The American Dream: to be creative or not to be

"The American Dream:  A Biography, Making of America, Keeping the Dream Alive" and "Rethinking the American Dream" pose similar questions on whether there is an American Dream based on the what the Declaration of Independence gives meaning to "Life Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness" and that there remains the providence of freedom and not just prosperity, but the boldness to dream the dream.

Meacham, author of "The American Dream:  A Biography," asserts that even in 1931,  there was hopeful optimism and this was shown in the Empire State Building opening, and that Americans would forge ahead.  President Barack O'bama would inherit a troubled economic system and spit out that America's hope for dreams and economic prosperity are in reverse.   Author Kamp on "Rethinking the American Dream" poses a question on whether there is an American Dream, but whether it has been be redefined.  Yes perhaps the idea to dream, was then manufactured into an experience of fame and fortune, not necessarily in keeping with the tradition of being a haven for those who are running from religious and political persecutions.

The nature of freedom and independence seems to have crashed only in so far as the economic system is concerned.   But how about the social and religious freedoms?  The Millenials and the Twenty Somethings have social freedoms that are beyond any generation - the ability to communicate all of their thoughts to a digital world-wide audience within seconds.  Perhaps the dream for a economic system based upon materialistic hunger urged those to heights that left behind the actual dream, of sewing Happiness.    Perhaps the true question the author may pose is What Brings on True Happiness? I believe we are just beginning to uncover this, as the old economic system crashes and when people have to return to a humbler way of life - the life of our grand ancestors.  The only difference is that they did not have the layers of layers of elite technology at their fingertips.  We may have an old economic system that has perished, but we have seeds of creativity everywhere.  I may be more of a Millenial optimist, but I believe in my country and it's creative and spiritual power.

 Perhaps our courage and faith in will be redefined in a dream when we return to our families and communities and begin to include them again, to reconnect and create something new on what it means to be an American.   Rather than pursue Happiness, why not create it?!

Rethinking American Dream

“The perennial conviction that those who work hard and play by the rules will be rewarded with a more comfortable present and a more comfortable present and a stronger future for their children”(1) In this quote, it basically sums up what American Dream is about. Unfortunately, nowadays many young people face difficulties in surpassing their parents’ accomplishments and building a better future. They are hinder by the current economy and American political system. Since the cost of living is higher than most people’s income, many people are struggling to survive in American. Hence, it causes many to sense that the American Dream that is slowly fading away. Some even disregard America to be “city upon the hill”.  However, is it really true that the American Dream is fading away?

 Everyone has a different perspective on the American Dream. Some value the happiness that American Dream rather than the material goods and vice versa. Therefore, even if they are struggling to cover the cost of living, they can still be happy about the fact they are with their families. Although the American Dream might not bring both happiness and wealth to a family, at least, it has bought one to them. So people should be happy. Do you know how many people in world are neither happy nor wealthy? Hence, be satisfied with what you have. If you are not, work hard to make a better change. Don’t blame the American Dream for not giving what you want. 

Rethinking the American dream

    This article shows that the American dream was changed to fit and satisfied the need of our society during that time. It's changed because every generation has their own priorities and they would change it to fit their needs. There is one point in this article is very interesting that how the American dream changed from "freedom from want" to "freedom to want". I agree with that. I know a lot of people who wanna move to America because they wanna get a better life and benefits. As we have known, America's economy keeps going down and lots of people have been laid off. But it is still the richest country in the world.
    I think the American dream is still to make life richer and fuller for everyone. The people in my hometown want to move to America so much because they think America can give them what they want, like job opportunities, better benefits or freedom. Over the past few decades, the materialistic dream  in us has grown. People think America is a materialistic dream and a dream for a better world with money and opportunity for everybody. For me, I am not sure if the America dream does still exist for a long time or not, but we will see.
 

american dream

In the article “Keeping the Dream Alive”, Jon Meacham describes the concept of American Dream, he cites Adams book “The Epic of America”: “that American dream of a better, richer, and happier life for all our citizens of every rank which is the greatest contribution we have s yet made to the thought and welfare of the world.” He also mentions that how American have struggled their American Dream for hundreds years: they overcame difficulties, fought for freedom and equality, and created wealth. However, while our lives are getting better and better, American Dream seems further and further from us.

 With development of economic and higher level of living standard, the American Dream has been made bigger today. If you live at war, what you want is a peaceful life; if you live in the 60s, what you want is a better, richer, and richer life; but now we are living in the 21^st century which is a time of rapid development, so we are pursuing the best life that we might be able to obtain. Compared to the generation of our parents, there is no doubt that we are having higher education and better life than the time they had the same age with us.

Dreaming the American Dream

       Let's try to picture four hundred years ago we finally set our feet on the vast American plain after a long journey from the old dark world. We felt like we were just reborn with our new lives, fresh air, and endless land in this new world. "Freedom", "liberal", "better" are preferred to describe this new world. We were free from religious control and free from fear. We made our effort to build our new lives and dreams.
      
