The American Dream: A nightmare - in light of the Great Gatsby, the Danish Dream and Racism
Op-Ed by Sarah Yehya, Contributor
February 16th, 2021
“Meiguo”, or in other words “beautiful country,” is what the Republic of China calls its biggest rival… the United States of America. One can’t deny the greatness of the American soil. Not even Columbus when he decided his people were more deserving of it. The most impressive thing one can say on Lebanese grounds is “I have the American Passport”, making them more eligible for jobs, marriage and a superior understanding of “the Office”. To summarize, America is presumed to be the land of the free, where dreams come true and capitalism works in your favor...or so we thought.
What is the American Dream?
In theory, the “American Dream” was fabricated by James Truslow Adams in his best-seller “Epic of America”. He elaborated on the idea that hard work and perseverance will provide mobility for anyone from any background to climb the social class (1). What gives the American Dream a hopeful attire? It’s geographic location/landmass (Canada is too cold, and Mexico is rather near the equator), its natural resources (featuring the oil from the Middle East) as well as the cultural diversity.
Some American presidents fed into the dream. Lincoln provided slaves the chance to attain it, Woodrow Wilson gave women the right to vote in 1917, and Franklin Roosevelt created the Economic Bill of Rights. This bill stated that every man has the right for a decent housing, good education, an earning for decent living and healthcare. (2)
As time advanced however, the level of homeless people rose exponentially (3), the university tuition fees kept on multiplying (4), minimum wages could no longer be a survival standard and healthcare only housed those who could pay their bills (5). Although Roosevelt tried to protect the country from Socialism, Communism and Nazism, he instead culminated a progressively failing Capitalistic country, where the rich keep getting richer and the poor are living in a relationship with homelessness.
Thus, the American Dream is realized only when one is considered privileged. So what happens when a black female decides to apply for a job to kickstart her journey towards her “American Dream”? Let’s break it down.
Where do the females and people of color stand?
Capitalism can be preserved in these two words: systemic contradiction. The concept of equal economic opportunities between everyone is hindered by racism, sexism, xenophobia and much more....
A place where the woman makes 78 cents for every man’s dollar is a place of clear systemic inequality of opportunities (6). On the other hand, racism in the working or educational field can’t simply be solved by “Affirmative Action”, not when it is backed by racial quotas (7). However, when African Americans protest the lack of equal opportunities, they are compared with other POCs such as the Asians.
This is where the narrative is wrong: Asians were invited to America to pursue a higher level of education and play a catalytic role in the American economy, while African Americans were dragged in as slaves. As history recalls, the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 (also known as the Hart–Celler Act) was a parody of The National Origins Formula in the 1920s - which prompted European immigration during the US Post Civil Right Movement. Congress under President Johnson initiated the Immigration and Nationality Act allowing Asian immigrants into the country in order to debunk the racial discrimination originating from the 20’s formula (8). This act prioritizes those who have family that are considered U.S. citizens, and those with specialized skills. Hence, most of the Asian-Americans were destined for success, while African Americans had to dig their way out.
To this day, race still plays a role in determining success - in subtle ways of course.
How does the Great Gatsby debunk the American Dream?
The Great Gatsby is a grand franchising of the “American Dream”. The storyline was placed in the roaring 20s when the economy skyrocketed. In this literary masterpiece, Daisy represents the dream and Gatsby represents a citizen of a faulty system. If you focused in tenth grade English class, you would remember that Gatsby never got Daisy. The truth is, it is not that Gatsby did not play the right cards, but rather that Daisy wasn’t attainable in the first place. No matter how big his parties were, how fancy his shirts were tailored, or how greedy he grew... Gatsby never had a chance.
Looking at it from a literary perspective, Gatsby represented every dreamer: lacking everything but passion. He never formed any social relations, the people who attended his parties did not know what he looked like and no one came to his funeral. He was so immersed with capturing Daisy, that he forgot to live his life. This is an exact depiction of the role the American Dream plays: initially leaving everyone selfish, alone and bedridden with hopes that can never be achieved - creating a sharp decline in the moral aspects of society.
However, looking at it from an economic point of view, we can present the Gatsby Curve (figure 1).
Figure 1 - “Great Gatsby” Curve Inequality and intergenerational mobility across nations
The Gatsby Curve represents the rise of inequality in social mobility. Gatsby was merely a bootlegger before he led the Long Island north shore social set - his jump on the social ladder is akin to impossible, with the sharp increase of inequality we have been witnessing amongst the years. What the graph quintessentially describes is how the upbringing of the individual influences their future. With the US using the American Dream as their advertisement, their location on the graph is rather demeaning - especially when compared to Denmark at the bottom, which is where it gets interesting.
What is the Danish Dream and why isn’t it a false advertisement?
To summarize, what the Scandinavians did that the Americans failed to do is the following : free secondary and tertiary education, governmentally supported healthcare, and high taxation along with income redistribution. In short, they strived to provide excellent mobility for social classes - thus minimizing inequality. The concept that the Danes tend to work towards is “everyone deserves a chance”, which is why Denmark is considered the happiest country in the world (9).
Concluding
The narrative of the American Dream is in its essence a failed attempt at making sure Uncle Sam is invited for Christmas dinner every year, even though he always comes empty handed.
In an age like ours - where jobs are scarce and houses are a luxury- the “dream” downgrades sentiments such as valuing nature, spending time with loved ones, and a meaningful life. In other words, happiness. This means that since happiness varies, it can be obtained anywhere, and with the current statistics at hand, America is the furthest place to find it.
Dr. Doofenshmirtz said it best: “I was heading to a golden land of opportunities, but I ended up in America instead.”
References
(2) https://www.thebalance.com/what-is-the-american-dream-quotes-and-history-3306009
(3) https://www.coalitionforthehomeless.org/state-of-the-homeless-2020/
(4) https://priceonomics.com/the-supersizing-of-american-colleges/
(6) https://money.cnn.com/2015/04/13/news/economy/equal-pay-day-2015/
(7) https://www.history.com/topics/immigration/us-immigration-since-1965