Premium Essay

The American Dream Misinterpreted Summary

Submitted By
Words 920
Pages 4
Is the American Dream misinterpreted? Contrary to popular belief, the main focus in relation to the American Dream is all material. Frequently Americans have a dream based off of gaining material items rather than freedom and opportunity. People no longer have hopes and dreams but the desire to impress others. The American dream is not obtainable because people cannot make dreams into reality, individuals are greedy, and humans view material items too highly. Materialism is the main prevention as to why the American dream has changed, and is taking a toll for the worse. Information specialist, Lorie Johnson stated, “in order to be truly happy, Americans need to reject the false American dream and create their own version of
happiness.”(Johnson,5) …show more content…
People sometimes want the best rather than buying within an individual's needs. By buying what is desired alternatively than what is needed causes dysfunction and distraction from which is actually important. Psychiatrist and
Coppedge 2 neurologist, Peter Whybrow cautioned, “In an endless effort to acquire more, Americans have lost track of the original American dream founded in personal achievement. Instead of making
Americans happy, the acquisition of consumer goods and pursuit of wealth have left many dissatisfied.” (Whybrow, 2) The author is reassuring that material implements do not make one happy, but in fact leaves emptiness. People have consistently been proven to get disinterested with apparatuses. Materialism never ends but only the desire to gain more, which causes poverty and failure. If people would plan ahead for the future it would cause buying things of significance rather than the newest thing just to boast.
When trying to achieve one’s dreams frequently greed and selfishness get in the way of preventing the goal of being successful. Robert Atkinson, author and vice president of the
Progressive Policy Institute …show more content…
Leslie Davis, a columnist for Atlanta Mortgage Examiner mentions, “The concentration of wealth has also led to a concentration of political power.” (Davis) Davis is a making a point discussing that wealth is getting in the way of a prosperous society. Today one
Coppedge 3 cannot progress and be successful by the downfall of others greed. It is human nature to get ahead, but what is at stake? Princeton professor, Paul Krugman stated, “Our political leaders are doing everything they can to fortify class inequality, while denouncing anyone who complains.”
(Krugman,) Which clarifies that today’s government does not want anyone to gain fortune in distress of becoming a threat. This confirms that humans are greedy and do not want others to achieve which eventually hurts the economy. People feel the need to push others out of the way in order to achieve. Avarice today is preventing the economy from getting ahead.
Consistently individuals fall short of goals and dreams. One might exclaim the government has nearly made success nearly impossible. Researcher, Barbara J. Lipman explains,
“a growing number of working families are unable to afford adequate housing, and many others pay more than of their own income to secure housing.” (Lipman, 1) Lipman made a valid

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Trouble With Diversity

...The article “The Trouble with Diversity: How We Learned to Love Identity and Ignore Inequality” is an excerpt from the book of the same title by Walter Benn Michaels and published by Henry Hodan Company in 2006. The author wrote this in response to what was happening at the time, which was the mandating of institution policies for diversity and the problems that were faced with them. He argues in this excerpt that diversity is based solely on culture, but that we should shift our focus to equality. It is important to examine a summary of the article, a discussion of the author’s thesis and supportive evidence, and a proposal to address the issue. This book is divided into four sections. In the introduction, Michaels presents two different...

Words: 1558 - Pages: 7

Free Essay

Easy as Pi Summaries

...Sparrow Ostas Densmore October 31, 2013 2nd Block Section Summaries: Pages 14 – 32 Do A Number: This phrase relates to the sport of boxing. Coaches inform their boxer to hit the opponent x amount of times, which can be any number Three Sheets to the Wind: This phrase means “extremely drunk.” This phrase comes from ropes, which all have a different function. The math involved is “sheet” ropes, which control the horizontal movement of the sails. If three sails are loose, then the sailors are extremely drunk. The Third Degree: This phrase means that when people got interrogated for their past crimes, they got highly searched (third degree). This phrase includes the math were the members of an old ritual of Freemasonry, which were graded by degrees. The Fourth Estate: This phrase means the social ranks of the 1789 Estates-General. The first where the clergy, than the nobles, and finally the bourgeoisie (the wealthiest). But the Fourth Estate was the most influential on ordinary French people – newspapers and reporters. Fourth Wall: This phrase is a “wall” that separates a theatrical performance from the audience. But now this term is applies when a character “breaks” the fourth wall and addresses the audience directly. Five by Five: This phrase is a term for a NATO radio speak system. Signals are rated by one – five (five being the clearest and most understood signal). It is usually used to indicate that something is understood. Fifth Columnist: This phrase originally comes...