        The American Dream: A Biography and Rethinking the American Dream both quotes The Epic of America, by James Truslow Adams. An original definition of the American dream in Adams' words, "he called that American dream of a better, richer, and happier life for all our citizens of every rank." Here, Adams emphasized the equal opportunities to pursue happier life for all class one comes from. In The American Dream: A Biography, Jon Meacham constructs his thesis from a history perspective. He argues that "to recover the Dream requires knowing where it came from, how it lasted so long and why it matters so much." While our economy have gone up and down countless times and whatever role the government have played throughout the history, our lives is always getting better. When it comes down to how to recover the dream, we should rely on ourselves. We are the ones who make our American dream come true.

         However, in Rethinking the American Dream, David Kamp tries to present what is the right interpretation of American dream. As time goes by, the meaning of American dream keeps getting shifted and recalibrated. From Adams' interpretation to conflating extreme success, we keep rising our expectation on the American Dream so that it seems harder and harder to achieve. After all, he concludes that "the American Dream should be embraced as the unique sense of possibility that this country gives its citizens--the decent chance, as Moss Hart would say, to scale the walls and achieve what you wish. 

The American Dream

In the article "Keeping the Dream Alive", Jon Meacham is still optimistic about the American Dream .He talked about how the dream kept changing in the history of America. He also talked about how the government and those presidents affected the dream. Although there are lots of hardness to achieve the dream, Jon still still believed that the people of the United States can make the dream to survive another generation.

 

The article "Rethinking the American Dream", the author thought the definition of the American Dream should be reconsidered. He agreed with Adams that " American dream of a better, richer, and happier life for all our citizens of every rank." He pointed out the "material component" of the dream. He also worried about the relation between high debt and the bet that " tomorrow would be better than today. He didn't negate the American Dream, but he stated how people look at this dream and how to achieve it is not only about hard work. The dream is about the chance, the possibility that this country gives its citizens.

 

The sought after American Dream

In the article "Keeping the Dream Alive" Joe Meacham states that the American dream is “being attacked” and is slipping away. He goes on to say that the thought people once had of if I work hard then I can have a nice house and a good life, is somewhat lost because of economic downfall. Yet he sates, “We have overcome such challenges before. To recover the Dream requires knowing where it came from, how it lasted so long and why it matters so much.” Along with the combination of people making less money and the cost of goods rising, is a he contributing factor to this spiral; making it harder to obtain the American Dream.

In the article “Rethinking the American Dream” David Kamp's states that the American Dream has not gone away. A part in the article that I found to emphasize this was, “ It was possible in this wonderful city for that nameless little boy—for any of its millions—to have a decent chance to scale the walls and achieve what they wished. Wealth, rank, or an imposing name counted for nothing. The only credential the city asked was the boldness to dream.”   He capitalizes on the fact that yes we’ve been moved from our comfortable routine of things, but that doesn’t mean that we are losing the American Dream. The American Dream is not solely based on wealth, but rather achievements reached that once seemed far of in the distance.

The American Dream?

Jon Meacham explains in the article “Keeping the Dream Alive," that the American Dream originated from the puritans and how they finally broke from British rule. This turned into the idea that we can do anything as long as we work hard for what we want, and eventually molded into what we know as "The American Dream" and how it was a life goal that people had to work hard for to live a successful life.

In Meacham's article "Rethinking the American Dream," he talks more about how people genereally think that the american dream is defining "success" in wealth through hard work. However, this is not true. Meacham says that the american dream can also define success in achieve one's life goals. He also argues that no matter how you define "the american dream," it has become more difficult to achieve. 

Back in the mid-1900s, "The American Dream" was to have a family and a white picket-fenced house in a friendly neighborhood. Obviously, a lot has changed since then. Today, technology has become a huge part of our lives. People would work hard to obtain the "next best thing" for their families to enjoy. I think it is because of this that their children (our generation) are struggling to accomplish the American Dream for they already have materialistic goods, and are comfortable at home. Still, it is traditional to get an education so that we can support ourselves without having to rely on our parents. But, we are pressured into thinking that success and happiness is defined by the quality of the goods you own and can afford to obtain. Because of our harsh society, we forget that it is okay to live a moderate life.

City College American Dream Blog: The American Dream

The American Dream

In the article "Keeping the Dream Alive", Jon Meacham is all talking the American Dream which  is people pursuit "better, richer and happier life". Also, he states that people can reach their dream if they work hard and follow the rule. However, this dream seems to fade away for a long time. Especially, with the economic crisis exploded. The unemployment rate is as high as it ever been. People are making less money as goods are getting higher priced. Even though people try to work hard, it's still difficult to reach their "American Dream" any more.

On the other hand, the article "Rethinking the American Dream", the author reminds us that "the American Dream" did not fade away. It depends on how you valve it since Americans like to make it big or "strike it rich". If we really focus on the original American Dream, we should satisfy and happy our present lives even though we are facing a hard time. At least we live in a environment is better than our parents. We have freedom and can be pursuit whatever we want. Doesn't it that mean happiness? Richer life can be reach by your striving.

A dream worth fighting for

In David Kamp's article Rethinking the American Dream, Kamp refers to the American Dream as an evolutionary concept, one that grows with the people who are living it. The issue with the American Dream is that it promises the impossible: a guarantee for wealth and prosperity. Wealth remains a relative term, and while most of America is wealthier than the rest of the world, there is a great divide in the middle-class and the upper-class. One can blame capitalism for creating such an equal divide, or one can blame those believed the American dream promised them the impossible. What the American dream does promise however, is the chance for success. And that's still a thing not everyone has.

