I was driving around earlier this week enjoying rare 75 degree autumn temperatures when I passed a smart car. They are so different from all the other cars out there and I began to think about how cars have evolved since they were first mass marketed. I also started to think about how the American Dream of owning a car has evolved.
The end of World War II brought thousands of servicemen back home. They landed decent paying jobs; the new jobs generated money, and money generated a new consumerism. A common expression of that consumerism was a car. According to The Great American Dream Machines: Classic Cars by Jay Hirsch, the car has represented the ultimate symbol of power, status, and success for decades. I am not much of a car enthusiast but my husband is. I decided to ask him for his perspective on the American Dream of cars.
Eric believes the American Dream used to be every family would own a car, but the dream has now evolved to every person (of driving age) owning a car. While he believes owning a car is an attainable part of the dream, he said there are people who consider the dream to be not just any car, but a very nice car. “There are trends of trading in cars more frequently and financing cars. People don’t pay in cash and they don’t keep the car as long. People always want something better.” I asked him would like a better car. He was able to provide me with a list of cars from an AUDI RS5 (retail $80,000) to a McLaren F1 (retail $1 million)! Fortunately he added, “While I do have it as a goal, I don’t know where it would really fit into things and I would never actually consider buying cars like that unless I had an excess of cash.”
While some people follow the practical path Eric does, others do get a car out of their price range. He says that wanting a nice car can cause people to get a better car than what they could actually afford. Lenders are also trying to attract customers who otherwise wouldn’t be able to get the vehicles. “They now offer 72 month loans, which never existed before.”
I agree with all of the beliefs and ideas Eric expressed. Maybe that is why I married him! The American Dream does seem to now be every individual having a car instead of just one per family. A 2006 Media Index study published by The Nielsen Company reveals, nearly nine in ten Americans claim to own a car, representing 190.3 million people, making the USA the world's largest in terms of car penetration and absolute numbers. http://my.nielsen.com/news/20070529.shtml
I also believe people may try to get a nicer car than what they could or should afford. According to the Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics, car ownership costs are the second largest household expense in the U.S. In fact, the average household spends almost as much on their cars as they do on food and health care combined for their entire family. http://www.bikesatwork.com/carfree/cost-of-car-ownership.html
I think that an average hard working person can achieve the American Dream of a car, but not everyone will be able to get their dream car. People spend a fair amount of time in their car and want to enjoy that time. However, some people may need a closer look at their version of the American Dream.
While I may never love of cars the way my husband does, I definitely enjoy having a car and will be taking advantage of the nice weather for as long a possible.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Friday, October 24, 2008
The Family Meal
Pleasantville is one of my favorite movies. Two modern American teenagers are sucked into their television set and end up living in a black-and-white fifties sitcom. One of my favorite scenes is the morning breakfast. Mom wears pearls, high heels, and a pretty dress as she cooks a "nourishing" breakfast of blueberry pancakes, waffles, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, and ham steak. You see the disgust of the modern teenager as she realizes what meals are like for the “traditional fifties family.”
While the scene is satirical of the 1950s family, I always remember thinking one of the aspects of the classic American Dream was the family who gathered around the table for their meal. Realizing I have not had a single meal with my husband this week due to our busy schedules, I decided to find out how attainable the family dinner was.
I surveyed some of my classes this week and 35 out of 91 students eat dinner with their family at least three times a week. One of my students, Chrissy, explained a bit about her parents’ dream.
“We have to eat dinner together; we don’t get a choice.” Her parents made a rule requiring all five of them to sit down to dinner every night. They have to eat at their kitchen table and are not allowed to text, watch TV, or leave early. “My parents believe strongly in family time. Sometimes it is ok, but sometimes it is annoying.” Chrissy told me it is not always easy to get all of the family together. Her mom took a new job a few months ago and has longer hours. The family pushed dinner one hour later rather than amend their rule. I asked her if she would have a rule like that if she ever had kids. “Probably…yeah. Even though I hate it at times, it has meaning. I talk to my parents more because of it.”
While I think the concept is great, I would not consider this aspect of the American Dream attainable for everyone. Having two working parents and very few nine to five jobs would make it difficult for many families to eat at the same time. According to the Employment Policy Foundation's Center for Work and Family Balance, in 1940, 66 percent of working households consisted of single-earner married couples. By 2000, that percentage had dropped to less than 25 percent. By 2030, the center estimates, a mere 17 percent of households will conform to the traditional "Ozzie and Harriet" model. In addition to working parents, many children have activities, homework, or social engagements that can make family time difficult.
