What is this so-called American Dream?

According to the ideology of the American Dream, regardless of where they were born and to whom they were born, anyone can achieve success, prosperity, and fame.

American dream as a concept emerged early in the 20th century yet the roots can be traced back to the earlier period of founding America as a nation of freedom, opportunity, and upward mobility. However, the peak of the term belongs to the period of the 20th century when the United States gained significant economic growth and societal and economic changes.

This era was filled with the rise of mass production and the polarization of white-collar jobs along with corporate growth. Throughout this increase in consumerism-based corporations, many employees moved into the suburbs, and owning a home in the suburbs became one of the most crucial symbols of the American Dream: I am an American now, I have my own house in the suburbs, and I am serving for the wellness of my country as a well-respected man of honor.'

So the mechanism worked like this: work hard, promote the idea of 'work hard play harder', promote the self-made man mythology, and set cultural standards for what it meant to achieve American Dream. As a consequence of rapid industrial growth, the companies and advertisements fueled the idea that if you work hard you can have the 'perfect' American life with your house in the suburbs, your brand new car, and your lovely little family.

As you can understand from the pictures and the background of the era, the ideology of the American Dream excluded racial 'minorities', Black people, and female employees. Due to segregation and discrimination, American Dream remained inaccessible for people of color. In simple terms, there was hypocrisy and double standards; the promised equal opportunity was not truly available for everyone.

White, middle-class men were given the pathways to a bunch of opportunities while people of color and women were excluded from those opportunities. So the truth is that the 'equality and prosperity for all' ideology remained out of reach for many people due to racism, sexism, and discriminative ways of forms shaped by the society.

To sum up briefly, structural barriers and 'white-male-centric' nature of the American Dream made it impossible for everyone to achieve prosperity, fame, and equal opportunities.