The American Dream has often been portrayed as a lifestyle in suburban America, in that if you work hard, long hours you will be able to achieve wealth and happiness. However there is a dark side to this, as it implies that happiness has been tied to materialism and wealth. This casts a blight on American society as being driven by greed to have materialistic wealth, instead of strong family ties or relationships like the ones America was built upon. The American Dream has been transformed greatly from its initial purposes, and is now only a minor embodiment of what it used to mean.
Consumerism in America has reached a critical point, ever since the Great Depression, Americans have been obsessed with being able to attain and show off material wealth, be it in the form of a new American car from a famous American name such as Ford or Chevrolet, to white goods and clothes. Everything had to be American made and branded, such was the pride of the average American. However this endless quest for wealth in multiple meanings meant that the family ties also grew weaker, despite the emphasis in propaganda for 2.3 kids and a caring family, inevitably as people lusted over the latest model of fridge, they had to spend more time working in order to achieve that, and thus less time with loved ones. This was generally the burden of males in households, as most women were discouraged from working instead being …show more content…
This has led to Americans being deeply flawed, instead of seeking inner satisfaction in their own lives, they seek approval from those outside themselves, leading to deep dissatisfaction with choices that have been made. In conclusion, the problems caused by capitalism and consumerism are not physical, economic or even political, but are instead deep psychological problems within the minds of all Americans growing up in the American Dream
Consumerism in America has reached a critical point, ever since the Great Depression, Americans have been obsessed with being able to attain and show off material wealth, be it in the form of a new American car from a famous American name such as Ford or Chevrolet, to white goods and clothes. Everything had to be American made and branded, such was the pride of the average American. However this endless quest for wealth in multiple meanings meant that the family ties also grew weaker, despite the emphasis in propaganda for 2.3 kids and a caring family, inevitably as people lusted over the latest model of fridge, they had to spend more time working in order to achieve that, and thus less time with loved ones. This was generally the burden of males in households, as most women were discouraged from working instead being …show more content…
This has led to Americans being deeply flawed, instead of seeking inner satisfaction in their own lives, they seek approval from those outside themselves, leading to deep dissatisfaction with choices that have been made. In conclusion, the problems caused by capitalism and consumerism are not physical, economic or even political, but are instead deep psychological problems within the minds of all Americans growing up in the American Dream