The Two-Sided Dream

There are many aspects in the American Dream that we want to achieve. Many people have their own individual goals, like buying their own home, and then separate goals for the hope of a better future  and to solve the bigger problems in the world such as poverty. In USC professor Walter Fisher`s scholar paper "Reaffirmation and Subversion of the American Dream", he discusses how ordinary people were influenced to choose their next president during the 1972 election not based on the actions of the candidates, but their take on the American Dream.

Fisher claims that there are two sides of the American Dream, the materialistic and the moralistic. He quotes one of his colleagues who states that Lincoln was able to achieve the whole dream, "the rags to riches materialistic myth of individual success and the egalitarian moralistic myth of brotherhood." (pg. 114).  In the 1972 election, Nixon resembled the materialistic side and McGovern represented the moralistic. In this time period, people wanted to prioritize their own ambitions and self-success rather than having that "arousal of guilt" (pg. 115). Fisher wants to show that the American Dream is complex. It is hard to fully achieve because there are so many things we want to get done. Sometimes we tend to go to one side based on our morals and self instinct. Do we want to thrive and achieve our own dreams or help others? It is really hard to decide but that is why the American Dream is always present. It`s meaning and purpose can always change throughout time. In 2017, I believe that this idea of the two-sided American Dream is still present but most of the time we are sided more on the materialistic side, especially the president and government.  Fisher states that the materialistic side is "compassionless and self centered and encourages manipulation and leads to exploitation" (pg. 114). I   can only think of how Trump and his administration have done numerous things to show how materialistic they are. From trying to abolish the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) to denying climate change and the importance to taking action to prevent it, they don't seem to care for others.  It isn't only evident in the government but in our everyday lives. We get so caught up with having the latest iPhone and car that some of them have been considered "necessary" in our lives.

Fisher also claims that America is driven by the American Dream and it would be nothing without it. He states that "America needs heroes and rituals, presidents and elections, to signify her whole meaning- moralistic and materialistic; she requires symbols that her citizens can identify with..." (pg. 120). Fisher is trying to say that Nixon and McGovern`s way of attracting voters though the idea of the American dream is a way to keep the public interested and appealed to them. There is always that sense of hope that lightens up everyone. In today`s society, firefighters and police officers are symbols to the American people because of their hard work and dedication to helping and saving others. In times of crisis, such as the Las Vegas shooting and Northern California fires, they go out of their way to do their job effectively and efficiently. The symbols don't necessarily have to be a president or leader in a movement but can also be an ordinary individual who helps make the world a better place.

It is evident that there are two sides to the American Dream, the materialistic and moralistic but it is important to take both in consideration.

American Values and Assumptions

In Gary Althens, American Values and Assumptions, Athen informs foreigners about the typical practices and beliefs Americans hold. Individualism, freedom and materialism are some of the few words that define their values. Even though Althen`s primary audience were foreigners, I found this reading interesting because it made me realize how Americans stand out in the world. As an individual who`s lived in three different countries, my values are a bit different but I have learned to adapt to these American values as well.

Athen`s states that "the most important thing to understand about Americans is their devotion to individualism" and that "they`re not trained to see themselves as members of close knit family" (pg. 7). Individualism is important in America because there has always been a strong belief in creating your own path and doing what is best for you. Many Americans believe it is important to teach children lessons when they are young and to let them be independent. In Filipino culture, everything is correlated with family. I think one of the reasons why is because our families are so big and our instinct is always to help one another out. Family does not only mean mom, dad and siblings but it also extends to relatives and family friends. Whenever someone in the family would eat out, everyone had to be invited so there weren't any hard feelings. I was not necessarily raised to not praise individualism but I was always surrounded by an environment which emphasized importance of family. As I grew older, I began to become more independent. I had the choice of choosing my own major and college to attend but family was still a major factor in my decisions. Because family is so important to me, I feel like everything I do is to make them proud and a way to give back to all the sacrifices they made. I try to be more individualistic but sometimes it just doesn't feel right. I do believe individualism is important because it makes you more independent and to not have to rely on others in the future and learn the hard way.

One value that I can relate to is competition. Athen states that "competition pervades in the country" (pg. 9) and everyone is trying to "maintain their superiority" (10) by doing so. As Americans, we try to be the best in everything. The US is known to be one of the super powers in the world because of our leadership and dedication to be at the top. From sending the first man to the moon and creating many new gadgets, America surely enjoys competition and getting praise. Not only does competition prevail on a global level but also in schools and everyday life. In high school, my classmates were continuously fighting over the valedictorian spot, taking all AP classes and trying to getting perfect scores on the SATs. Most of my classmates were all talking about school and grades and there never seemed to be any fun. Since I was surrounded in such a competitive environment, I felt like I also had to do my best to catch up with everyone else because then I would not fit in. In a way, this influenced me to do better and always challenge myself but I never liked the feeling of always trying to "one-upping" others, especially friends. Competition helps us set high standards for ourselves so we can dream big and work even harder.