I think the family meal may not be completely attainable, but it is something that should be strived for. Having parents and children talk to each other and build stronger relationships is beneficial. Family involvement is crucial to a child’s development and meal times, like Chrissy’s family has, are a great way to achieve it. An ABC News story, Family Dinner Linked to Better Grades for Teens, found “teens having family dinners five or more times a week were 42 percent less likely to drink alcohol, 59 percent less likely to smoke cigarettes, and 66 percent less likely to try marijuana.”
http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/Health/story?id=1123055&page=1
When I have children, I hope I will achieve the American Dream of the family dinner the way Chrissy’s family has. For now, I will settle for getting to eat with my husband this weekend and watching the movie, Pleasantville.
While the scene is satirical of the 1950s family, I always remember thinking one of the aspects of the classic American Dream was the family who gathered around the table for their meal. Realizing I have not had a single meal with my husband this week due to our busy schedules, I decided to find out how attainable the family dinner was.
I surveyed some of my classes this week and 35 out of 91 students eat dinner with their family at least three times a week. One of my students, Chrissy, explained a bit about her parents’ dream.
“We have to eat dinner together; we don’t get a choice.” Her parents made a rule requiring all five of them to sit down to dinner every night. They have to eat at their kitchen table and are not allowed to text, watch TV, or leave early. “My parents believe strongly in family time. Sometimes it is ok, but sometimes it is annoying.” Chrissy told me it is not always easy to get all of the family together. Her mom took a new job a few months ago and has longer hours. The family pushed dinner one hour later rather than amend their rule. I asked her if she would have a rule like that if she ever had kids. “Probably…yeah. Even though I hate it at times, it has meaning. I talk to my parents more because of it.”
While I think the concept is great, I would not consider this aspect of the American Dream attainable for everyone. Having two working parents and very few nine to five jobs would make it difficult for many families to eat at the same time. According to the Employment Policy Foundation's Center for Work and Family Balance, in 1940, 66 percent of working households consisted of single-earner married couples. By 2000, that percentage had dropped to less than 25 percent. By 2030, the center estimates, a mere 17 percent of households will conform to the traditional "Ozzie and Harriet" model. In addition to working parents, many children have activities, homework, or social engagements that can make family time difficult.
I think the family meal may not be completely attainable, but it is something that should be strived for. Having parents and children talk to each other and build stronger relationships is beneficial. Family involvement is crucial to a child’s development and meal times, like Chrissy’s family has, are a great way to achieve it. An ABC News story, Family Dinner Linked to Better Grades for Teens, found “teens having family dinners five or more times a week were 42 percent less likely to drink alcohol, 59 percent less likely to smoke cigarettes, and 66 percent less likely to try marijuana.”
http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/Health/story?id=1123055&page=1
When I have children, I hope I will achieve the American Dream of the family dinner the way Chrissy’s family has. For now, I will settle for getting to eat with my husband this weekend and watching the movie, Pleasantville.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Democracy Dream
The American Dream has come to represent the attainment of a myriad of goals specific to each individual. Whatever the individual goal may be, the pursuit of it is provided by Democracy. With the presidential debates this week and the election approaching, I decided to speak to our high school government teachers about their views on Democracy. Their definition of the American Dream was the ability to work in the established system and achieve reasonable goals allowing them to leave a legacy for their children. Democracy allows them to get involved and make a positive change leaving things better than when they started.
While they agree Democracy allows you to pursue the American Dream, they feel it is more difficult to achieve the dream than it used to be. They felt hard work used to be worth more. Now you need additional connections in the system to get something accomplished.
I can understand their point of view, especially with the spotlight on earmarks during the presidential campaigns. I read an article in the Post Chronicle arguing Senator Obama helped out the corporation of his wife's first cousin. The article insinuates the corporation only received money because of its connection to Obama. It ignores whether the project was or was not deserving. The “You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours” mentality has left many people with a negative impression of the government and democratic practices. My colleagues did say they felt their view was skewed by the recent problems of the economy and so many negative ads during campaigning.
While I do believe connections and other unfair advantages affect Democracy, I still believe the American Dream is very achievable in Democracy. Their negativity may have pushed me to a positive slant. I have enjoyed watching Democracy at work with the debates this week. I think it is wonderful that Americans have the ability to use their freedoms to partake in the Democratic process and vote for a new leader. We may not see a “Mr. Smith goes to Washington” story every week, but an individual can still make a difference in the world. Frank Capra and I wish you well on living your American Dream and enjoying all the goals Democracy enables you to pursue.
While they agree Democracy allows you to pursue the American Dream, they feel it is more difficult to achieve the dream than it used to be. They felt hard work used to be worth more. Now you need additional connections in the system to get something accomplished.
I can understand their point of view, especially with the spotlight on earmarks during the presidential campaigns. I read an article in the Post Chronicle arguing Senator Obama helped out the corporation of his wife's first cousin. The article insinuates the corporation only received money because of its connection to Obama. It ignores whether the project was or was not deserving. The “You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours” mentality has left many people with a negative impression of the government and democratic practices. My colleagues did say they felt their view was skewed by the recent problems of the economy and so many negative ads during campaigning.
