clean slate, and, having no support from the past, the citizens took the only course convenient for them - the economic one. Humanism, culture, religion - everything obeyed new system values, where the dominant role was played by monetary units and shares. Human happiness began to be measured only by the number of banknotes.
Country of idealists and dreamers
At least that's what President Coolidge called America. After all, this is a country where every worker can become a millionaire, because he has a dream. And it does not matter at all that everyone cannot be millionaires, the main thing is to believe, dream and strive for this. And no one is going to debunk this myth, because the value of a person in the States was directly proportional to bank account its owner. Over time limit top level moved further and further: hundreds of thousands of dollars, millions, billions. Because the achievement of a dream is a collapse of the system, a stop that is not permissible. You just need to move forward. In this, perhaps, the American way of life is similar to the communist one.
USA and USSR: similarities and differences
Despite the fact that the Soviet way of life was radically different from the American one, there was still something in common in these two such dissimilar countries. Oddly enough, but the desire for the growth of material values was common goal both the American and Soviet dreams. The only difference was that for America the end in itself is individual enrichment, while for the Union it is a collective, universal material well-being. But in both cases, the idea was based on progress - non-stop industrial development, movement for the sake of movement.
In order to advance progress, the conditions of life are constantly changing, and a person must constantly adapt to new and new realities. To do this, he must work, and thus work has become tantamount to freedom. Work became even a kind of religion, because one who was nobody could become everything. Such propaganda was carried out both in the Soviet Union and in the United States of America.
If earlier the peasant, cultivating his land, could provide himself with everything necessary, then as a result of industrialization he became completely dependent on the state, and he had to sell himself on the labor market. Thanks to labor, discipline and self-organization were developed, which brought society closer to absolute order, which was a utopian ideal. Any work was for the benefit of the economy, which became an instrument of control. On the banknote of one dollar there is a symbolic inscription " New order forever”, which perfectly characterizes the position of the United States in world politics.
Freedom, equality and...?
At one time the slogan French Revolution was "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity". Something that in all ages has been the ultimate dream of any society. In its Declaration of Independence, America puts forward almost the same theses, only instead of brotherhood it says "The right to seek happiness." A unique and interesting interpretation. But is everything so idealistic and transparent?
If for European states in the first place was a man with his personal qualities, then the equality of all people comes to the fore, regardless of cultural and spiritual development. Freedom is the right to participate in competition, and equality refers to the same opportunities for entrepreneurship development. Well, the “right to seek happiness” speaks for itself. personality, cultural development and other benefactors in this society are not needed and not important, there is only one concept of strength - this is the economy, which subjugates all spheres of human life and the state.
Mass character as the basic principle of a new way of life
Thanks to individual entrepreneurship, America has turned from an agrarian country into an industrial one. Handicraft labor has sunk into the past, and mass production of consumer goods has begun. The population became part of a huge economic machine. People became consumers, material goods began to come to the fore, of which there were more and more. But all the actual reins of government ended up in the hands of the owners of large concerns and corporations, who dictated the conditions of life for the whole country, and not only. They were eventually able to extend their influence to most peace.
The economic elite began to subjugate and control society. For the most part, people from the lower classes of society, far from high culture, from spiritual development and enlightenment. Yes, and the American people consisted of ordinary people, so the culture of the United States began its development from market spectacles. As a result, she conquered the whole world. Its principle was that culture became a part of leisure, recreation for a working person who, after hard working days, needed to relax. This is how life is now modern man And not only in America.
High and thin matter clearly could not contribute to this type of relaxation. Therefore, the United States corresponded to the goals of the American economy. As a result, such a way of life of a person was established in which he lost his spiritual values, completely dissolving in the material world, becoming only a cog in an incredible economic machine.
typical american family
What in the usual sense is a model American family, so zealously imposed by American cinema? This is a business father who works in a solid company, a housewife mother who arranges barbecues for neighbors on Saturdays and makes sandwiches for her two teenage children for school. They always have a large and beautiful two-story house, a dog and a swimming pool on backyard. As well as large garage because each family member has his own car. But this is only Nice picture, which is diligently treated to gullible spectators different countries, and the States themselves. This is how only a small section of the population lives. The vast majority of Americans cannot afford to buy healthy food, therefore, eats low-quality fast food, due to this, America ranks first in the world in terms of the number of obese people. This problem is also facilitated by the fact that the lifestyle of modern man in America is mostly sedentary.
Some have a sedentary job, after which they spend time either in a bar or in front of the TV at home on the couch. Others fall into another extreme - the pursuit of ideal beauty. Therefore, in America, the beauty industry is so developed, which promotes the image perfect woman from glossy magazine covers. All conditions are being created for ladies, young and old, to pour huge amounts of money into achieving these standards.
It was also the United States that launched the technology race in the entertainment industry. More and more new gadgets are constantly coming out, which are especially interesting for young people. In pursuit of fashion news in all areas, be it cars, computers, players, smartphones, clothes, shoes, accessories and other attributes of modernity, a way of life is being formed. The system is designed in such a way that everything becomes outdated very quickly. To be successful, fashionable and popular, you need to constantly acquire everything new. As mentioned earlier, progress never stands still. And now humanity is beginning to see the fruits of its mindless unlimited consumption, but, unfortunately, the system does not care.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
… the American dream of a country where everyone's life is better, richer and fuller, where everyone has the opportunity to get what he deserves.
James Adams wanted to encourage his compatriots, to remind them of America's purpose and achievements. This phrase stuck and then became the title of a play by Edward Albee (1961) and a novel by Norman Mailer (1965), but in these works it was rethought ironically.
The meaning of the term "American dream" is very vague. Thus, the historian F. Carpenter wrote: “The American dream has never been precisely defined and, obviously, will never be defined. It is both too diverse and too vague: different people put different meanings into this concept. However, almost all US presidents, when taking office and making responsible decisions, have to promise their constituents that their policies will advance the realization of this dream.
"certain inalienable rights" including "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."
The concept of the "American dream" is often associated with immigrants who came to the United States in search of a better life. The fact that they left countries where, unlike the United States, there was a fairly rigid class system that limited social mobility determined their commitment to the philosophy of individual freedom and free enterprise. The concept of the American Dream is closely related to the concept of "self-made person", that is, a person who independently achieved success in life through hard work.
The components of the "American dream" are also the ideal of equality of all before the law, regardless of ethnic origin and social status, as well as the veneration of symbols, models and heroes common to all Americans.
Ownership of a private home is often seen as physical proof of the American Dream.
The theme of the search for the "American dream" was touched upon in his works by Hunter Thompson.
Criticism
What happened to the American Dream? No more sounds of a single powerful voice expressing our common hope and will are heard. What we hear now is a cacophony of horror, reconciliation and compromise, empty chatter, high-sounding words "freedom, democracy, patriotism", from which we have emasculated any content.
American writer,
