The American Dream – Dead or Alive?

[earllogjam]

Did you ever know someone whose life was just "perfect" ? Someone who went to college, got married at age 23, found a great job with valuable stock options... Someone who settled down in a house in a nice city at age 25 or 26, started a family a year or two later, and who now seems to "Have it All"? Well, after World War II, this happened to JUST ABOUT EVERYONE in the Silent Generation, and it happen to MOST in the baby boomer generation, and it's happening to JUST ABOUT NO ONE in Generation X (those of us born from ~1965 to 1980).

In my grandparents generation, all you had to do was to go to college. In my parent's generation, you needed to go to college and become a successful professional. In my own generation, you need to co-found a startup company and be among the 10% of founders who can sell off the company or have an IPO. Do you notice something here? Yes, it's getting more and more difficult to be marginally successful in America. It seems much harder to reach a middle class existence today, even for a 2 income family.

Are the traditional paths to success - hard work, a degree, taking chances, saving and investing – not working any more? Is there a false sense of hope for our collective future with consumer debt at record highs, near zero savings rate for baby boomer retirements and a social security system which will be bankrupt in a few years? Not to mention the escalating cost of homes and living expenses across the country and the growing gap between the have’s and the have not’s in this country.

What is your version of the American Dream? Has it become a pipe dream?

 

[speshk]

Impeach Bush now.

 

[ohgoonthen]

Earl,

The simple answer is. It is dead.

The more complicated answer, is that America sold it to the rest of the world.

The problem in my crappy opinion is that capitalism (being driven by competition) cant afford to win.

The death of any real threat (USSR) and the cold war has made the USA treat not real threats (ie oil rich or strategic nations), as threats.

It doesn't take a genious to see that that the USA is going to start world war three just because you all cannot stop spending using consuming and generally fucking the world.

when 20% of the worlds population uses 80% of the worlds resources someone somewhere will get mightily pissed off.

What is it about that that your country doesnt get?

 

[earllogjam]

What is it about that that your country doesnt get?

Yes, we are like Britain after it lost it's Empire. Is history repeating?

 

[HazelGod]

What is it about that that your country doesnt get?

Fuck you very much, you ignorant asshat. Don't typecast the entire nation because half of the voters are retards.

 

[ohgoonthen]

I will repeat what I said.

It's not personal it's national.

Yes I may well be an asshole.

Doesn't really answer the question though.

 

[ohgoonthen]

Earl,

England was and still is a tiny tiny nation.

We don't consume as much as you rapachious people. I personally walk to work, as do most of my colleagues and as does most of the world.

Your country holds 20 % of the worlds population and it uses 80% of the world's resources.

Can you blame ANYONE who doesn't belong to the priveleged 20% for being pissed off with you all?

Thats the reality in the world today.

I have travelled a lot.

Beleive me Brits are hated too.

I may be an asswhatever but it doesn't make it any less real

 

[viking1]

Yes, I have noticed this, Earl. I said years ago that my generation would be the first to have things worse than our parents did. It's come to pass.

The American dream has always been a pipe dream for me. I was born poor, and had little if any moral support. I will, no doubt, die poor, and with no moral support. Nobody will give a rat's tail...

 

[vortex22222]

ohgoonthen,

You have a very good view. I hope that Gordon Brown can move away from Bush just enough to have an impact on his "I'm always right" attitude. Tony Blair never could do that.

Communication is now instant and the rest of the world is seeing what the USA and the UK have. They want part of it so, we make war to keep all of it.

 

[agnslz]

Earl,

England was and still is a tiny tiny nation.

We don't consume as much as you rapachious people. I personally walk to work, as do most of my colleagues and as does most of the world.

Your country holds 20 % of the worlds population and it uses 80% of the world's resources.

Can you blame ANYONE who doesn't belong to the priveleged 20% for being pissed off with you all?

Thats the reality in the world today.

I have travelled a lot.

Beleive me Brits are hated too.

I may be an asswhatever but it doesn't make it any less real

Where exactly are you getting your facts from? The U.S. has just over 300 million people, even a quick calculation in my mind tells me that's nowhere near 20% of the world total of over 6.5 billion. I also don't think your percentage for the amount of the world's resources we use is accurate. I don't know off-hand how much it is, but I don't think it's that high.

And I'm one American who walks everywhere I need to go on a daily basis.

 

[HazelGod]

Your country holds 20 % of the worlds population and it uses 80% of the world's resources.

Please provide the factual reference for this assertion, or politely shut the fuck up.

 

[agnslz]

ohgoonthen,

You have a very good view. I hope that Gordon Brown can move away from Bush just enough to have an impact on his "I'm always right" attitude. Tony Blair never could do that.

Communication is now instant and the rest of the world is seeing what the USA and the UK have. They want part of it so, we make war to keep all of it.

