The american dream

[denoir 0]

Technically speaking the "American Dream" is actually the "French Dream" as the basic concepts of it was developed by French philosophers during the enlightenment period. This had its roots in the emerging bourgeois social class that had wealth but not nobility. The Amercian revolution and soon thereafter the French revolution were the embodiment of those principles.

In Europe hoewever a lot of the ideology of the later worker's movement was merged with those ideals while very little of that was actually implemented in USA. Hence the big differences in social protection etc

[brgnorway 0]

Quote[/b] ]Technically speaking the "American Dream" is actually the "French Dream" as the basic concepts of it was developed by French philosophers during the enlightenment period. This had its roots in the emerging bourgeois social class that had wealth but not nobility. The Amercian revolution and soon thereafter the French revolution were the embodiment of those principles.

...interesting! Can you give me some good hints about litterature? What an irony by the way (ideological tracing back to the french fries)  

Quote[/b] ]In Europe hoewever a lot of the ideology of the later worker's movement was merged with those ideals while very little of that was actually implemented in USA. Hence the big differences in social protection etc

Yes, a free Chevrolet with a radio for all of us - without going bancrupt on the way! Got free medical and social services too as a bonus! Not a bad deal I dear say!

[toadlife 3]

American dream? It has nothing to do with 'things', though many overly selfish people make it appear to be that way.

How about this:

Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

And in my own words -

To be able to pursue my own happiness, while respcting others' right to pursue their happiness. Also, to not have any wankers tell me how it should be done, or group me along with the many selfish, materialitic, earth destryoing bastards.

By the way, someone mentioned 1 dollar for 4 liters of gas awhile back. Last time I got gas, it was $2.33 a gallon (that's 3.79 liters). That's an alltime high and as far as I know it's probably even more as of now. Alot of good that 'oil war' did us eh?

Perhaps we should have gone to war against the 1,000,000 soccer moms in the U.S. who drive 5 ton SUV's just to go get groceries. Now THAT would lower the price of oil for the U.S..

...just ranting

[Tovarish 0]

Technically speaking the "American Dream" is actually the "French Dream"

You mean the "Freedom Dream"

[The Frenchman 0]

Technically speaking the "American Dream" is actually the "French Dream"

You mean the "Freedom Dream"  

Humph

[theavonlady 2]

Also, to not have any wankers tell me how it should be done, or group me along with the many selfish, materialitic, earth destryoing bastards.

Then you say:

Quote[/b] ]Perhaps we should have gone to war against the 1,000,000 soccer moms in the U.S. who drive 5 ton SUV's just to go get groceries.

There's a slight contradiction here.

Quote[/b] ]...just ranting

Oh..........that explains it.

[Tovarish 0]

Hehehe, just out of curiosity Avon, what do you drive? You seem a bit defensive

[Harnu 0]

Perhaps we should have gone to war against the 1,000,000 soccer moms in the U.S. who drive 5 ton SUV's just to go get groceries. Now THAT would lower the price of oil for the U.S..  

...just ranting

Perhaps you are implying they invest in an economy car so that way they can have a seperate car just for grocieries?

[theavonlady 2]

Hehehe, just out of curiosity Avon, what do you drive?   You seem a bit defensive  

But my husband bought it.

[brgnorway 0]

Quote[/b] ]American dream? It has nothing to do with 'things', though many overly selfish people make it appear to be that way.

Relax mate - I'm being ironic!

By the way - I would never ever buy a Chevrolet. Only Italian and English cars for me sir!

[Tovarish 0]

LOL I knew it

[brgnorway 0]

Hehehe, just out of curiosity Avon, what do you drive?   You seem a bit defensive  

But my husband bought it.

You've got avon tyres on you "motor" as well?

Avon tyres 4x4

[theavonlady 2]

You've got avon tyres on you "motor" as well?

LOL. Never heard of them until now.

Keep in mind that we are not a 2.5 person family with an 8 passenger SUV.

[Tex -USMC- 0]

The American dream is quite simply summed up in our Declaration of Independence. That is, the American dream is that all people can have life, liberty, and the the opportunity to pursue happiness. The essence of that rather broad statement is distilled in one word: 'pursuit'. There is no guarantee that I will find happiness in my life, whether that happiness is in acquisition of material wealth, or in my relationships with other people. However, the point is that I have the opportunity to achieve whatever happiness I desire- all I have to supply is the initiative, intelligence, and work ethic required to realize my dream. Government has nothing to do with whether I succeed or not- it's one function is to secure my rights, and my opportunity. Ultimately, whether I succeed or fail rests on one entity: me.

