the American Dream

I am so tired of hearing people say 1) there is no such thing as the American Dream 2) not everyone who is qualified can succeed 3) the only means of success are being in a movie, being a millionaire, owning your own company or some other crap like that. Yes, if you think the American Dream means that every person has the exact opportunity as every other person, you are right to say the American Dream is false! That’s the problem with people today, though, thinking that equal means exact. But guess what, that’s not what the American Dream means. To me, the American Dream can be different for everyone, because everyone’s goals -- aka definition of success -- are different. It means that those who work hard, and I mean really sacrifice, will succeed – but THEY get to decide what successful is, whether that’s starring in a movie or simply putting food on the table.
The American Dream never promised that you would be good at what you did or that everyone would buy your product or watch your movie. But it did and still does mean if you want to be a baker, you can be a baker. You might not make the world tastiest bread, but you can still be a baker.
I don’t mean it won’t be hard. I also don’t think that people who are in poverty, or just people who could use a little more money, aren’t trying hard enough. But I do think people who cry about not having any opportunities to succeed just need to change their perspective about what success is.
Maybe if the world would stop trying so hard to give people an excuse to give up (“because you’re never going to make it anyway because of your race, gender, class, social upbringing, education, etc etc”) or stop forcing people to compare themselves to others (this is what car Brad Pitt drives, what makeup Paris Hilton wears, what clothes Kate Moss wears) and just redefine what success is (being an honest person, having a good work ethic, trying your hardest, being a good friend, parent, wife, husband, daughter, son..) we wouldn’t be discussing who’s poor and who’s rich.
Plus, who ever said the American Dream was just about money? According to our forefathers, it means "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." The American Dream means you as a person have the right to live how and where you want. You have the freedom to study what you want, believe in whatever religion you want, and pursue whatever goals you have. And I’d say that’s pretty sweet.