In Joe Meacham's article Keeping the dream alive, Meacham believes that the American dream exist not because of the stature of what America is and what it stands for, but because of the people who fought to make it a reality. The arrogance of America is what is destroying the very thing it has to be arrogant about. But we've overcame all of this before right? We've overcame economy collapses before, but the dream has never felt so far away. The American Dream has gone from personal aspirations to a whole societal concept. One that rewards those who work hard, but at the same time punishes them. That can't be the American Dream. Society has created a fictions goal for all of us who want the American Dream. One that includes a family, a job and a future.

How does this relate to this generation of millennials and 20-somethings?  We're not living the dream as promintely as we should. A generation spoiled by the belief that the dream exist solely because we live in a country where the dream was spawned doesn't deserve the dream. Our leader is living the American Dream and we're intrigued by that. But we're intrigued not inspired. We're fighting for gay rights. We support freedom of choice. We want to the American Dream to exist, but we do not take advantage of it and we often time take it for granted. Not to say that the dream does not exist anymore, because it certainly does. But the dream is unfair to those without the head start. If the most basic requirement for the dream is a job, then living in a team where unemployment is at its highest certainly doesn't indicate the dream is well and alive.

How much of it is our fault? I can go on and on about how the lack of American education/the laziness of this generation is our downfall, but one can infer the American dream is being killed by Americans themselves. While America is as optimistic as a nation gets, doubt is slowly growing amongst a once proud nation. Student loans are at their highest...

The American Dream

In the first article “Keeping the Dream Alive by Jon Meacham explains how the American Dream was  something that people had to work for in order to obtain a successful life and how its still taking people awhile to actually succeed in it. By working hard and getting a good education, people have gotten to that point where they are living the American Dream. Meacham explains how most people now have actually forgotten how hard it is to achieve the American Dream and that we need to learn how to get it back. 

The second article, “Rethinking the American Dream” by David Kamp, discusses the meaning behind the “American Dream”. From looking at Kamp's point of view, achieving this dream is harder that it looks. Theres a lot of people with high hopes who believe they can get that American Dream but by understanding that we can’t just have it handed down to us we have to work hard to live a better life. 

These two articles have good main points. I believe that it’s true that people forget about how the American Dream first started and that now in this new generation we actually don’t notice the hardship and struggle we need face in order to obtain it. 

Dreaming The American Dream

       Let's try to picture four hundred years ago we finally set our feet on the vast American plain after a long journey from the old dark world. We felt like we were just reborn with our new lives, fresh air, and endless land in this new world. "Freedom", "liberal", "better" are preferred to describe this new world. We were free from religious control and free from fear. We made our effort to build our new lives and dreams.
       
        The American Dream: A Biography and Rethinking the American Dream both quotes The Epic of America, by James Truslow Adams. An original definition of the American dream in Adams' words, "he called that American dream of a better, richer, and happier life for all our citizens of every rank." Here, Adams emphasized the equal opportunities to pursue happier life for all class one comes from. In The American Dream: A Biography, Jon Meacham constructs his thesis from a history perspective. He argues that "to recover the Dream requires knowing where it came from, how it lasted so long and why it matters so much." While our economy have gone up and down countless times and whatever role the government have played throughout the history, our lives is always getting better. When it comes down to how to recover the dream, we should rely on ourselves. We are the ones who make our American dream come true.

         However, in Rethinking the American Dream, David Kamp tries to present what is the right interpretation of American dream. As time goes by, the meaning of American dream keeps getting shifted and recalibrated. From Adams' interpretation to conflating extreme success, we keep rising our expectation on the American Dream so that it seems harder and harder to achieve. After all, he concludes that "the American Dream should be embraced as the unique sense of possibility that this country gives its citizens--the decent chance, as Moss Hart would say, to scale the walls and achieve what you wish. 

Me Me Me

The topic that interested me the most in this article was the psychological differences between the generations. The author with “but I have studies! I have statistics! I have quotes from respected academics!”, and kept his word: there were several links to psychological studies, which apparently had determined that the Millennial generation is less empathic, suffers more from Narcissistic Personality Disorder. Not only that we are, by this data, self-absorbed and not caring about anyone else, apathetic and arrogant, we are also less creative.

“That constant search for a hit of dopamine ("Someone liked my status update!") reduces creativity. From 1966, when the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking were first administered, through the mid-1980s, creativity scores in children increased. Then they dropped, falling sharply in 1998.”

While I can’t really argue with psychological studies about NPD and empathy, I disagree that the Millennials are less creative. Maybe it’s my environment, but I witness endless creativity from my generation around me. Writing, blogging, art. Maybe it’s not the generation that is less creative. Maybe the definition of creativity has changed. Maybe we can’t use pencil and paper tests anymore to determine level of creativity in children and teenagers, who barely use those things in their daily lives. Maybe they swapped brushes and paint to Photoshop, and invented new forms of art and self-expression, and maybe the tests need to be adjusted to that. And being able to share your creativity so fast allowed them to enjoy not only the creative process, but the consequences of it: praise and compliments, right away. Everything in life has its downside. Previous generations had less opportunities for the art to be seen or heard of. The Millennials experience much more peer pressure. They are encouraged as well as discouraged. Becoming a micro-celebrity is easy, but it is as easy to become a national laughing stock because of an unfortunate “selfie”. That is something previous generations hadn’t - and couldn’t - experience. These new experiences are bound to create new defense mechanisms and new attitudes. The circumstances have changed too radically for old measurements to be applied. 