Words: 2851 - Pages: 12

Premium Essay

Skizophrenia

...Summary All the random changes in subjects and crazy ideas are typical to those who suffer from paranoid schizophrenia, a disorder that affects over 2 million Americans (Mayo Clinic, 1998). Often Leann hears voices and sees people who do not exist and that is how she gets all her ideas about her or others reading minds and telling the future. Just how we, as "normal" people, view our world through our own perspective, people with schizophrenia, have their own perspective of reality. Schizophrenics live in a world that is distorted and often is filled with hallucinations, delusions and disordered thinking. People with schizophrenia often seem distant, or preoccupied, when engaged in conversation. However, schizophrenics also exhibit very different kinds of behavior at odd times (National Institute of Mental Health [NIMH], 1999).NIMH, 1999 Researchers at the Mayo Clinic (1998) claim that, "Schizophrenia affects approximately 1 percent of the population worldwide, including more that 2 million Americans," In any given year, this surprising amount of people are affected. Women are usually affected with symptoms of the psychotic state in the twenties to early thirties. Some only have one psychotic episode, while others may have episodes throughout their lifetimes, but lead normal lives during the periods between episodes. However, people with "chronic" schizophrenia have a continuous or recurring pattern of the illness. They often do not fully recover their normal functioning...

Words: 4883 - Pages: 20

Free Essay

Should Neurofeedback Be Approved as a Treatment for Add/Adhd

... Abstract The aim of this essay is to present and evaluate the positive sides and implications of using neurofeedback as a treatment for ADD/ADHD and to compare these with current methods of treatment. In order to do that, firstly, the main symptoms and characteristics of this disorder were named. The main ones include: attention deficit, impulsivity, turmoil and hyperactivity as an optional one. Today, the only accepted method for threatening ADD/ADHD is by using medications. It is assumed that certain medications such as Ritalin, Concerta, Methylin, Dexedrine and Adderall improve the efficiency of chemical transmitters which have the role of passing the information through brain. But, there are also some side effects of using medications. A summary of relevant studies on relatively new, alternative method- neurofeedback is provided. The results were similar to treatment with medications. The difference is that neurofeedback provided longer lasting effects, long after the session period. The main advantage of neurofeedback is that patients will learn the skills of self-control. In other words, they will depend on themselves, not on medications. Still, there are some uncertainties whether neurofeedback should be accepted as a treatment for ADD/ADHD. Introduction New insights on ADHD treatment Print version: page 11...

Words: 4623 - Pages: 19

Free Essay

Business Economics

...BA 529 FINAL EXAM MAHESH REDDY MURAKA BA 529 Final exam Schiller International University Dr. Harris 1. What is the greatest challenge to a company that decides to set up a branch in another nation? Online auction site eBay is one of the world's best-known firms, boasting 157 million active buyers and reporting just shy of $18bn (£11.4bn) in revenues last year. Yet when it first tried to launch in China it failed. The difficulty of competing with local rivals meant that in 2006, a mere two years after entering China, it was forced to admit defeat and shut down its main website in the country. Instead it formed a joint venture with a local partner to help operate an online auction business in the country. Critics say it failed to recognise that having a strong US brand would not automatically translate to success in China. And eBay is not the only firm to struggle with transferring a successful business model overseas. Tesco reportedly spent a decade preparing for the launch of its Fresh & Easy chain on the West coast of America, with its top executives even spending time living with Californian families to observe the way they lived and ate. Yet six years after it opened, it announced it was pulling out - costing the firm a hefty £1.2bn. Similarly one of the world's best known brands, US giant Starbucks, was forced to close almost three quarters of its shops in Australia just eight years after it opened them, after it struggled to win sales from local competitors...

