I think most of us grew up on more or less the same American Dream. Do the right thing and study hard then get a good job. By doing this you will be able to do a bit better than your parents did, assuming equitable career choices. Somewhere along the line you get married and buy a nice house with a white picket fence. Get a lovable dog and a good (not necessarily flashy but not shabby either) family vehicle. Join the local Rotary club or the Kiwanis or Lions or Moose lodge (in order depending on how much you actually want to help people and how much you like to party:) have 1.8-2.4 kids who also do the right thing and study hard. Maybe get a water ski boat or a hunting cabin or a time share in Hawaii. A few more years down the road and then a gold watch and a comfortable pension. Now you have time to make ships in bottles or spend winters in Arizona and of course enjoy the grand kids.
So where are we now? Some folks would say that the American Dream is dead. I would not say that it is dead but I would say that it is realistic for fewer people than it was 40 years ago and far less realistic than 60 years ago. What were some factors that let then, well be then.
If we look at 60 years ago we see 1950. Things were pretty darn good. A lot of this was because the rest of the world was basically blown to bits and missing a big chunk of two generations of workers, under the iron grip of Communism or both and the rest of the world was still largely undeveloped.
40 years ago the nations largest employer was General Motors and wages started at the equivalent of $17.50. Someone could graduate from high school or get out of the Army and walk into a good job with the kind of wage where you can afford the American Dream. Most jobs also had pretty good stability in addition to health care and pension plans.
So why are things not going so well now? I think it is a combination of a lot of different factors. Lets look at some of them:
First as noted pretty much everywhere real wages are going down for a lot of jobs. Most notably manufacturing which used to be the ticket for a minimally educated and skilled person to have a solidly middle class American Dream life has taken a real hit. A nice young man can't graduate from high school and get a job at the plant with a secure future for him and a family anymore. The same sorts of folks are often getting the same sort of jobs; those jobs are just buying less.
Also what we consider to be "normal" has gradually trickled up. Homes are bigger and not surprisingly more expensive. We also fill our homes with all manner of expensive gadgets and electronics. People in 1970 did not have $150 a month IPhone and Blackberry packages or tv's that cost as much as a decent used car. As with anything else when the cost rises it means fewer people can afford it.
The above two reasons are the biggest issues at hand but a couple others are in my opinion notable.
Interesting credit and debt have also been factors, if smaller ones. I am under 30 and I distinctly remember a time when many stores and shops did not accept credit cards. Debit cards were still a dream for some time after that. It is pretty hard to rack up debt when you can't buy stuff on credit. Of course stores have had payment plans and such but not too long ago most people only borrowed money for homes and cars.
Along with the long period of Greenspanian artificially low interest rates, an explosion in home prices, Fanny, Freddie (and eventually derivatives) home mortgages as well as other debt started becoming more and more available to less and less qualified people. I guess when it started bankers were confident that the long and reliable increase in home prices made them getting their money back a sure deal. Later on bankers made their quick money and sold the loans off anyway.
Somewhere along the lines it became more socially acceptable to be further and further in debt. Home prices were a huge factor in this. Getting that 3 bedroom 2 bath with a decent yard got a lot more expensive, but it was still the dream. People used to have to wait until they could buy something or a reasonable person who was concerned about getting their money back (from them, not in general) would give a loan. For the reasons listed above the grip on reality in our economy loosened a bit and then just plain took a vacation for a couple years. Also to make matters even worse as it got more acceptable to be in debt the American Dream got even bigger.
So people were having a harder time and trying to reach bigger goals to boot. Also folks were were getting further into debt trying to get the American Dream. Somewhere along the line maybe a nice slightly idealistic idea turned into an unrealistic, unsustainable and warped vision of its former self, at least for some.
As Mayberry noted "EVERYONE is force fed the "American Dream" virtually from birth." Our parents, family, teachers and friends as well as the ever present media say this is a good thing and we should want it. I certainly would not say that (at least in the slightly more retro interpretation) it's not a nice idea. However sometimes the dream isn't for everyone, at least not today.
Tomorrow I will talk about defying the norms.