The other topic of the article I found interesting for the statement that the Millennial Generation has less civic engagement and lower political participation. “Because millennials don't respect authority, they also don't resent it. That's why they're the first teens who aren't rebelling. They're not even sullen.”

I find it untrue for me, as I am a political refugee, and can’t judge if it is true for the overall generation, or just the American society, but if it is, that is truly depressing.

--In the text :American dream": The author talk about the roots that shaped some of the strong belief that americans have and also how the phrase "American dream" emerged.He argued that the benefit of cutting tie with the british colony and the finding of america created a basic idea that every man has the right to freedom,the right to pursue happiness.etc...which eventually led to a strong ideas and development of a phrase such as "Pursuit of happiness"He argued that the vastness of the continent and it's potential for development, created an opportunity for everyone to evolve and pursue their happiness if they are willing to put in the work required.

--Rethinking the american dream: Talk about how the phrase "American dream" is usually understood as "The creation of wealth through hard work and dedication" when in fact it has various meaning like:Hope,or anything achieved through a certain area,etc... Furthermore,he argued that although the american dream, no matter how you define it, has become difficult to achieve,there's hope and the dream is still viable but it's our understanding or our idea of what the term means that need to be addressed.

Molding a generation.

The thing I found interesting about these articles is that they try to understand a generation that has grown up under the influence of technology created by the educated generations of those before them. we are the by product of those before us. Children are exposed to the world that adults create. Technology is rarely created by children, the impact that advancing technology has on the fundamental growth of a child in our society is unknown to the generation before it. Technology growth is exponential, the changing effects on children will be seen in smaller and smaller generational samples, the "Me, me, me" article talks about this by stating that generations time frame will shrink and will be governed by technological progression.. 

Looking at myself it is easy to understand a millennial while also not understanding the desires of one. I get why people use social media, I just don't see the appeal is exposing your life to people. Perhaps that is why the "Twenty Somethings" article was closer to my experience as a millennial then the "Me, me, me" article. I took my time completing the milestones listed in the article, making sure and enjoying my path, not rushing into life altering decisions without understanding the full scope of what marriage and a family entail. The main goal of my life was to just be happy. I had a unhappy childhood and when I became independent for myself I just wanted to be happy.

the real dream

   i know that many people come to US for their american dreams, which are mostly about money and better life. knowing that the fact is our life is getting much better than the past, but we don't feel the same level of happiness as before. i wonder why is this happen.
   as i understand, this may cause by technology and the economy. the technology change our social activities that people spending more time on social networking but not face to face social activities. nowadays, people think happiness is to own lots of things, and this concept makes people work harder to buy staff. is that what people really want? i don't think so. happiness is not about how many things you own or how much money you have. it should about family, friends, and enjoy life.

Rethinking the American Dream

Like the old generation suffered during the Great Depression, dreamed of a better life and more human rights to pursuit happiness, our current generation has the same hope of that. As we are facing crisis economies which lead to high rate of lay-off, losing of property like housing, having a pessimistic about the future. Some people worry about our dream will be over, which make them loose their confident.

            The basic concept of “American Dream” named in James Truslow Adams’ book, “the Epic of America,” during the Great Depression is to express the American simple hope for “better life, wealthier, and more freedom to pursuit happiness for their generation and their children.” However, during times this word has been used in many situations with the purpose of making it sound greater. But in fact, it is just the way to help people feel optimistic about the future, to stimulate people to overcome the bad situation.    

THe American Dream: A Biography

The word “The American Dream,” initially emerged in James Truslow Adams book, “the Epic of America,” during the Great Depression. It was merely to express Americans’ hope during that hard time. People hoped for a better, richer and happier life for their generation and their children. Americans’ lives after postwar era had indeed improved; people have better, richer, and happier lives. American reached its epic heights in power and prosperity after the Great Depression. However, our dream seems to slip way now; it seems that we have to face with another Great Depression ahead. Our nation is confronting with many problems like economic crisis, high rate of unemployment, and political issue. The number of middle-class has shrunk, and low-class level has increased instead. It becomes more difficult for us to persuade our happiness, to get to the American Dream.

