Is the American Dream actually achievable? Currently, no, it isn't. We live in an America that is full of inequality based on race, class, gender, size, sexual orientation, and more. Between voting rights restrictions, misogyny, white supremacy, and privilege/power dynamics, the America we call the land of equality isn't so equal.
People have redefined the American Dream again, usually as something along the line of “social mobility” or “rags to riches”. This concept focuses on the idea that anyone can move up in the world if they just work hard enough. This, of course, naively ignores power and privilege dynamics and just assumes that everyone is going up against the same hurdles. This American Dream is seen as possible for everyone to achieve because those who ascribe to it don’t understand that some people have challenges they don’t, or that some challenges aren’t possible to overcome with hard work alone. In fact, some people can’t work at all, believe it or not.
I have always defined the American Dream as achieving equality. Based on my observations of the country, America prides itself on being the freest and equal nation on the planet. We always feel the need to help other countries be as “perfect” as we are, and we always tell people that they should be grateful to be Americans because they’ll never have any “real” problems here. Many believe we live in a post-racial society that has no sexism, no inequality, and no worries. While this idea is a pleasant one, it is completely naïve. Of course, it may seem to the privileged that life is grand, but that is only because they aren’t facing the challenges that those without privilege have to face. The American Dream is achievable for white, middle-class, cisgender straight men; however, groups without those privileges have far less opportunity to achieve the Dream.
Table of Contents
The American Dream: Power, Privilege, and a Lack of Achievability According to Feminist
Writing Project Two
Why Equality as the American Dream?
What Do We Mean When We Say “Equality?”
Everyone is Free and Equal Now, Right?
Privilege in America
Privilege and Intersectionality
What about Reverse Discrimination? It Doesn’t Exist!
Social Mobility is Possible, Though, Right?
So Two Versions of the American Dream aren’t Possible. What if you Redefine It?
Is Voting the Great Equalizer of America?
Why Does all of this Matter?
Conclusion
Objectives & Core Themes
This paper critically examines the traditional American Dream through the lens of feminist theory, arguing that systemic power imbalances, privilege, and intersectional forms of oppression render the concept largely unattainable for most individuals. The core research question explores how structures of inequality—such as class, race, gender, and sexual identity—disproportionately favor a privileged minority while systematically disadvantaging others, thereby challenging the myth of meritocracy and equal opportunity in America.
- Deconstruction of the historical and social definitions of the "American Dream."
- Analysis of privilege and power dynamics, including class, white, and male privilege.
- Exploration of intersectionality and how various systems of oppression interact.
- Critique of systemic barriers to social mobility and the role of institutionalized inequality.
Excerpt from the Book
Privilege in America
What exactly do we mean by privilege and power dynamics? When people hear “privilege,” they think of something they earned, which often makes it confusing for people when they are told that certain things, like race and gender, give you privilege. If you didn’t have to work at being a certain race, how can that earn you privilege? “We usually think of privilege as being a favored state, whether earned or conferred by birth or luck. Yet some of the conditions I have described here work to systematically over empower certain groups. Such privilege simply confers dominance because of one’s race or sex” (McIntosh, 1998). Many Americans don’t understand this idea, and therefore pretend or refuse to believe such privileges exist. However, privilege is a very real problem that is disadvantaging many Americans all around us.
Privilege is greatly unearned, and is just handed to us by society for having certain traits, such as being a certain race, gender, class, or sexual orientation, speaking a certain language, being from a certain geographical location, having a certain amount ability (and not being physically or mentally disabled), being from a certain religion, and more. Privilege is the other side of oppression, and often goes unnoticed because being treated badly leaves a bigger impression than being treated fairly. Usually, people with privileges are unaware that they have them for this reason.
Summary of Chapters
The American Dream: Power, Privilege, and a Lack of Achievability According to Feminist: Introduces the paper's critical perspective on the American Dream, framing it as an unattainable ideal due to systemic inequalities.
