Consumerism In The American Dream

Life, liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness were once considered the core values of the American Dream. These values upheld the idea that anyone from any background could become someone; that they would be able to live freely and leave behind a legacy that would be carried on from generations to come. In the 50’s, the American Dream prospered with the goal that every family would be able to own a home, be debt free, and be able to raise a family. However, with the rise of consumerism in the past six decades, this American Dream has been harder for middle America to reach. The American Dream has slowly become just that; a dream only the few and affluent can achieve. In America today, it is harder for the average American just to rent an apartment, much less consider buying a home to raise a stable family. Consumerism is to blame for this. Consumerism has had a drastic and lasting effect on the American Dream and has led to its’ downfall.
Life is defined by the idea that from birth until death, you are in control of it and your destiny is yours to choose. However, consumerism and money play a …show more content…
Consumerism has only created more conflict within the lives of the American people. It has barred the people from their freedom by placing them in a debt they cannot recover from. It has also helped push materialistic ideas on the people, leading to their inevitable unhappiness. Though there is no way to recover these values a largely consumerism based society like America, I feel as though we must now give up on the idea of an American Dream. With the ever-growing debt and unhappiness of the American populous, we should stop striving for a concept that would ultimately mean our downfall if we tried to pursue it. Currently, the American Dream will only cause more harm than good. It is time to come up with a more realistic and reachable goal for the average