The ME ME ME Generation

The title The ME ME ME Generation instantly is associated with narcism and a sense of self-entitlement, which it should. The three Me's are the giveaway an obvious display self obsession. But what if the three Me's actually represented a sense of self dependence?(This idea was partially influenced by Destiny's Child's song titled Me, Myself and I a song about a women's independence. I probably shouldn't be admitting that on an english blog.) You might be thinking "A generation with more 20-somethings staying with their parents, counting their twitter followers and grew up wanting to be like Kim Kardashin is self dependent?" Well hear me out! This generation may be dependent on those around us more than ever, but we are not dependent on a script. We're too busy flipping it. We could be simply altering the appearance of our lives through social media, but we're changing the way things are done. 
Technology is obviously the most discussed part about this generation. "They are informed but inactive" Is there a more true statement about technologies effect on us? With technology so much information is being processed to us that slowly each bit of information becomes less significant. We can't protest and act upon everything we hear, we're too busy finding out more information. To many instargram and twitter acts as a mask for our daily lives. Many users are too busy in making their life seem interesting than actually making their life interesting. And they do so because others to do it too. The narcism comes from a generation that feels social media measures their worth, and this allows personalities such as, Kim Kardashin to be the queen of social media. I think i'm getting off topic. Essentially, because of technology this generation is not only masking their lives, their masking their world around them. Instead of worrying about complex issues, they worry about superficial issues because this generation is an optimistic one. One that believes everything is okay and remains happy because of it, almost to a fault.

Am I a Millennial?

The Millennials are those people who were born between 1980 and 2000. I was born in 1981 in China. I am an early Millennial. I grew up in a common family, as common as most of my classmates. Our parents had regular jobs. My age generation  didn't have computer, cellphone and internet until our 20 years old. We grew up listening to our parents and teachers. I went to bookstores or libraries to solve my confusions, such as "what is love." I was not narcissistic because I would be blamed if I was not humble and considerate.  I didn't have entitlement because my parents told me that I had to study hard for my future and what I wanted. I talked with my friends on the  phone for hours. I met old friends and their family members at home. The only thing I could prove that I am good was my grades in the school.
When I read the article "The new greatest generation", I totally felt I am not those type of people described as the Millenials. . America is far more developed  than China in many aspects during the 80s. Economic status and technology development made the Millenials different from their parents, the so-called baby boomers in America. After 1990, China came out of its self imposed isolation. The advanced technologies were imported to China. China's economic reform allowed an influx of investors. Chinese people's lives were drastically improved. So I think the definition about the  Chinese Milennials started from 1990 instead of 1980. 

To Have The American Dream

The American Dreams has changed in how modern society interpret it however the main idea is still alive. In "Rethinking The American Dream", a quote caught my attention that I felt made me believe that this is the foundation of having the American Dream. It goes like this, "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness". A quote that comes from The Declaration of Independence, has made such an impact, that most refer to this quote as defining the American Dream in a nut shell.
Referring back to the article, the writer focuses on the downfall in which the hope of achieving the American Dream in current modern times. However, I beg to differ. The way society or youth represent the American Dream has evolved into a modern way in which we can all relate. For example, Lets take the term Life and Liberty, todays youth are embracing this aspect of the American Dream by the term "YOLO", which means you only live once. This term allows us as fellow americans trying to achieve the american dream by being spontaneous, grasping any opportunty that comes to hand and allowing ourselves to explore the unknown. We as young americans are embracing life and liberty in new ways that may be different from our past ancestor however our main intention is to achieve it. Our last term in this quote is the pursuit of happiness. Well I dont know about you however this is a given. In achieveing our YOLO lifestlyle we convert this semi challenging task into a way that makes it enjoyable and rememberable for us. We are not going to pursuite our liberty/independence by going somewhere boring NO . We are going somewhere that catches our eyes and makes us want to explore.
In "The American Dream: A Biography", a quote/argument caught my attention that i felt made me summarize how I define the American Dream-"the world was not perfect, nor was it perfectable, but the story of America was at heart the story of doing well..."This to me is saying our new generation is not perfect nor will it become perfect after we complete our milestones in life however the main heart of the american dream was always our foundation and our motivation that allowed us to conqure obsticles and adventuring onto the unknown.

Somethings about the 20's

<Same post, with different user name>

I have to admit the author and Arnett knew what is about 20s. I totally agree the 20s is a different life stage from the adolescence. I am over 30 right now. when I looked back what happened in the past ten years, I am so happy I finally became an adult by my own definition. I am a late bloomer. Before I read this article, I thought maybe I am the special case, whose brain developed slower than the standard from text book. Now I feel I am just a normal person who experienced the period called emerging adulthood .

I like the author call the 20s as " the stem cell of human development." Because there is so many possibility in that period, and the certain big  decisions can lead to various future lives. That is why I also believe the reasonable delay to be an adult has lots of advantages. We have to stop, explore and then decide which direction we like to go. Graduation from college does not mean we are ready for the requirements of the cruel society. Lots of time, we have to taste the apple, then we can tell if you like it or not, and if it is tasty for me or not. unfortunately, there are too many things we need to taste before we figure out what fit our individual life. During the adolescence, we basically listen to the parents because we have no ability to survive without them. The 20s is wonderful. We gain some confidence about ourself, also get some freedom to try different things. It is confusing and bitter sometimes. But only after knowing what is bitter, we will appreciate the sweetness. Those young kids overprotected will  take much longer time to get over the emerging period, maybe never. 

There is emerging adulthood in everyone 's life span. But what happens to that individual and how that person interpret those significant events will lead to a totally different belief about the adult's life. Also social and family pressure affect its development.