Writing Project Two: Recounts the author's personal upbringing and the historical framing of American expansionism, highlighting the erasure of Native American experiences and the roots of institutional racism.
Why Equality as the American Dream?: Explores why equality serves as a central, albeit flawed, pillar of the American narrative and its deep-seated association with the concept of liberty.
What Do We Mean When We Say “Equality?”: Defines equality through the concepts of unalienable rights and fair access, while distinguishing it from mere sameness.
Everyone is Free and Equal Now, Right?: Briefly refutes the notion that modern American society has achieved true freedom and equality, pointing to persistent power imbalances.
Privilege in America: Examines the definitions of privilege and power, detailing how various societal traits confer unearned advantages and create systematic dominance.
Privilege and Intersectionality: Discusses the necessity of an intersectional approach to understand how overlapping systems of oppression affect individuals differently.
What about Reverse Discrimination? It Doesn’t Exist!: Argues that reverse discrimination cannot exist because specific groups lack the institutional power necessary to enact systemic oppression against the dominant class.
Social Mobility is Possible, Though, Right?: Presents data showing that social mobility is highly restricted by factors of power and privilege, contradicting the "rags to riches" myth.
So Two Versions of the American Dream aren’t Possible. What if you Redefine It?: Evaluates whether redefining the American Dream can solve the underlying issues of systemic inequity and concludes that current structures impede progress.
Is Voting the Great Equalizer of America?: Analyzes the theoretical potential of voting as an equalizer while acknowledging the realities of voter suppression and restricted access.
Why Does all of this Matter?: Emphasizes the moral imperative to recognize and dismantle oppressive institutions, arguing that neutrality in the face of injustice is complicity.
Conclusion: Summarizes that the American Dream remains a privilege for the few and calls for collective action to address and reform the institutions maintaining current inequality.
Keywords
American Dream, privilege, oppression, intersectionality, institutional racism, power dynamics, social mobility, inequality, feminist theory, classism, white privilege, male privilege, cisgender privilege, systemic injustice, meritocracy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this academic paper?
The paper examines the "American Dream" through a feminist and critical lens, arguing that the ideal is largely unattainable for many due to systemic structures of power and privilege.
What are the core thematic areas discussed?
Key areas include the historical construction of American ideals, the nature of privilege (class, race, gender, and cisgender), intersectionality, social mobility, and the failure of existing systems to provide true equality.
What is the central research question?
The work explores how structural inequalities interact to create a society where success is largely dependent on one's position within systems of power, rather than individual merit.
Which theoretical frameworks are applied in this work?
The paper utilizes feminist theory, intersectionality (referencing scholars like Kimberlé Crenshaw), and critical social theory to analyze how different forms of oppression are interconnected.
What does the main body of the text cover?
It covers the deconstruction of the American Dream, a detailed analysis of various types of privilege, the reality of income and social inequality, and the limitations of concepts like voting as a equalizer.
Which keywords best describe this research?
The most relevant keywords include American Dream, privilege, intersectionality, institutional power, social mobility, and systemic inequality.
How does the author define privilege versus oppression?
The author defines privilege as the societal opposite of oppression, where specific traits provide unearned advantages and dominance, whereas oppression is the systemic disenfranchisement of groups based on their identity.
Why does the author argue that "reverse discrimination" does not exist?
The author argues that while individuals may experience prejudice, reverse discrimination cannot exist systemically because marginalized groups do not hold the institutional power necessary to oppress the dominant societal structures.
How does the concept of intersectionality apply to the author's arguments?
Intersectionality is used to explain that an individual's experience cannot be reduced to a single factor like race or gender, but is instead shaped by the compounding, intersecting influences of all identity factors.
What is the author's ultimate conclusion regarding the American Dream?
The conclusion asserts that the American Dream is currently a myth that is only achievable for a privileged few, and that real change requires a fundamental dismantling of the institutions that sustain these inequalities.
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- Breanna Strough (Autor:in), 2015, The American Dream. Power, Privilege, and a Lack of Achievability According to Feminist Theory, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/322217
