Make America Great Again? America Was Never Great (according to Chomsky)

Why is the American Dream Revolved Around Money?

In Chomsky`s,  Requiem for the American Dream, he refers back to key historical events to back up his main points, that the American Dream is dead and it is only revolved around money and power. 

When I first read this book, I did not quite get the connection and relevance between his context and the American Dream. It seemed as if he was just talking about history and ridiculing it. Looking back at it multiple times, I understand why he presents it like this; to build up his background information, assert his claim and relate it to current events. One of his main principles was to "Shape Ideology". He mentions the Powell Referendum (background information) to link it to an idea that businesses use their money and power to "beat back this democratizing way" (claim- pg. 22). He then goes on with talking about education and indoctrination. Chomsky mentions how students who go to college end up in a trap, of debt and work. As I remember from the beginning of the chapter, he mentions that "universities" are part of the "raving leftists"(pg. 22). Though it was very difficult for me to understand the purpose, I like how Chomsky sets his book us for the readers to think and in a sense, connect the dots.

Referring back to his example, as college students, we will or already have been placed in this trap and it does limit us from achieving the American Dream. If the only thing we are focused on is paying our debt, then how can we live a comfortable life? If you think about it, the American Dream will only be what it is a dream because we will not have the time and money to buy that house or help organizations. Another question that came to mine when reading this was, why do businesses see colleges as a threat? What are they afraid of? College students are only speaking on what they think is right, what they believe in. This idea of businesses and money has also reminded me of businesses that solely depend on students and education. Companies such as the AP college board get millions of dollars every year from students paying for a test. Though we do get credit for college when we pass, why does it cost $90 for one test and every year it seems to increase more and more? Even in education, everything is about money.

When I think about US History, I think about progress, development and moving forward from past mistakes. When Chomsky thinks about US history, he finds flaws and wrongdoings in America`s actions. Yes, he is not completely incorrect but he backlashes and gives an opinion about a part of history that I would have never thought of before. For example, in the "Sins of American Society" (pg. 6-7), Chomsky mention that even though America was on its way to independence, which many people will say is a good thing, he mentions a major driving force was so that slavery would not be outlawed by the British. He talks about the "progress" of this issue by bringing up how slavery was abolished, but not really. In history class, you only learn the general information of the United States, but not to the point where you begin to question every action. Chomsky goes further in depth to correlate America`s history for the purpose of strengthening his view on the American Dream. I would have never looked at history in that perspective but Chomsky does a good job at emphasizing this. Isn't that what argument is about? To learn about different perspectives?

Personally, Chomsky`s writing was challenging but very informative and in some aspect true. Using a lot of historical evidence (ethos) only helps him prove his points. I liked how he alternates the book pages color from green to off-white to accentuate the color of money and to separate his main points (off-white) and evidence (green). From his arguments about universities to business offshoring, they all are major aspects that actually affect the American Dream that many people, including me, were never aware of.