American Dream

Although the title seem a bit discouraging and sad but the reality of this is not true.  With the economy of now, it might look like as if the American Dream is fading away. However, comparing to the past generation’s quality of lifestyle, we are in a better stage. In a way, we have already achieved what American Dream initially defines: to be educated, to be worry free of food and shelter. Not to mention, the current generation have the best resources and the best technologies that anyone in the past generation can imagine. So why are we not satisfy with what we have. Some argue this is due to the rise of expectation in materials and wants. Since we already have almost every basic need in life, we want to strive for better. But as  we desperately strive for something that are unreachable, we are stressing ourselves of unnecessary needs. Meanwhile, in order to get those needs we have to work even harder to get them. Unfortunately, not everyone is able to give those efforts. Coincidentally, it is those who are unwilling to work argue the American Dream is fading away. Rather than American Dream slowly dying, it is us who are not satisfying the result of American Dream.  

"ME"

It is true that our current generation is taking longer to adapt to adulthood. But who's there to blame this other than the society that nourish us since we are children. Ever since we are little, we are given everything we wanted. We have not once have to worry about food or shelter. Parents and adults tell is we can be anything we want and we believe it. Although their initial intention is to help us build our "self-esteem"(3), at the end it only boost our narcissism. Each of everyone in the current generation believe he or she is unique. There is nothing wrong with believing in yourself but obsessive self  focus and self interest do make a selfish society that only care for "self". But who's there to blame when it is the older generation who created who we are. They indulge us with praises and compliments but this only misled us to believe we're special. It turns us into selfish monster who only think of ourselves. But at the same time, it leads us into creating and developing technologies that can benefit ourselves such as Facebook, Twitter and many other platform that make out life more continent.

What exactly is the American Dream?

The "American Dream" has been a very controversial concept for the past two decades. Many would say that the American Dream is fading away or that it is no longer attainable. "Rethinking the American Dream" by David Kamp shows us that the American Dream is not fading away; However, our expectations of what the American Dream should be has increased at an alarming rate. It seems as though being an American means that we must obtain bigger and greater things. We are pressured to study long hours so that we can go to a good school, so that we can achieve a career that makes a lot of money. Many people want to "make it big" that they forget that having a modest life is okay.

"Rethinking the American Dream" and "Keeping the Dream Alive" by Jon Meacham goes through a brief American history on how the American Dream came to be. Both discuss the early settlements of America, and how it was the first time that common people (the Puritans) were chasing after their dream (of religious freedom). Both articles also quote James Truslow Adams, a historian in the 1930s, who states that Americans during the postwar era were living "a better, richer and happier life." However, David Kamp defines what exactly a better, richer and happier life entails. Kamp writes "A 'better and richer life' is promised, but for most people this wont be a rich person's life. 'Opportunity for each' is promised, but within the bounds of each person's ability." (p.4) Unlike Meacham, Kamp knows that there are limitations to every American Dream. Some people will be able to accomplish more than others.

We should not get discouraged from this fact. We all should work hard and not let our upbringing bring us down. It is not impossible to leave the poor class and enter middle class. My grandmother, who is a rather well to do women, once told me that throughout most of her life (until she retired) she had to live paycheck to paycheck. And informed me that I would most likely have to do the same. She wasn't trying to make this seem like a harsh reality, but it is a reality nonetheless. I know that I will have to work hard for most of my life but with optimism I can achieve greater things, if only I put in the effort to do so.

American Dream

 “America Dream” is linked with the expression “you get what you deserve”.  This expression relates very much with John Meacham’s article, “Keeping the Dream alive.” American Dream is all about possessing “things.” The seeking for a better and happier life is almost everybody’s goal in life. However it only became strong and possible in America with the power of capitalism increasing significantly throughout the years. The America dream created the idea that people can buy their future and that their future is going to be as greater as they work and deserve.

“Rethinking the American Dream,” by David kamp is concentrated much more on what it really means for people nowadays and how it is different from days back. The meaning of the expression “American Dream” has changed since it was first used. It became much more dependable on one’s perspective of life. In addition, American dream does not have on path or result anymore. The America dream these days is much more individual and singular. Even though the pursue for a greater life with financial power, happiness and security is still a main goal for many people, these days people are remodeling the definition of happiness; furthermore, since the market has increased much more than the income has, it became harder to the middle class to obtain “things,” which weren’t days back when the American dream was fully presented in everyone’s life, as a result of, people are now changing now their ideas of what is important and really necessary to obtain in order to reach a successfully life, financially and emotionally.

Both articles show a different perspective of the “American Dream.” Rethinking the American Dream explains that the American Dream has changed and it is not just one idea of living; also, people are now focusing on things that really matter for their lives and not just buying “things” in order to reach a greater life.

American Dream

"The American Dream: A Biography" tells of the long journey towards what we now call the American dream.  Author Jon Meacham goes through the years starting all the way back from the 1600s to shows us that this dream has been a work in progress for hundreds of years and took awhile to obtain.  Through times of hardship and stuggle we had obtained it.  He does believe the idea is somewhat lost now and it is up to us the people to restore it.
"Rethinking the American Dream" is about the idea that the American Dream is a changing idea.  The comfortable lifestyle we have now that we take for granted was the american dream for many back then.  Author David Kamp quotes James Truslow Adams "The Epic of America", "that American dream of a better, richer, and happier life for all citizens of every rank." and shows us that we are already here. Think about the difference of your parents life to yours, not many people can say that it isnt better, richer, and happier.  He uses the ideas of 70s and 80s sitcoms to reimagine the American Dream for the past generations and can show us now that we have everything they have and more.  So why, if we have this, do we strive for more?  It is because we are spoiled by this lifestyle and our greed leaves us wanting something greater?  I think the point of this article was to remind us that the American Dream isnt about striving to be the greatest, but to realize what you have is something already great in itself.

