Current Events > Most young Americans now believe American Dream is dead

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tremain07 posted...

The American dream is dead and capitalism killed it

To have a comfortable life you need education, education has been completely defunct in this country for a long time now ,Colleges costs have skyrocketed yet the knowledge the bestow isn't worth the costs, but that's okay because it's been a long open secret that you do not go to college to learn how to do things competently you go there to network and socialize with enough people that you're able to use your contacts to get a great position at some already big company right after graduation and in turn yourself can now grant that to other people willing to do anything, legal, non legal, financially, sexually, to entice you to vouch for them all while accumulating more wealth and power for yourself and your connections.

Or to learn not to type in run on sentences...

Because it mostly is and the rich and influential keep trying to destroy it.

TheMikh posted...

is it just me or does america seem to be increasingly resembling russia in the 90s

Russia represents everything the right wants America to be. White as snow, LGBTQ rights are in the dumpster, and their leader is a fascist dictator who has a stranglehold on the country and kills his dissenters.

They're all Russian simps

Didn't feel like watching the video. How is American dream defined?

Dark_Arbron posted...

Remember that great George Carlin quote?

There's also this newer one from Daniel tosh:
Its called the American dream for a reason. Its unrealistic. Its not gonna happen for everyone.

I just wish we had something to look forward to.

tripleh213 posted...

I just wish we had something to look forward to.

Like what?
What do you think people looked forward to in the past?

emblem-man posted...

Like what?
What do you think people looked forward to in the past?

Being able to comfortably afford a home off of a single income, instead of barely making rent with two I guess

RchHomieQuanChi posted...

you're missing my point

i'm referring to being sold the ideal of neoliberalism; the national treasury looted by transnational capital; commodification of formerly state/community/social institutions by private interests; currency devaluation; entire industries falling into the hands of individuals that leverage significant political and economic power and live in their own bubbles isolated from the ground situation; collapse of industrial base; socioeconomic malaise incl. rising real poverty, unemployment, drug abuse, alcoholism, decreasing life expectancy, general air of hopelessness despite believing in some abstract idea of liberal democracy; rising criminality - organized and unorganized - with impunity; state bureaucracies being run like crime syndicates; diminished geopolitical leverage; political fragmentation; ...

MyMainAccount posted...

My current dream is that people would stop doomposting in an attempt to suppress election turnout.

Well it's the only way trump can win so makes sense TC would post it

emblem-man posted...

Like what?
What do you think people looked forward to in the past?

Affordable housing for one.
Capitalism really screwed us all.

So what you are telling me is young Americans have woke up and realized they are broke?

TheMikh posted...

you're missing my point

i'm referring to being sold the ideal of neoliberalism; the national treasury looted by transnational capital; commodification of formerly state/community/social institutions by private interests; currency devaluation; entire industries falling into the hands of individuals that leverage significant political and economic power and live in their own bubbles isolated from the ground situation; collapse of industrial base; socioeconomic malaise incl. rising real poverty, unemployment, drug abuse, alcoholism, decreasing life expectancy, general air of hopelessness despite believing in some abstract idea of liberal democracy; rising criminality - organized and unorganized - with impunity; state bureaucracies being run like crime syndicates; diminished geopolitical leverage; political fragmentation; ...

While most of this is true, especially the parts related to neoliberalism, we're nowhere near as abject as they were on most of these metrics. Their society damn near disintegrated and many people wished for the Soviet Union back.

Ive never lived my life basing it off of some supposed dream, Ive always did what I wanted my life to be, if I didnt have what I wanted I simply worked harder and smarterlong story short - live your life based on what you want, theres nobody responsible for your choices.

fsurb28 posted...

Ive never lived my life basing it off of some supposed dream, Ive always did what I wanted my life to be, if I didnt have what I wanted I simply worked harder and smarterlong story short - live your life based on what you want, theres nobody responsible for your choices.

Oh stop it.

RchHomieQuanChi posted...

Oh stop it.

Try again

itcheyness posted...

Do you know why it's called the American Dream?

Because you'd have to be asleep to believe it.

Im currently living said dream now but even before I was crawling myself up from the bottom I thought that was the most defeatist crap Ive ever heard in my life.

fsurb28 posted...

Ive never lived my life basing it off of some supposed dream, Ive always did what I wanted my life to be,

That sounds a lot like a rephrase of 'following a dream'.

if I didnt have what I wanted I simply worked harder and smarter

Bootstraps bromide.

long story short - live your life based on what you want,

So, follow your dream, basically.

theres nobody responsible for your choices.

But there are plenty who may limit them.

ai123 posted...

That sounds a lot like a rephrase of 'following a dream'.

Bootstraps bromide.

So, follow your dream, basically.

But there are plenty who may limit them.

Try re reading and comprehending, its not hard.

Prismsblade posted...

Im currently living said dream now but even before I was crawling myself up from the bottom I thought that was the most defeatist crap Ive ever heard in my life.

Lots of people have been rock bottom, fought as hard as they could, and failed. Capitalism is not the "anyone can succeed if they're determined!" merit-based system you think it is.

fsurb28 posted...

Try re reading and comprehending, its not hard.

Your stock response missed the mark even more than your trite attempt to puff yourself up.

Conservatives generally hate when you point out real problems because it reminds them that the world doesn't quite work out like the fantasy land they've had in their heads since kids.

Notice how their "solutions" to problems always involve either pushing them somewhere where they can't see them or telling people to pretend like they don't exist?