Words: 12122 - Pages: 49

Premium Essay

British Petroleum Oil Spill Disaster

...British Petroleum (BP) Case Study Executive Summary This case study report examined a public relation management problem that British Petroleum (BP) faced since the oil spill accident happened in April, 2010. In addition, this thesis recommended possible solutions and implementation plans for BP to deal with the public crisis. On April 20, the explosion on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico led to the largest accidental release of oil into marine waters in history. As a result, a huge loss of money and life was caused and affected serious environmental damage to wild animals and water pollution. BP was accused of their irresponsibility that it took 87 days before the well was closed and sealed. BP’s shares plummeted to the lowest point since 1996. The communities around the Gulf of Mexico blamed BP for their carelessness and appealed for more actions to recover their low income life. BP has already established $20 billion fund to respond the situation in the Gulf of Mexico. However, according to recent research, the amount of the money is not enough to straighten out the crisis.  In order to examine the case, we performed PEST and SWOT analysis methods. We focused on evaluating economic and socio-cultural factors that were the major elements had affects on BP’s public image. At the same time, we analyzed and key strengths and opportunities that essential for BP to revitalize its brand image. Our analysis revealed two crucial factors. First, BP’s own...

Words: 7682 - Pages: 31

Premium Essay

Myths

...We’ve Experienced Myth #12 Hypnosis Is Useful for Retrieving Memories of Forgotten Events Myth #13 Individuals Commonly Repress the Memories of Traumatic Experiences Myth #14 Most People with Amnesia Forget All Details of Their Earlier Lives 4 TEACHING OLD DOGS NEW TRICKS Myth #15 Intelligence (IQ) Tests Are Biased against Certain Groups of People My th #16 If You’re Unsure of Your Answer When Taking a Test, It’s Best to Stick with Your Initial Hunch Myth #17 The Defining Feature of Dyslexia Is Reversing Letters Myth #18 Students Learn Best When Teaching Styles Are Matched to Their Learning Styles 5 ALTERED STATES Myth #19 Hypnosis Is a Unique “Trance” State that Differs in Kind from Wakefulness Myth #20 Researchers Have Demonstrated that Dreams Possess Symbolic Meaning Myth #21 People Can Learn Information, like New Languages, while Asleep Myth #22 During “Out-of-Body” Experiences, People’s Consciousness Leaves Their Bodies 6 I’VE GOT A FEELING Myth #23 The...

Words: 130018 - Pages: 521

Free Essay

Life Sketch

...W.B. Yeats's "The Second Coming" W.B. Yeats' poem "The Second Coming" was written in 1919, just one year after WWI ended. The beginning of this poem reflects on how evil has taken over the minds of good Christians, and the world has turned into chaos. It is apparent that Yeats believes that a Second Coming is at hand, and he spends the last half of the poem discussing what that Second Coming could look like. Turning and turning in the widening gyre (line 1) Yeats imagines the world in a cyclical sphere known a gyre (shape of a cone). In Yeats' note on the text, he states that "the end of an age, which always receives the revelation of the character of the next age, is represented by the coming of one gyre to its place of greatest expansion and of the other to that of its greatest contraction" (2036). Yeats believes that the two thousand years of Christianity will be coming to an end, and after a violent reversal a new age will take its place. The widening part of the gyre is supposed to connote anarchy, evil, and the loss of innocence. The falcon cannot hear the falconer; (2) The falconer in this analogy is most likely God (or Jesus), and the falcon is the follower (or devotee). Humanity can no longer hear the word of God, because it is drowned out by all of chaos of the widening gyre. A wild falcon can symbolize an unconverted Gentile; someone who has sinful thoughts, and does sinful things. A tame falcon (one who listens to the word of God) is a Christian convert. In the...

Words: 23171 - Pages: 93

Free Essay

Haapiness

...www.elsevier.com/locate/worlddev World Development Vol. 30, No. 9, pp. 1539–1560, 2002 Ó 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved Printed in Great Britain 0305-750X/02/$ - see front matter PII: S0305-750X(02)00058-X Women in Sustainable Development: Empowerment through Partnerships for Healthy Living CLAUDIA MARA VARGAS * I University of Vermont, Burlington, USA Summary. — This article seeks to take partnerships seriously. Specifically, it is concerned with the nature, opportunities, and challenges facing women’s nongovernmental organization (NGOs), which seek to make real contributions to sustainable development. It uses a case study of COFERENE, a successful women’s NGO in Costa Rica, to explore the nature of partnerships, the contextual factors that shape them, the successes that can be realized from their wise use, and the potential problems that may arise. There are lessons, both optimistic and cautionary, to be learned from COFERENE’S experiences. This article analyzes these lessons. In synthesis, partnerships are complex and demanding, though there are cases in which women’s NGOs have used them effectively to foster sustainable development. Ó 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. Key words — geographical focus: global, country specific: Costa Rica, sustainable development, partnerships, culture, nonprofits A woman said that her father was a street sweeper. If some people consider this a humble job, her opinion was that a person who has the job of...

