Isn't this answer a wonderful explanation of how Americans respond as they begin to doubt the American Dream?

Question

We were raised to believe that we are the greatest country in world history, that our country has never done anything wrong, that we always stand up for the downtrodden, and so forth. Further (and even more dangerous) we are trained to believe that we as a culture and each of us individually is capable of accomplishing anything we choose to do, with no help from anyone else.

This leads inevitably to a personal crisis for every American, whether consciously or unconsciously. Eventually, it dawns on each of us that history doesn't bear out the great story we've been told, and that America has as much blood and contradiction on its hands as any nation. If thoughts like these are repressed for too long, the fundamental American egocentrism is compounded--after all, what could be more egocentric than to continue to believe whatever story you like in the face of all evidence to the contrary?

Some of us call it "waking up from the American Dream" (and we're none too popular with our countrymen who prefer to sleep through it).

Answer 1

Why do you think we "...were raised to believe that we are the greatest country in world history, that our country has never done anything wrong, that we always stand up for the downtrodden..."?

I was never raised to believe that.

Perhaps, you were?

HTH

Charles

Answer 2

Good analysis, although I'm not sure about the statement:
"If thoughts like these are repressed for too long, the fundamental American egocentrism is compounded"
I'm largely unfamiliar with the psychology of repression, but I would be surprised if internally holding two contradictory ideas would necessarily intensify the outward expression of one of them. Maybe it would. I don't know.

To speak from my own experience, I was a kid during the first Desert Storm conflict. I remember vividly seeing people at a football game going ape-sh*t, waving a huge American flag over the railing, all to Lee Greenwood's 'God Bless the USA'. I remember feeling a sense of absolute correctness, perfect good (the US) against perfect evil (whoever we were fighting over there, for whatever reson) when I saw them. A few years later, I saw footage of a Hitler youth rally, and realized it was the exact same thing: extremely ignorant jingoism, both mine and those flag-waving "adults".

I agree that telling kids "you can be anything you want to be" is dishonest in the extreme, and not at all helpful to their lives in the long run. However, I don't know if the alternative (revealing the harsh realities of racial, class, gender, and genetic inequality) would be any more helpful.

Answer 3

The man who is directly responsible for allowing Cambodia's killing fields to happen is the man who undermined its goverment by expanding the Vietnam War there, Richard Nixon. The man -- I'm being loose with the language here -- responsible for all the deaths in Iraq since March 18, 2003 is George W. Bush. There was no al-Qaeda presence before he went in. No one here likes Saddam Hussein, but he was keeping the real enemy, al-Qaeda, out of Iraq. Now they're in.

Liberals don't want to surrender. We want to take our troops out from where they're dying for nothing and send them where the real terrorists are, Afghanistan and Pakistan. You remember Osama bin Laden, don't you? The man who actually ordered the 9/11 hit? Iraq had nothing to do with that. Bush promised to get him, dead or alive. Well, where is he?
The name doesn't hold power. However, he is a perfect example of how to misuse the power he has been given to govern the US. He should have told the truth about his plans for Iraq in the beginning and then let the people decide what should or should not be done. I have not yet heard anything about any members of congress or the senate volunteering to leave their families behind to go fight in Iraq. If they believed in it so much, why didn't they lead the charge? President Kennedy directly challenged Castro that if he didn't back down he would lead his Navy against him.....People around the world had alot of respect for America after 2nd world war........but that has changed.!!!!!!!!!!!

After 9/11 USA had a chance to right it's wrongs....but failed to do so ...it needed someone like JFK as leader.

Answer 4

The american dream is alive and well. What is happening though is that as more and more gvt benefits are passed and this country becomes increasingly socialistic, americans are beginning to become a society of entitlement. Instead of relying on their own hard work and personal accomplishments americans are being conditioned to turn to the gvt to solve all their problems and save them from themselves. Look at the mortgage situation right now as a perfect example. What right do people that got into bad loans they couldnt afford, with their eyes wide open to the terms of that loan, have to whine to the gvt to bail them out and then proclaim the american dream is over just because they got greedy and bought a house they couldnt afford at the time.
The american dream has nothing to do with the history of this nation. It is has to do with the fact that this is indeed a land of opportunity and if you make smart choices and take responsibility for your own lives then you can make a decent life for you and your family.

Answer 5

united states of america today is an boastful, bullying EMPIRE attempting to democratize the international and positioned an end to tyranny by the barrel of a gun - owing to GWB and his neocon plus heretical christian zionist henchman. we've over 750 militia bases scattered by some a hundred and forty countries international extensive, such as a NATO alliance with article 5 that would desire to drag us into greater conflict at a moments word. this is not any longer what our Founding Fathers needed, and actual they counselled in comparison very subject. yet like various previous empires in historic previous, we are going to be bankrupt till now too long ! a stable e book to examine is Thomas E. wood's "The Politically incorrect instruction manual to American historic previous." additionally various ideal e book titles via Pat Buchanan.

Answer 6

..."what could be more egocentric than to continue to believe whatever story you like in the face of all evidence to the contrary?"...

In this counrty we have freedoms that allow us to believe how we choose. If someone chooses to believe in God and Country, then fine. If they choose to trash God and Counrty, then they can do so without fear of being arrested and imprisoned or even put to death.

And if they wake up from the American dream and find themselves in a funk about it all...they are free to leave .... Blessings!

Answer 7

It's decent.

It will definitely not get a good response from those who think this country can do no wrong and that americans somehow are superior to every other nation.

Answer 8

Most nations, imo, seem to be denial of the bad things they have done. The ones who haven't "done much" as they were small and so couldn't push others around can be rather self-righteous.

Answer 9

Most people don't wake up. And, this has put us in the problems that we currently face.