The "American Dream"

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In the 1980s, Americans had an “American Dream.” This dream was to be prosperous including having a well-to-do profession, a luxurious mansion, and ostentatious vehicles. Was this “American Dream” ever achieved? During this decade new styles and icons were emerging, and the 1970s life style soon disappeared. Although this vision in the 1980s was truly distinctive, how does this compare to our society today? Isn’t today’s “American Dream” to also be comfortable with elaborate and fancy material possessions? Both decades had many concepts and techniques towards accomplishing their dream, but they were both aiming for the same goal: to live the high life prosperously. In the 1980s the incomes for many middle-class people stayed stagnant, but high prices began to rise. This affected families financially. Wealthier families could afford to pay the rising prices, but the middle-class society started to have problems with ascending rates. Since the more affluent families were able to buy nice possessions, everyone in the 1980s also focused on nice possessions. Also in the 1980s, many women waited longer before becoming pregnant. Women worked on their career first, so they could be equal with men in the corporate world. Although the feminist movement was on the rise, so was the divorce rate. This decade was where the divorces increased the most, and families started to fall apart. In the 1980s family was not the most essential priority. Just like in the book “Blow” by Bruce Porter, George Jung was not the best father figure. His job, which was smuggling cocaine, made him money hungry and was more interested in making more and more and more money that family wasn’t his top priority in life. People in the 1980s became self absorbed with money and material possessions that families and the good morals of life became their second or even third concern. In

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