"Nice car, sir!"
"It is. And maybe someday, if you work hard enough and give to the company family, I might have a second one."

Prismsblade posted...

Im currently living said dream now but even before I was crawling myself up from the bottom I thought that was the most defeatist crap Ive ever heard in my life.

I'm living it too, that doesn't mean it's a real thing that most people can attain through "effort" or making good choices. Any little thing could have derailed me. Despite all the effort I put in, if I lost my job today and couldn't find another one within 3 months, I'd be just as screwed as anyone else.

Structural things determine your access to the "Dream" far more than anything any individual does. The global geopolitical economic system, union strength in your country, laws, the labor market, interest rates, infrastructure, the education system, economic class, social class, who your parents are and how they fit into all this, all of that could have swept you off your feet before you even got started. And it does to most people. Let's be realistic here, you say you crawled up from the bottom? What was more likely, you being where you are, or you staying at the bottom?
.

ai123 posted...

Your stock response missed the mark even more than your trite attempt to puff yourself up.

So please tell me how Im attempting to puff myself up by saying I control my life, Im dieing to hear it

Dark_Arbron posted...

To clarify I didn't say the Dems were as bad as Repubs in that regard. They never are, and of course, as you said the huge leaps "forward" were all made by Republican presidents. But I stand by what I said that the rich being unaccountable and having too much influence over policy is a bipartisan value. One of few. It's not going to go away no matter how much the Republican party disintegrates. That's why the theory is that if the GOP ever disappears, the Democrats would split into the establishment and progressive.

I'd kill for that to be the two parties, instead of fascism and not fascism.

Reminds me of the congressional hearing when a big CEO was called out for paying wages that were below living standards - an employee categorically was living their existence in debt based on the city they were working in, raising a child, living in a home, paying bills & transportation, etc.
CEO retorted that person could one day eventually become a CEO themselves.

That's the American Dream - money is the win & all else is collateral.

RchHomieQuanChi posted...

Conservatives generally hate when you point out real problems because it reminds them that the world doesn't quite work out like the fantasy land they've had in their heads since kids.

Their fantasy is to inherit a 1% lottery life, & everyone else is a serf, who should stfu & like it... & to the real whiners, serve them religious bs to mask their scam.

Dusty's been dead since 2015.

Bishop_Hastur posted...

Dusty's been dead since 2015.

But hard times are still here.

Dark_Arbron posted...

Lots of people have been rock bottom, fought as hard as they could, and failed. Capitalism is not the "anyone can succeed if they're determined!" merit-based system you think it is.

I completely agree, and I say that as somebody who has done very well out of coming from nothing. As has already been mentioned, nobody gets to be successful on hard work alone.

What is the dream anyway? Money?

People moved on from materialism. Sorry corporations.

The American Dream has always been a pyramid scheme

legendary_zell posted...

i'd very much agree that the situation was much worse across the board, though the parallels/echoes are difficult to ignore.

Euripides posted...

The American Dream has always been a pyramid scheme

And propaganda to trick people into making personal sacrifices for "the company" in the form of unpaid overtime and taking on duties beyond their job description.

Generations are getting more and more entitled. Then quickly realize they're nothing, at the mercy of corporate overlords who want them to have just enough to be semi-content slaves until retirement.

LeoRavus posted...

Generations are getting more and more entitled. Then quickly realize they're nothing, at the mercy of corporate overlords who want them to have just enough to be semi-content slaves until retirement.

You're not very entitled if you're at the mercy of systems of oppression.

This is why it's an absolute gift to corporate interests when politics becomes more about cultural issues than class issues.

This used to be a country that had a strong middle class owing to strong unions that gave regular workers real bargaining power. That's been chipped away at and labor has been systematically devalued for decades. That's great for stock prices but it creates a situation where rewards of a growing economy disproportionately go to the investor class over the people actually doing the work.

Dark_Arbron posted...

Lots of people have been rock bottom, fought as hard as they could, and failed. Capitalism is not the "anyone can succeed if they're determined!" merit-based system you think it is.

You're confusing capitalism for life. Where you can do everything right and still lose or come up sort due to factors or things outside of yours or anyones control.

Regardless if someone generally thinks its hopeless and to give up then thats fine and they can be written off. But Ive personally have never heard of anyone rising that possessed a negative mindset on the matter.

This country might never recover economically from Trump's response to COVID.

Realizing it doesn't exist is the first step to working towards making something better.

there isn't much hope all we can do is make someone like Trump doesn't get elected and make things worse and 2nd time

Dark_Arbron posted...

The abolition of the Republican Party wouldnt magically fix everything. Looking after the rich is one of few truly bipartisan interests.

it would help the struggling americans tho Dems would raise the min wage probably to 30 dollars and raise tax on the rich aswell

almost every single person i know thats remotely near my age, either lives with their parents (mid 20s - mid 30s), or fled to more impoverished states

what dream

Americans need to move to other countries there is a lot of opportunities and very little investment required on your part

josifrees posted...

Americans need to move to other countries there is a lot of opportunities and very little investment required on your part

If I remembered all the ex-pats on the board, I would @ them for you.

Moving to another country to live and work is not cheap nor easy. At all.

It's definitely dead unless you're a mall in NJ

Probably because they're working full time, and can't afford rent+bills+food.

I'm working 60 to 70 hours a week and getting paid garbage for it

I don't even have time to buy myself luxury shit and I still can't actually grow my bank account