Words: 14873 - Pages: 60

Premium Essay

Information Tectnology

...INTRODUCTION TO AFRICAN POLITICS CONTENTS PAGE Introduction ………………………………………….…………… 1 Course Aims ……………………………………………………… 1 Course Objectives ………………………………………………... 1 Working through Course……………………………………. This 2 Course Materials………………………………………………….. 2 Study Units………………………………………………………. . 2 Text books and References……………………………………….. 3 Assessment File…………………………………………………… 3 Tutor-Marked Assignment ……………………….. ……………… 4 iv POL 122 INTRODUCTION TO AFRICAN POLITICS Final Examination Grading…………………………………... and 4 Course Marking Scheme………………………………………….. 4 Presentation Schedule…………………………………………….. 4 Course Overview ……………………………….………..…….….. 5 How to Get the Most from This Course………………………….. 6 Facilitators/Tutors and Tutorials………….……………………….7 Summary…………………………………………………………. . 8 Introduction Welcome to POS 102: Introduction to African Politics This course is a three-credit unit course for...

Words: 67952 - Pages: 272

Premium Essay

Education Diversity

...2 Understanding Diversity in the Classroom CHAPTER LEARNING GOALS After you study this chapter, you will be able to: 1. Explain the importance of understanding classroom diversity. 2. Explain the different group and individual sources of diversity. 3. Describe approaches to teaching in culturally and linguistically diverse classrooms. 4. Explain the provisions of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. 5. Explain the characteristics of students with exceptionalities. 6. Describe the role of the teacher in the inclusive classroom. Imagine You Are the Teacher It Is The First Teaching year at Lincoln Elementary School for Ms. Branson. She has 30 fifth-graders of whom 13 are girls and 17 are boys, 12 participate in the free and reduced lunch program, 5 are English language learners, and 4 have individualized education programs (IEPs). As she plans her lesson on paragraph writing, she is trying to keep the special needs of each of her students in mind. Because Jessica has a hearing impairment, Ms. Branson decides to make a written outline that includes the important parts of a paragraph and examples of good and bad paragraphs. She also decides to go over the outline several times because Fred and Alex have a reading disability. In her plan, there is also a note to herself to find a bigger pencil and wide-lined paper for Suzy, who requires these modifications according to her IEP. Based on past writing experiences, she expects Monica to finish writing her paragraph...

Words: 31653 - Pages: 127

Free Essay

The White Tiger

...The White Tiger Summary The entire novel is narrated through letters by Balram Halwai to the Premier of China, who will soon be visiting India. Balram is an Indian man from an impoverished background, born in the village of Laxmangarh. Early on, he describes his basic story: he transcended his humble beginnings to become a successful entrepreneur in Bangalore, largely through the murder Mr. Ashok, who had been his employer. Balram also makes clear that because of the murder, it is likely that his own family has been massacred in retribution. In Laxmangarh, Balram was raised in a large, poor family from the Halwai caste, a caste that indicates sweet-makers. The village is dominated and oppressed by the “Four Animals,” four landlords known as the Wild Boar, the Stork, the Buffalo, and the Raven. Balram's father is a struggling rickshaw driver, and his mother died when he is young. The alpha figure of his family was his pushy grandmother, Kusum. Balram was initially referred to simply as “Munna,” meaning “boy," since his family had not bothered to name him. He did not have another name until his schoolteacher dubbed him Balram. The boy proved himself intelligent and talented, and was praised one day as a rare “White Tiger” by a visiting school inspector. Unfortunately, Balram was removed from school after only a few years, to work in a tea shop with his brother, Kishan. There, he furthered his education by eavesdropping on the conversations of shop customers. Balram feels that...