Posts
8 comments:
I absolutely agree. How glad I am that I took the red pill and ejected myself from the brainwashing of the matrix. One of the problems for folks like us, is once we disconnect, our spouses and family members don't want to come with us. They stubbornly refuse to accept the truth, reason, and evidence that flies in the face of what they "want to believe."
It's my belief that we would be far better off as a nation if everyone would realize we don't need all the crap we're told is vital. The worst in my personal life is the idea that non-namebrand stuff isn't good enough. At some point, we were convinced that if it isn't new or doesn't have the "right" label, it's crap or shameful. I'd rather have a home full of stuff I got on the cheap that gets the job done than be drowning in debt to keep up with the Jones'.
Great blog btw.
Lckychrmsrr, You may be interested in the rest of this post tomorrow. I had planned to write it in one day but it took longer than expected.
Glad you like it.
The problem isn't that the crap is vital. The problem is that we've been taught that the crap is a "Right".
Like, you know, I have a right to a cell phone, good job, nice house, free education and stuff...
It's maddening and will unfortunately be our demise if we're not careful.
Good article and agree that we are spoon feed by our government schools, TV, and such - that the American Dream is an entitled right.
It is not. The one thing they all forget to add is, is that you must work for it,must earn it, and cannot claim it from somebody else.
I think the easy availability of credit is the primary reason we as a country are in the fix we're in.
Status is the drug. Credit issuers are the pushers.
We are all led to believe that the biggest, brightest, shiniest new toy was the only thing that made us "worthy". The more bling, the better.
If you couldn't afford it, no problem! We'll just lend you the money at low, low monthly payments.
No concept of saving or earning. Just instant gratification.
Yes, 'we' as a society spend way too much on complete crap. Just take a look at what people are buying at Wal-Mart.
We have most of that and had it all, but sold our house last year to rent (excellent decision as the price of the house is still going down).
Houses were smaller in 1950, way smaller. We looked at a few before renting. The closets were also much smaller, and fewer of them, b/c as you not, people had (bought) a lot less stuff (they don't need).
Another thing about the American Dream in 1950 is that you'd have about 5 years of retirement bliss before death ;)
At any rate, someday we'll escape DC (meaning I'll find a job closer to home, or our 'retreat'). I'm pretty sure I can adapt a pole barn type structure into a nice looking and large home for about 1/3 the price.
We buy used cars a couple years old to reap the benefits of much lower prices but still reliable vehicles. And while we have a 35" TV, it was free of Craigslist (and works!).
Savings on all that being put towards firearms, survival items, improvements to the retreat, etc. It's working out well.
"EVERYONE is force fed the American Dream..."
Well, I guess I wasn't a normal kid and I didn't grow up in a normal family.
When I was a teenager (circa 1986) my dad sat me down and we had a quick father/daughter talk. My parents were public school teachers and we lived a comfortable life in a raised ranch in the suburbs. The talk went something like this:
"WW2 is over. You're not going to live better than me. Get used to that fact."
His voice was not filled with bitterness, anger or disappointment. He simply stated a fact. At first I was angry (plus baffled) and took on the "How dare you limit my possibilities" attitude. About a year later I calmed down. For the most part, he was right....over 20 years later. My dad studies history (especially military history) and obviously saw things coming down the pipeline that I could not due to my young age and lack of life experience. I am eternally grateful for his honesty. His "talk" made a tremendous impact on my life even though it was only a few sentences.
Hubby and I *may* live better than him in a few small ways, but overall we will probably not. I'm okay with that. Hubby and I know what's important in life and "stuff" isn't on the list.
BTW...great post. Very thought provoking.
Sam
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." and... free health care, and internet, and a cell phone, and a new car every other year, and a huge house in the suburbs with 5 bedrooms even though we only have 1.5 kids, and a swimming pool, and lots of money for a job where we don't actually produce anything but still get lots of time off, and...
We are 5% of the worlds population, and consume 25% of the worlds resources. To quote Dakin "we are all doomed".
The only solution for our lower/middle class family's survival is to own productive land, and have the preps to develop and protect it. Waiting until SHTF will be too late. Keeping up with the Jones's will only lead to disaster.
Post a Comment