Today being Independence Day in the U.S. I ponder about the idea of the “American Dream.” From a personal standpoint, I think back at the stories my dad used to tell me when I was a child regarding the ups and downs of leaving his family behind in Colombia, immigrating to New York, and trying to acclimate to a new culture. One of the main things he would emphasize in his anecdotes was that the main reason he left for the States was to provide the “American Dream” for his children and grandchildren. This notion has served as a strong impetus for my brothers and I, and we hope to fulfill it. This hope and faith is something I see with first- and second-generation American friends of mine, though making it is not always the case.
Is the “American Dream” a realistic concept or just a pipe dream? If it does exist, will future generations have an easier or more difficult time obtaining the “dream”? If it’s a myth, then why bother discussing it?
So what do you think?
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Source- Wikipedia
It's hard...
ReplyDeleteI fulfilled the "american" dream for my parents, but it only segregated me from them and my culture.
Now I'm living in Seattle, working and hating it, and my dad barely talks to me because his wife thinks I sold out to the American culture.
I am the AMerican Dream, and yet they resent me for it.
My parents came from Argentina with $300 and a suitcase, neither one of them having finished high school. Today, they own their home, they sent both their sons to prestigious universities, they comfortably retired, and are enjoying the company of their grandchildren to excess.
ReplyDeleteMoreover, this outcome has been almost exactly duplicated by six other relatives and their families.
Try criticizing the USA in my mother's presence, and see what happens to you ...
"Weekly Debate: El Sueño Americano"
ReplyDeleteThe whole thing comes down to who you talk to. I was born and raised in New York and lived and studied there until my late twenties when I moved to the island (P.R.) I know from personal experience what many ethnics have to put up with in order to live in the U.S. and try for that ring on the Merrygoround of life there. A lot depends on how assimilated one has become and even then there are no guarantees. You can be the whitest P.R. on the planet with a PhD in any field and no accent but your name will betray you. I have spoken with many professionals on the island who have tried working and living in the states , many with outstanding credentials and in the end they had to throw in the towel largely due to discrimination! There are also the flip side of the coin who refuse to even speak Spanish ( a sorry situation ) and deplore the thought of moving to the island because they have already been assimilated into the stateside culture ( having lost their own ) and they thrive! In the end I guess it comes down to how free one wants to be and FEEL. I sympathize with Sir Jorge in his comment above. It is the sort of thing that has taken place with many Hispanic families. The search for the American Dream at the expense of trading in ( or worse still rejecting ones culture) for a grab at that ring and in the end your still a Second Class Citizen!
elbohemio@
http://elbohemio.wordpress.com
Soy colombiano, vivo en Vancouver, Canada.
ReplyDeleteCon lo siguiente quiero resumir muchas cosas, lastimosamente solo tiene sentido en español:
"Estoy viviendo el sueño americano - Me la paso todo el día con sueño por tanto trabajar."
The so called American dream is indeed a fallacy that can (and is) very rapidly become the American nightmare. People come here with hopes of a brighter future and opportunity. If you are coming with a set mind and knowing that it involves a lot of work and sacrifice (you are giving up everything in your life, making a very high bet in which you might lose it all) you are off to a good start in this game. Being aware of the costs that involve coming here is key, but is that price you pay even justified in this post 911 world?
The whole notion of the "american dream" falls short when that dream involves a longing for "security" and "wellbeing". Most people associate pursuing this dream with purely economic and social benefits. Achieving something that you would have never even dreamed of in your home country.
But what if due to gas prices you cannot afford to drive your car anylonger, or due to the paranoia around terrorism you start loosing your freedoms as an individual? Such things are happening in the US as we speak and that's where the american dream starts becoming a nightmare, because you no longer have the freedoms you were trying to find by coming to North America. Especially the USA and not so much Canada (yet...)
In short: The American Dream will become the American Nightmare in this post 911 world full of paranoia and growing hatred against immigrants in the US.