Waking up from the American Dream

Some of you may not like this.  But I'm a believer in the idea that somebody needs to talk about the way things actually are, and not 'spinning' or being 'politically correct'.  There is too much of that in our society and it flies in the face of common sense. That's another post I think.

The issues in America, from domestic terrorism, to gun violence and hate groups and racism, all share a common thread of cause to some degree - the fact that the American dream is dead, and yet no one has admitted this.  To be clear - I'm saying this is contributing factor, not the sole cause.  All of these issues are multifaceted, and some go back hundreds of years, but their continuing prevalence on the front pages in a seemingly healthy, prosperous society baffles unless you look a little deeper.

America is about three things fundamentally - freedom, democracy and capitalism.  These are worn as badges of honor at home and abroad.  Think of the justifications for any foreign policy moves in the last 50 years, and some mix of these three is at the core.  Americans are justifiably proud of the good that has been done in the name of these values.  But the challenge of the American Dream is that there are huge barriers to achieving it, and these barrier and higher and stronger than ever, and most have been erected and are enforced by the very people that overcame them.

1. The American Dream is a national ethos of the United States, a set of ideals in which freedom includes the opportunity for prosperity and success, and an upward social mobility for the family and children, achieved through hard work in a society with few barriers.

It's not simply about hard work and being bright - brighter even.  It's about the root theme that it's possible to accomplish this.  Any child born in the US can grow up to be President, anyone can be smart enough to seize opportunity and achieve wealth and power.  The beautiful thing about the American Dream is that it weaves together freedom, democracy and capitalism in a nationalistic apple pie, a wholesome vision of a personal manifest destiny.  But it doesn't acknowledge  that there groups in place that are very keen on you not realizing it.  They want to keep in place the symbols and structures to keep you down, and make sure you're a cog in the wheel and not the hub.  Those people control the institutions (South Carolina state house; CEO's with unearthly pay; the Koch brothers) and aren't keen on giving up the power that they have.  On the other end are those people that have been fed the American Dream since birth and are so frustrated and angry that it's not real, that they lose it.  There are your anti-government, NRA devout who want 'their America back', and they'll fight to get it.  The destruction of a black church, the killing sprees in public places and the Boston Marathon bombers amongst others were betrayed by their expectations of the American Dream.  Look at the homeless on the inner city streets, or in the heartland of America being fed the soylent green of 'the dream' while their jobs, futures and lives are economically decimated.

I'm not remotely suggesting anyone resorting to violence is correct in their actions, but I will go as far as suggesting that until there is widespread understanding that there has been a significant shift in the United States towards an established, old world style embedded power structure - at the cost of the reality and achievability of the American Dream - then we shall continue to see unease, unrest and violence from those that conclude that there has to be another course of actions to 'fix' America their own way.