While I do believe connections and other unfair advantages affect Democracy, I still believe the American Dream is very achievable in Democracy. Their negativity may have pushed me to a positive slant. I have enjoyed watching Democracy at work with the debates this week. I think it is wonderful that Americans have the ability to use their freedoms to partake in the Democratic process and vote for a new leader. We may not see a “Mr. Smith goes to Washington” story every week, but an individual can still make a difference in the world. Frank Capra and I wish you well on living your American Dream and enjoying all the goals Democracy enables you to pursue.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Housing Dream
I have been shoveling snow from driveways since I was nine. I have scraped frost from the windows of my car for over a decade. Not until last year did I live in a house that had a garage. Heavenly! I cannot describe the joy of walking to your car and knowing it is ready to drive. No warm up time, no scraping windows, no shoveling snow (A jeep can roll over up to three inches of snow.). I remember feeling very lucky to have a garage, but I never considered it part of The American Dream until I talked to one of my colleagues. He is currently house hunting, so I decided he would have some great ideas for my topic this week.
He conveyed the American Dream of a nice house and a two car garage. (I hadn’t included a garage in my dream at all, let alone one that fits two cars!) “Garages are very important to a nice house,” he explained, “People want status and nice houses are a big part of that.” He purchased his first home thirteen years ago at age 27. Costing $19K, it was a major fixer-upper but had a nice yard and garage. He said, “It (owning a nice house) made me feel like I had achieved something, like I was an adult.”
The housing market has had a huge affect on the economy recently with so many foreclosures. I wonder how many people wanted to “feel like an adult” and got in over their heads. While housing issues may be blamed on the sub prime, big businesses, or over valuation of property from banks; much of the blame must rest with people.
There was an article published yesterday in Journal Inquirer I really enjoyed because it referred directly to The American Dream. The article explains the government is offering first-time homebuyers up to $10K in the form of an interest-free, forgivable loan to be used toward their down payments and closing costs.
www.journalinquirer.com/articles/2008/10/09/towns/manchester/doc48ee20d6a18d3367188048.txt
People assume that the government (or banks) wouldn’t give out money if they thought the owner would have a problem paying it back. My colleague said the bank just approved him for a $200K loan. While he has seven years of equity built up in his current house, he only makes $37K a year. He realizes there is no way he could actually afford a loan like that. Not everyone, however, may see the big picture.
I still believe it is possible for every American to own their own house, but I believe they need to scale the dream down. You don’t need to own your dream house to still take part in The American Dream. Hard work still applies, and you need to work in the right direction and use common sense. Don’t assume that because the government or a bank offers you a loan that you can --or should-- take all of it. People need to keep in mind owning a house is a dream, not a right.
While all of my future housing dreams will now include a garage, I will not lose sight of the hard work and financial responsibility needed to achieve it. In the mean time, I am looking forward to a snowy winter season.
~Bethany
He conveyed the American Dream of a nice house and a two car garage. (I hadn’t included a garage in my dream at all, let alone one that fits two cars!) “Garages are very important to a nice house,” he explained, “People want status and nice houses are a big part of that.” He purchased his first home thirteen years ago at age 27. Costing $19K, it was a major fixer-upper but had a nice yard and garage. He said, “It (owning a nice house) made me feel like I had achieved something, like I was an adult.”
The housing market has had a huge affect on the economy recently with so many foreclosures. I wonder how many people wanted to “feel like an adult” and got in over their heads. While housing issues may be blamed on the sub prime, big businesses, or over valuation of property from banks; much of the blame must rest with people.
There was an article published yesterday in Journal Inquirer I really enjoyed because it referred directly to The American Dream. The article explains the government is offering first-time homebuyers up to $10K in the form of an interest-free, forgivable loan to be used toward their down payments and closing costs.
www.journalinquirer.com/articles/2008/10/09/towns/manchester/doc48ee20d6a18d3367188048.txt
People assume that the government (or banks) wouldn’t give out money if they thought the owner would have a problem paying it back. My colleague said the bank just approved him for a $200K loan. While he has seven years of equity built up in his current house, he only makes $37K a year. He realizes there is no way he could actually afford a loan like that. Not everyone, however, may see the big picture.
I still believe it is possible for every American to own their own house, but I believe they need to scale the dream down. You don’t need to own your dream house to still take part in The American Dream. Hard work still applies, and you need to work in the right direction and use common sense. Don’t assume that because the government or a bank offers you a loan that you can --or should-- take all of it. People need to keep in mind owning a house is a dream, not a right.
While all of my future housing dreams will now include a garage, I will not lose sight of the hard work and financial responsibility needed to achieve it. In the mean time, I am looking forward to a snowy winter season.
~Bethany
Friday, October 3, 2008
What is the American Dream?