Aha! Now we get to the real crux of the reason why people outside the U.S. are offended by how much we have and how much we use: Jealousy and envy! In reality, the rest of the world isn't more virtuous than us in the United States, they just haven't been as fortunate to be as consumeristic and wasteful as we are.

 

[ohgoonthen]

Earl,

America has only just started growing an empire.

I will be called all sorts of nasty names. Fortunately I don't care. America already has an Empire. It might not have an Emperer but it does have an empire.

You dont just defend your own borders and you haven't since the 1960's.

The reason America does this is to keep you lucky 20% consuming 80% of the world's resources.

The world is getting fucked off with you all.

Take it from a BRIT. That's going to end in tears.

 

[agnslz]

Earl,

America has only just started growing an empire.

I will be called all sorts of nasty names. Fortunately I don't care. America already has an Empire. It might not have an Emperer but it does have an empire.

You dont just defend your own borders and you haven't since the 1960's.

The reason America does this is to keep you lucky 20% consuming 80% of the world's resources.

The world is getting fucked off with you all.

Take it from a BRIT. That's going to end in tears.

Okay, just a quick Google search for "How much of the world's resources does the United States use?" yielded this info from this site: The United States holds 5% of the world population and uses 25% of the world's resources. It also produces 25% of the world's pollution.

Nothing to be proud of, certainly, but not as bad as you are trying to make it.

 

[ohgoonthen]

aznslz,

I Have everything I could ever want.

I will live on this planet for a very short time.

I have no jealousy of you or your countrymen.

I don't want your lives. The things you are selling me are vacuuous and meaningless. Coca cola and Mcdonalds and drive in movies and baseball games and above all CONTESTS.



Why can you not accept as a nation that the world does not hold you in esteem any longer. The world in general sees you a malicious threat.
Economically socially and millitarily

 

[frizzle]

Just give china 5-10 years and America won't be a superpower anymore.

 

[viking1]

Just give china 5-10 years and America won't be a superpower anymore.

China is up and coming, for sure. I really don't think that America is a superpower now. We just don't quite realize it yet, but we've already fallen.

 

[B_capslock]

Fuck you very much, you ignorant asshat. Don't typecast the entire nation because half of the voters are retards.

Please keep this civil: this topic is too important to reduce to personal attacks. that being said.. I will point out that you are from texas.... :tongue:

 

[Principessa]

I will be called all sorts of nasty names. Fortunately I don't care. America already has an Empire. It might not have an Emperer but it does have an empire. Actually we do have an Emperor his name is George W. Bush and he has taken a slightly flawed democracy and turned it into a totalitarian regime.
You dont just defend your own borders and you haven't since the 1960's.
Why is this a problem for you personally?
The reason America does this is to keep you lucky 20% consuming 80% of the world's resources. The world is getting fucked off with you all.
Take it from a BRIT. That's going to end in tears.[/quote]
Bless your heart, precious. :smile: Why don't you go have a cup of tea instead of getting your knickers in a twist about the OP's question which really doesn't apply to you anyway.

I said years ago that my generation would be the first to have things worse than our parents did. It's come to pass.. Sad, but true.

We don't consume as much as you rapachious people. I personally walk to work, as do most of my colleagues and as does most of the world. Are you bragging or complaining it's hard to tell. :tongue: FYI - Most European countrys aren't as big as the state of Georgia. What is your point exactly?

Your country holds 20 % of the worlds population and it uses 80% of the world's resources. Thank you Ross Perot! :biggrin1:

Can you blame ANYONE who doesn't belong to the priveleged 20% for being pissed off with you all? Thats the reality in the world today. No, that's just your reality.

I have travelled a lot. So do you want an award?

Impeach Bush now.

From your lips to God's ears!

 

[agnslz]

aznslz,

I Have everything I could ever want.

I will live on this planet for a very short time.

I have no jealousy of you or your countrymen.

I don't want your lives. The things you are selling me are vacuuous and meaningless. Coca cola and Mcdonalds and drive in movies and baseball games and above all CONTESTS.



Why can you not accept as a nation that the world does not hold you in esteem any longer. The world in general sees you a malicious threat.
Economically socially and millitarily

Exactly. The world sees us as a threat and as competition because they want to be just like us. Duh! And don't give me that crap about Coca-Cola, McDonald's, and all the rest. Coca-Cola wouldn't be the world's number one soft drink if people weren't drinking it. McDonald's and other American companies wouldn't be in other countries if the people there didn't want them and weren't buying what they have to sell. Baseball is probably the world's second most popular sport. We aren't selling you shit. You are buying what we have because you like it! And when I say "you" I mean the rest of the world. Complain all you want, but you need to understand that most Americans don't give a shit about your worldview.