[Assault (CAN) 1]

Quote[/b] ]Government has nothing to do with whether I succeed or not- it's one function is to secure my rights, and my opportunity. Ultimately, whether I succeed or fail rests on one entity: me.

Amen, Tex.

[sarcasm] Oh, but no! We need our elected officials to make more legislation against the big, evil, greedy, corporate boogy-men that are out to run our lives and dominate the world! [/sarcasm]

[toadlife 3]

...a 2.5 person family with an 8 passenger SUV.

That, of course, is what I was ranting against.

I was referring to the Government and their 1000's of unneccesary laws when I said "to not have any wankers tell me how it should be done"

[denoir 0]

Technically speaking the "American Dream" is actually the "French Dream" as the basic concepts of it was developed by French philosophers during the enlightenment period. This had its roots in the emerging bourgeois social class that had wealth but not nobility. The Amercian revolution and soon thereafter the French revolution were the embodiment of those principles.

...interesting! Can you give me some good hints about litterature?

Well, most classical figures are Diderot (also the founder of the first encyclopedia), Montesquieu (defined the basics for the modern state) and of course Voltaire. There were of cousrse other influential European thinkers such as John Locke, Adam Smith and Gotthold Lessing.

Quote[/b] ]

Quote[/b] ]In Europe hoewever a lot of the ideology of the later worker's movement was merged with those ideals while very little of that was actually implemented in USA. Hence the big differences in social protection etc

Yes, a free Chevrolet with a radio for all of us - without going bancrupt on the way! Got free medical and social services too as a bonus! Not a bad deal I dear say!

You know one funny thing  - May 1st, the international worker's day (or Labour Day) is actually commemorating a general strike that took place in USA. It's a holiday in just about every country in the world.. except for USA

[Necromancer- 0]

This is... my American dream... well.. actually a German dream heh. which came through yesterday

[Guest DKM-jaguar]

Ok, Schoeler and the rest of you:

The definitions that you have provided are fairly general in nature. So, my question is this:

What is unique about the "American dream"?

Urm.. the thing that makes it unique is that it's the AMERICAN dream, rather than the spanish, greenland or french dream?

[sanctuary 19]

When i think about the american dream , this is the first picture that come in my mind, notice that when i think about the french dream, the same picture appears too

[Hit_Sqd_Maximus 0]

it was $2.33 a gallon (that's 3.79 liters).

Wow, its only $1.35 right now were I am.

[EiZei 0]

it was $2.33 a gallon (that's 3.79 liters).

Wow, its only $1.35 right now were I am.

4.70 USD per gallon here.

[killswitch 19]

I have been thinking a while about it and remembered this, as recited by Abraham Simpson (from "The Simpsons"):

"I think Rudyard Kipling said it best: If you can make one heap of all your winnings and risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss, and lose,

and start again at your beginnings, and never breathe a word about your loss, yours is the earth is everything that is in it, and, which is more,

you'll be a man, my son."

In essence: the American dream is: one can try, fail and keep on trying. The pursuit of happiness, in other words.

Another quote that comes to mind is one I heard in a song by Beck: "Fake it 'til you make it."

That this pursuit leads to narrow-mindedness, "looking out for number one" is the dirty flip side of the coin.

[bn880 5]

Quote[/b] ]Government has nothing to do with whether I succeed or not- it's one function is to secure my rights, and my opportunity. Ultimately, whether I succeed or fail rests on one entity: me.

Amen, Tex.

[sarcasm] Oh, but no! We need our elected officials to make more legislation against the big, evil, greedy, corporate boogy-men that are out to run our lives and dominate the world! [/sarcasm]

Of course we do, tell that to all the poor guys.

Amen my ass, it's not only up to you wether you succeed, there are many external events which are 80% of the deciding factor in success, you just have to go along with the right flow.

[IsthatyouJohnWayne 0]

The government may have something to do with whether or not a person succeeds in america or anywhere else (except in countries like Somalia where is no real government to speak of). We are all afloat (or drowning) in the tide of circumstance, everyone is shaped by the external. Im personally not bothered with seeing government as opposed to or set apart from the rest of an individuals experiences. Everything encountered exacts an inevitable influence. All influences are beyond free will. Noone is truly free to pursue the American dream. The American dream is freedom. And freedom will remain just that, a dream.