Me Me Me

The "Me Me Me Generation" shows how our generation is the most self-obsessed, narcissistic group of people to ever walk the earth...... I believe him.  "Millennials grew up watching reality-TV shows which are basically documentaries about narcissists.  Now they have trained themselves to be reality-tv-ready."  Now before i say anything more, i must admit that im not above the crowd at all.  I use my phone daily and i use and check social networking sites often.  Where i differ though is that i feel like as the millennials are continuing to get more and more into themselves and their phone problems, i feel like im slowly drifting away.  I used to love all the action and dramatic problems that happened online, now i cant stand it.  You will never find me taking a "selfie", i rarely ever update my status, and i stay the hell off my phone when im driving.  I cant help to think that if im starting to side with his argument, I must be getting old?
Well maybe not, because his argument isnt very strong.  I first got into the article strongly agreeing because he was giving it punch after punch, but then halfway through he started acknowledging the millennials and kind of praising them.  It was hard to see where he stood by the end, but i choose to believe he still has strong feelings against the way this generation is turning out.  What is funny though is that he didnt address the trend of older generations that are starting to use their phones and are social networking more often now.  I see older people getting into it and in some cases using it more than the millennials.  Its all about the times, if they had this technology in their time, they wouldve been us.  Im sure Joel Stein is signed up for a few social networking accounts too.

Do we think "Me, Me, Me, Generation' great ?

Millenniants appears globally nowadays. It is nothing new; in fact, this phenomenon even could be found in the older generation, but it was not too prominent to be debated about. Millennials like emerging adulthood falling between the ages of teen to 20s. This young generation takes more time to choose foundation for the rest of their life, they don’t want to get married and have kids at early age as their parent generation did, and they still live with their parent and still need their parents’ financial support. Nothing we have to scare or critic about millennials. They are not a “new species”, they’ve just “mutated” to fit to the changing environment. Although some people think millenials are lazy, having a narcissist’s personality, higher self-esteem, and self-involvement, lacking of empathy, having difficult to understand other people’s view point. However, as proved by the author that millenniants are active generation, they have their own dream, they are positive, they have excellent internet skill (which is necessary in our current world), they are easily to accept new thing, and they want new experiences which are considered more important than material goods. I don’t think that millennials are bad because they do not cause harm to society. They are the honest person like to share their secret with their chatting friends although they don’t like to talk face-to-face. They have a powerful affection in the working environment.    

             

What Is It About 20----Something?

The young generation now completes the 5 milestones like “completing school, leaving home, becoming facially independent, marring and having a child which is considered as a transition state to adulthoods not only late but also not going through it at 30s. Yes, the 5 milestones are important in our lives, but it is not necessary to do it by order, and one has to complete it by the age of 20s or something. The age of 20 is still young to be forced to make the big decision. If we considered they are mature why aren’t they allowed to drink until 21, or rented a car until 25? Is it that at some circumstances, they are defined as premature? As the new adulthood is now living at the new era; they have more choice of employment and marriage. It is the reason the childhood has high frequency of job changing. They don’t want to get marry although having premarital sex. They don’t rush to have babies because there are available help from reproductive technology. Moreover, schooling is important, but is doesn’t mean without finishing schooling we cannot find a job. Off course with higher education we can get better jobs. It is all depending on personal choice. Some people are very successful in life – having a good job, high pay; they can support not only themselves but their parents or siblings but without getting married. Don’t we consider them as adult even though they are at the late of 30s?              

           The 20s young generation, “emerging adulthood” named by Jeffrey Jensen Arnett, like to explore themselves, to find out more about the outside world before making decision. Why should we rush them to make some big decision while they can take more time to consider? As Robin Marantz Henig states in his article that “if kids take longer to choose their mates and their careers they will make fewer mistake.” I think it completely true. Spending more time to consider something will help one make a correct decision, and it is a good pay off. I witnessed some young couples in my country got married at the age of 20, but they quarrel all the times because of disagreement, and as a result they divorced. My case is an example. After finished high I found a job as a sales-girl for a private company selling needle and button for about six month. However, after six months of working I feel not so interesting with the job, and then I went back college to study. After graduated, I worked for a joint venture manufacture. I didn’t get married until I was at 30. Although I didn’t pass through the 5 milestones in order and complete it at the early age, I didn’t do any thing wrong for that. I still contribute to the labor force, I didn’t cause harm to my society. I have my right to choose to do the thing that I prefer. As the author said that if delay adulthood stage could bring more benefits, why don’t we let it go.

All about Me Me Me

The article "The ME ME ME Generation" by Joel Stein brings up many issues that older generations would agree with. We're narcissistic and are entering adulthood at a slower rate than ever before. When reading this article I thought I would be reading about how easy my generation has had it and other negative characteristics that are associated with what Stein calls the "Millennials."  However, as I continued to read this article, Stein revealed our flaws and showed his readers how great our generation actually is, despite the flaws. Its hard to hear such criticism in the beginning of the article. Am I as narcissistic as the article implies? I find myself on Facebook, looking into the lives of other people and being jealous of the things they post. I can agree with Stein that I am constantly living under the influence of my friends. 

