The False Promise of the American Dream

Debates over the American Dream tend to focus on whether it is dead. Not enough people question the concept itself, the idea that all Americans can achieve their dreams. That if we work hard, good things will come to us. Except, currently, the American Dream is toxic and driving Americans apart. By focusing on the individual over the communal, the American Dream was always destined for an ill-fated destiny.

The American Dream is often linked to the idea of meritocracy, where everyone’s place in society reflects their own work ethic and talent. In a recent NPR poll, 87% percent of low income people said they thought hard work was important for success in America. Only 37% of people thought that the wealth of their family was important. Only 33% of respondents thought race was important. Now, it is unlikely that most of these people are directly connecting their responses to a belief in meritocracy. However, faith in hard work over social status shows a belief in equality of opportunity. In other words, that America is a meritocracy. Or, as many of those surveyed would no doubt say, that they believe in the American Dream.

This faith in the U.S. as meritocracy is deeply misguided. The U.S. is rife with systemic and historical discrimination. For the purposes of this discussion, this discrimination will be set aside, to examine a simpler omission of meritocracy. Meritocracy does not account for the fact that life is random. Imagine a waiter at a restaurant. The waiter, assigned a set of tables by the restaurant manager…