Page 25 - Šolsko polje, XXVIII, 2017, no. 3-4: Education and the American Dream, ed. Mitja Sardoč
P. 25
r. c. hauhart ■ american dream studies in the 21st century
often those from low income populations of color (2014: p. 76). Yet, as
Bettie (2014: p. 76) concludes, students who try and take this alternative
route “will still probably not end up with jobs that pay them enough to
support themselves and will likely go into debt as a consequence of at-
tending.” It almost seems that believing in the American Dream of up-
ward mobility has become a predisposing factor in insuring that one does
not achieve it.
Conclusion
Given the foregoing, why would anyone believe in the American Dream?
Yet, rather miraculously, nearly everyone in the United States does. As
Hochschild (1995: p. 55) observes based on mountains of evidence she pre-
sents, “Americans are close to unanimous in endorsing the idea of the
American dream.” A modest analysis that I produced with a colleague
reached the same conclusion about American college students who almost
universally believe in the Dream and think they will attain it (Hauhart
and Birkenstein, 2013). How can one explain this? Perhaps Rank, Hirschl,
and Foster (2014) come closest with their discussion of elements of the
American Dream that have produced very little scholarly examination:
hope and optimism. As these authors correctly point out, without the ex-
istence of hope (for something) sustaining the optimistic possibility that
what is sought can be achieved, what exactly would the American Dream
consist of? Thus, while my present effort is limited by my inability to take
the matter further in the context of this paper, it may well be that the
proper province of American Dream studies will always be the nature of
people’s hopes and aspirations, the challenges they face, and the outcomes
they experience. Like the American Dream itself, studies of this nature
would constitute an endless quest – but one well worth pursuing.
References
______________. 2015. “Aarondeep Living the American Dream.” Cov-
entry Telegraph, Coventry, UK. (January 20, 2015). Retrieved July
26, 2017: https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.stmartin.edu/central/
docview/1642459498/fulltext/96BDA01E61F84237PQ/16?accoun-
tid=39173
______________. 2008. “Michelle Obama and the American Dream.”
Turkish Daily News, Ankara, TR (August 30, 2008). Retrieved July
26, 2017: https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.stmartin.edu/central/
docview/328662823/abstract/92D74A3C14C14936PQ/165?accoun-
tid=39173
23
often those from low income populations of color (2014: p. 76). Yet, as
Bettie (2014: p. 76) concludes, students who try and take this alternative
route “will still probably not end up with jobs that pay them enough to
support themselves and will likely go into debt as a consequence of at-
tending.” It almost seems that believing in the American Dream of up-
ward mobility has become a predisposing factor in insuring that one does
not achieve it.
Conclusion
Given the foregoing, why would anyone believe in the American Dream?
Yet, rather miraculously, nearly everyone in the United States does. As
Hochschild (1995: p. 55) observes based on mountains of evidence she pre-
sents, “Americans are close to unanimous in endorsing the idea of the
American dream.” A modest analysis that I produced with a colleague
reached the same conclusion about American college students who almost
universally believe in the Dream and think they will attain it (Hauhart
and Birkenstein, 2013). How can one explain this? Perhaps Rank, Hirschl,
and Foster (2014) come closest with their discussion of elements of the
American Dream that have produced very little scholarly examination:
hope and optimism. As these authors correctly point out, without the ex-
istence of hope (for something) sustaining the optimistic possibility that
what is sought can be achieved, what exactly would the American Dream
consist of? Thus, while my present effort is limited by my inability to take
the matter further in the context of this paper, it may well be that the
proper province of American Dream studies will always be the nature of
people’s hopes and aspirations, the challenges they face, and the outcomes
they experience. Like the American Dream itself, studies of this nature
would constitute an endless quest – but one well worth pursuing.
References
______________. 2015. “Aarondeep Living the American Dream.” Cov-
entry Telegraph, Coventry, UK. (January 20, 2015). Retrieved July
26, 2017: https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.stmartin.edu/central/
docview/1642459498/fulltext/96BDA01E61F84237PQ/16?accoun-
tid=39173
______________. 2008. “Michelle Obama and the American Dream.”
Turkish Daily News, Ankara, TR (August 30, 2008). Retrieved July
26, 2017: https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.stmartin.edu/central/
docview/328662823/abstract/92D74A3C14C14936PQ/165?accoun-
tid=39173
23