Whats great about Stein's article is how he reveals that even though he is older than my generation, he still finds himself prone to the same bad habits that supposedly only my generation has.I was worried about how my generation was so obsessed with technology and media, but I realized that this is not necessarily a bad thing. My generation has just "mutated to adapt to their environment" (p.6) We can use the media and technology given to us to create great things. Stein explains that because we feel entitled we become "more innovative and more willing to try new things..."( p.7)We have been blessed with the ability to spend more time thinking of ideas that can be used for the better good. It may take us some time to figure out what we want to do with our lives, but once we figure it out, we can live lives of passion rather than lives focused on money and income. Perhaps we are a little narcissistic, but maybe you have to be in order to believe you can change the world. 

Me me me generation

I think the Article me me me generation is about how technology can lead to narcissism. A lot of people nowadays are always posting pictures of theirselves and   Share it to everyone. Old people think that millenials are lazy and are always on their phone. Millenials think that they should be always on top that they always want to get promoted every 2 years or so. They want to be famous or be successful but a lot of the millenials are not even getting masters or ph degree. Millenials are the people who were born from 1980's to 2000's. Since technology were rapidly growing in that year. Most of the millenials grew up with technology or know about it. Which lead to millenials using cellphones all the time and taking pictures of theirselves then it increases their narcissism which is a bad thing. 

On the other hand, millenials are nice. They accept different things which is a good thing. They always think before they

Do something so that they don't fail. They always find new and better things 

And they accept it as a whole. One example would be new apps   And millenials enjoy new things. Also , they don't wanna miss out   They always want to be engaged with other people that's why their always on their phones. 

Me: Becoming a Cosmic MicroCelebrity

Time magazine's "The Me Me Me Generation.  Millennials are lazy, entitled narcissists who still live with their parents.  Why they'll save us all," is a fascinating article.

This article stretches the range of millennials being the most narcissistic populated young people in history, and yet the most positive.  They are pro-business, and will think think think before they do.  So this makes them pragmatic.  Yet they have been allowed to grow up with communication technology that involves communicating among their peers, family, fans or followers with a sense of self-esteem that was instilled by their baby-boomer parents.

I have not grown up as a millennial; however, being creative, positive and enjoying the tools of communication and social technology, I have adapted to working in a digital world by acquiring technical skills that allow me to work from home, or remotely.

If our world is to become one that fosters more creativity, more transparency, and more positivity, then  millennials are showing us the way.   Consider this.  If our world begins to base itself on "needing approval," by people who think and question, could then this mantra could begin to interrupt dominant destructive systems that have destroyed the environment or the social order?  If the millennials world is flat; that is, if there are not just several leaders, but every young person is a leader, wouldn't this have the potential to take down destructive governments or corporations?  The article did not address the destruction of our environment, nor the ability to build a sustainable civilization.  Imagine the children of the millennials:  children reared on positivity, being more open and accepting, yet also know that they can make a difference, the feeling of importance.

I see myself reflected in the millennials mirror.  I grew up very narcissistic, and yet that transitioned into being of service to others.  I saw my parents break social boundaries with their career and marriage.  My father was twenty years older than my mother.  My mother was incredibly brilliant and managed to go to college at eighteen years of age on a scholarship.   They adopted two children.  I believe the next step for me and the next generation, is how we are going to steward this precious earth and resources, and that includes taking care of each other, not just ourselves.  So maybe we will enter the "me and you" generation building happiness together.

 The Me Me Me Generation

"The Me Me Me Generation"

In the article “The Me Me Me Generation”, Joel Stein criticizes that milliennials are lazy, narcissism. He points out that milliennials like to hold and check their cell phone everywhere. They use texting keep in touch with their friends. Also, milliennials likes to share and post their photos to Instagram. This demonstrates that milliennials are very narcissism. I disagree with his points because I consider that milliennials are forced to adapt this changing with the developing technologies. Since they live in this century, they have to follow up. I also admit that millienials are good at using technologies products than their parents, which I consider is a good thing.

"My" reply

“Millennials grew up watching reality-TV shows, most of which are basically documentaries about narcissists.”

I believe people are the products of their environment, and the millennials are products of technology: "Can you imagine how many frickin' Instagrams of people playing in the mud during Woodstock we would've seen? I think in many ways you're blaming millennials for the technology that happens to exist right now." Yes, they check their phones during class, but think about how long you can stand in line without looking at your phone. Now imagine being used to that technology your whole life and having to sit through algebra.”

Society attempted to encourage self esteem so kids do better in school, but it didn't really fall into place the way they expected. "The problem is that when people try to boost self-esteem, they accidentally boost narcissism instead.”

It seemed as though this article went back and forth with SO many ideas, saying something good, then following with something negative. For example that this generation is so positive, but then that they feel so entitled. From people puffing up themselves on social media, then for everyone to be more "themselves".

I feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information that needs to be considered to begin to achieve an understanding of this generation. And maybe thats it, maybe there is no "typical" anymore.