Words: 26039 - Pages: 105

Premium Essay

Mahek

...Chapter 1 SIGMUND FREUD AN INTRODUCTION Sigmund Freud, pioneer of Psychoanalysis, was born on 6th May 1856 in Freiberg to a middle class family. He was born as the eldest child to his father’s second wife. When Freud was four years old, his family shifted and settled in Vienna. Although Freud’s ambition from childhood was a career in law, he decided to enter the field of medicine. In 1873, at the age of seventeen, Freud enrolled in the university as a medical student. During his days in the university, he did his research on the Central Nervous System under the guidance of German physician `Ernst Wilhelm Von Brucke’. Freud received his medical degree in 1881and later in 1883 he began to work in Vienna General Hospital. Freud spent three years working in various departments of the hospital and in 1885 he left his post at the hospital to join the University of Vienna as a lecturer in Neuropathology. Following his appointment as a lecturer, he got the opportunity to work under French neurologist Jean Charcot at Salpetriere, the famous Paris hospital for nervous diseases. So far Freud’s work had been entirely concentrated on physical sciences but Charcot’s work, at that time, concentrated more on hysteria and hypnotism. Freud’s studies under Charcot, which centered largely on hysteria, influenced him greatly in channelising his interests to psychopathology. In 1886, Freud established his private practice in Vienna specializing in nervous diseases...

Words: 155674 - Pages: 623

Premium Essay

Hong Kong Is My Home

...a quarterly journal from the hongkong federation of youth groups September 2014 December 2013 Volume 5 Number 4 6 3 Youth HONG KONG Hong Kong is home FEATURES Fitness and nutrition Pollution YouTubers HKFYG Cover image by 羅潤龍 by Yun Huang Yong https://www.flickr. com/photos/goosmurf/5899151996/ YOUTH HONG KONG published quarterly by The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups EDITORIAL BOARD Rosanna Wong Elaine Morgan (Editor) Ada Chau (Assistant Editor) Angela Ngai Lakshmi Jacotă William Chung Henry Poon CIRCULATION (unaudited) 11,000-12,000 in Hong Kong, throughout the region and overseas VIEWS EXPRESSED are the authors’ and interviewees, may come from official sources, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial board or publisher REPRODUCTION OF CONTENTS without written permission from the publisher is prohibited INTERVIEWS Elaine Morgan, Lakshmi Jacotă, Ada Chau PERSPECTIVES CONTRIBUTORS Ben Tse Elena Ng Mimi Mo Jessica Chan Ajmal Samuel Elaine Morgan SELECETD YOUTH SPEAK CONTRIBUTORS Lin Kristy, Ernest Chau Christy Chu Joy Pamnani Ivy Ho, Kevin Li Ho-lam, Gigi Chau Pansy Tam OTHER CONTRIBUTORS Virginia Addison Education Post Cathay Pacific Kate Yung Hilary Lok HKFYG unit staff TRANSLATION Henry Poon Ada Chau PHOTOGRAPHS Courtesy of HKFYG Very Hong Kong competition entrants, as captioned. Other photographs by Elaine Morgan, Ada Chau, acknowledged as captioned, or in public domain ARTWORK Sam Suen, DG3 DESIGN, LAYOUT & PRINTING DG3...

Words: 19700 - Pages: 79

Free Essay

Communication in Our Lives

...Licensed to: iChapters User Licensed to: iChapters User 6e FIFTH EDITION COMMUNICATION in Our Lives LINEBERGER DISTINGUISHED PROFESSOR OF HUMANITIES CAROLINE H. AND THOMAS S. ROYSTER DISTINGUISHED PROFESSOR OF GRADUATE EDUCATION THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHAPEL HILL Australia . Brazil . C anada . M exico . Singap ore . Spain . Uniited Kingdom . United States Copyright 2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s). Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it. Licensed to: iChapters User This is an electronic version of the print textbook. Due to electronic rights restrictions, some third party content may be suppressed. Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. The publisher reserves the right to remove content from this title at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it. For valuable information on pricing, previous editions, changes to current editions, and alternate formats, please visit www.cengage.com/highered to search by ISBN#, author, title, or keyword for materials in your areas of interest. ...

Words: 58631 - Pages: 235