Did the "American dream" change over time, or was it just my interpretation of it? (lemm.ee)

submitted 1 year ago by NotSpez@lemm.ee to c/asklemmy@lemmy.world

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So growing up, I had this idea that the American dream was about that if you put in an honest amount of work, you would be rewarded with a good life. This would mean you would be able to take care of yourself and your family, afford a car and a house. In my view, working one job would probably be enough.

Nowadays, I get the idea that the American dream has become about working your ass off in order to have a chance to become a millionaire. Somehow glorifying “the grind” appears to be a part of it too now.

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[-] Xariphon@kbin.social 43 points 1 year ago

Glorifying "the grind" is a toxic coping mechanism for dealing with the fact that our grandparents' generation got what they were promised and pulled up the ladder behind them, leaving the rest of us behind in debt and on fire. People glorify working themselves to death because they cannot bring themselves to accept things like it should not be this way and does not have to be, or you are just as much a victim of the 1% as whoever it is you've been taught to look down upon. It's taking advantage of the psychological need for self-assurance and a vague sense of superiority, but ultimately it's propaganda to keep the poor in line.

No matter how hard you "grind," if you are not self-employed you are always making orders of magnitude more money for someone else than you are for yourself. If you are self-employed, it's still true, but to a lesser degree.

[-] MiddleWeigh@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

Well said.

Took me a while to recognize the instilled behavior, and even longer to unwind the tendrils and it's effects on my life in general. Capitalism has instilled a martyr complex into us.

I am a go where the wind blows kind of person and settled on working for myself. Much out of necessity as well, cause a company would absolutely not hire me anymore. I am still "poor", but I make my own schedule at least. If I'm gonna get fucked, I'd like to choose how.

this post was submitted on 09 Aug 2023

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