If Donna Reed could see us now…
When I heard the topic of the American Dream, the first thing that popped into my head was the old black and white sitcom reruns. “Donna Reed”, “I Love Lucy”, etc. The nuclear family where everyone has a house, a car, a TV, and 2.5 children. (Do you think PR ever thought twice about saying .5 of a child? While part of an average, the number looks like you have a portion of a child, like one with no legs. It’s a bit creepy.)
Born in the 80’s, I only remember hearing about the American dream in Social Studies or movies. It was never directly talked about. I know the American Dream was originally intended to be the concept that a person’s material wealth was dependant on their abilities or work ethic, and not a class structure. It was also used by immigrants coming to America for the chance to have greater prosperity than they could have from their country of origin. The classic 50’s and early 60’s dream was to be the average American family like the sitcoms. I think the 70’s added freedom of choice, race, and religion to the mix. Go Hippies! In the 80’s fame crept in. You could now achieve success, fame, and wealth through hard work. Bill Gates would be an example of this. Somewhere in the 90’s there seemed to be a loss of the dream. You began seeing TV shows where working hard did not get you a better life and things did not turn out well like “Rosanne”. Poverty came to the forefront and people started to really become aware that the majority of the American people were not happy and did not have their dream, even if they were working hard.
Now the American Dream seems to have taken another shift. Hard work seems to have disappeared from the mix. When I hear about the American Dream today, it normally references someone who got rich quick or became famous for no apparent reason. The lottery, reality TV and game shows, partying with Paris Hilton are the references I hear. It seems like people believe they are entitled to have a cell phone, great house, nice car, lots of money and fame if they want it. There is no mention of work or abilities.
I like to think my personal definition follows more of the traditionalist standpoint. I believe that if I work hard, I can achieve success. There are so many opportunities out there, if people would just take advantage of them. I know I am able to hold this view because my life has been rather blessed. I am happily married, have a career teaching, a nice house, and an adorable puppy. Maybe he can count for my “.5”. :) While my life is not a black and white sitcom, I do feel I am living my American Dream.
I think the American Dream should also include the opportunity for education, a fair price for quality healthcare, to treat others with respect and be treated well in return, to not judge based on color, religion, gender or orientation, and to have life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, and all the stuff that comes with democracy. I know many of these things are idealistic. While I wouldn’t want to go back to women in party dresses cooking and cleaning all day for their husband, I do think there really were some advantages to the Classic TV American Dream.
When I heard the topic of the American Dream, the first thing that popped into my head was the old black and white sitcom reruns. “Donna Reed”, “I Love Lucy”, etc. The nuclear family where everyone has a house, a car, a TV, and 2.5 children. (Do you think PR ever thought twice about saying .5 of a child? While part of an average, the number looks like you have a portion of a child, like one with no legs. It’s a bit creepy.)
Born in the 80’s, I only remember hearing about the American dream in Social Studies or movies. It was never directly talked about. I know the American Dream was originally intended to be the concept that a person’s material wealth was dependant on their abilities or work ethic, and not a class structure. It was also used by immigrants coming to America for the chance to have greater prosperity than they could have from their country of origin. The classic 50’s and early 60’s dream was to be the average American family like the sitcoms. I think the 70’s added freedom of choice, race, and religion to the mix. Go Hippies! In the 80’s fame crept in. You could now achieve success, fame, and wealth through hard work. Bill Gates would be an example of this. Somewhere in the 90’s there seemed to be a loss of the dream. You began seeing TV shows where working hard did not get you a better life and things did not turn out well like “Rosanne”. Poverty came to the forefront and people started to really become aware that the majority of the American people were not happy and did not have their dream, even if they were working hard.
Now the American Dream seems to have taken another shift. Hard work seems to have disappeared from the mix. When I hear about the American Dream today, it normally references someone who got rich quick or became famous for no apparent reason. The lottery, reality TV and game shows, partying with Paris Hilton are the references I hear. It seems like people believe they are entitled to have a cell phone, great house, nice car, lots of money and fame if they want it. There is no mention of work or abilities.
I like to think my personal definition follows more of the traditionalist standpoint. I believe that if I work hard, I can achieve success. There are so many opportunities out there, if people would just take advantage of them. I know I am able to hold this view because my life has been rather blessed. I am happily married, have a career teaching, a nice house, and an adorable puppy. Maybe he can count for my “.5”. :) While my life is not a black and white sitcom, I do feel I am living my American Dream.
I think the American Dream should also include the opportunity for education, a fair price for quality healthcare, to treat others with respect and be treated well in return, to not judge based on color, religion, gender or orientation, and to have life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, and all the stuff that comes with democracy. I know many of these things are idealistic. While I wouldn’t want to go back to women in party dresses cooking and cleaning all day for their husband, I do think there really were some advantages to the Classic TV American Dream.
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