"The Obituary of the American Dream," The New York Times tells the stories of those American dreams shattered

In 1931, the American writer James Adams first coined the term "American Dream" in his work The Epic of America. In his writing, America is a "promised land" where everyone, regardless of origin or class, is capable of living a better and richer life.

But today, there are various phenomena in American society, such as racial discrimination, social security and socioeconomic inequality, and this year's COVID-19 epidemic has further exposed these problems. On November 1, local time, the New York Times borrowed the "Obituary of the American Dream" from Dominican artist Lizania Cruz's art exhibition to tell the story of more than a dozen Americans whose "American Dream Dreams Are Shattered."

New York Times Opinion Article "The Obituary of the American Dream"

"After applying for a student loan, my life was paralyzed"

Born in 1978, Lianna Evans grew up in poverty. She graduated from high school at 15, had children at 16, and worked for the state and federal governments for nearly 20 years after entering college at 21. Without family support, Clovis applied for a student loan. But since then, her life has been "paralyzed."

Today, Evans has no assets and can only retire for less than $60,000. In addition, she has 5 children and a PhD that earns less than a registered nurse. She finally asked, "Is my [American] dream still a dream now?" It's just a wish. ”

Karen Kimmerly's life is similar to that of Clovis. In 2008, the car factory where she and her husband worked went out of business. After that, Kimory chose to buy out his seniority and return to school. Her husband went to another factory to continue working.

Now, 12 years later, Kimory earns multiple degrees, including master's degrees, and works in unions and public libraries, but her income is less than half of her early years in factories. "If something happens to my husband, I can't support myself."

Michael Mazzariello, from New York, believes that when he and his wife realized that they would not be able to pay property and school taxes in retirement, their American dream was shattered.

"We all work hard, pay taxes, and live simple lives, but New York State forces us to sell our houses because of high taxes," Mazzarello said. We all grew up in the pursuit of the American Dream, and now it has become a nightmare. We love our home and our children grow up here. We built the house well and livable and didn't want to sell it, but we would be forced to sell it. ”

Justin of Iowa believes that the time of his American dream is broken is when he sees the company's salary. Justin said his boss made $400,000, while the average worker made $35,000. However, in the very year of his death, he decided not to give anyone a raise or bonus except himself. He took all of the $300,000 he should have given to employees and told everyone that the company was struggling.

"Inequality is passed down from generation to generation"

There are also stories about discrimination in American society. The American dream of Zahria Shaalan, from Philadelphia, disappeared from the day she entered kindergarten.

"Before that, I was a very smart kid, full of confidence and obsessed with learning. But in this environment, I learned that inequality is passed down from generation to generation. Someone 'taught' that my existence is 'problematic'. I've been labeled 'unintelligent' and 'inferior', and these words can be replaced by black, brown, and feminine. ”

Kimberly Berry, from Denver, similarly said, "The day [the American Dream was shattered] I realized that no matter how hard I worked, no matter how smart I was, no matter how educated I was, as a black American woman, I would always be seen as invisible. ”

Others tell the story of the shattering of the American dream from a counterpoint. Lew Allison, a white California boy, was like a fantasy: in the fall, he attended a top school; in the summer, he spent sunny days on the beach. After graduation, a public university has "prepared" him for a position. And this job rejects all "people who look different from him."

Philip Herter, from New York, said: "When I saw the president of the United States laughing at people with disabilities, my American dream shattered. My newborn daughter unfortunately suffered a stroke, but our country's president made fun of it. Thanks to the president, I understand how tough my daughter's future is in this country. ”

"My American dream is that one day women will have enough confidence to walk down the street and wear whatever they want without having to turn their heads and look at it every few seconds because they feel insecure," said Raquel, who lives in Illinois, whose American dream was shattered a long time ago, "because I realized that whatever you wear, you're going to be objectified." ”

"My fellow Americans see incitement more important than science"

For Marsha McDonald from Milwaukee, the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 is very real, but also a metaphor. "When I realized how many of my fellow Americans valued selfishness more than community, power over justice, prejudice over fairness, greed over generosity, and incitement more important than science, my American dream was shattered. Old dreams will disappear. Shouldn't we now pursue new and better dreams that include all of us? ”

Once upon a time, Paul Ravi from New York was synonymous with the American dream. He was a South Asian immigrant, the mixed-race son of a white Southern American, who grew up in a lower-income apartment complex, but later had a thriving career and moved to spacious apartments in Manhattan. But in the past 4 years, this satisfaction has been shattered. "This year in particular, the deliberate ignorance and persistent racism of our fellow citizens have undermined any appreciation I have of the American nation. My goal is to move abroad in the near future. ”

Bill Stoddart of Montana said: "My American dream disappeared when I realized that our fidelity to the myth of firm individualism completely overwhelmed our willingness and ability to inspire others." ”

The New York Times wrote at the beginning of this opinion article that people have been talking about the American dream, but what exactly is the American dream? Is this the regurgitation of suppressed desires during the day? Or the flutter of neurons? If the American Dream was once true, it is no longer real.

This article is an exclusive manuscript of the Observer Network and may not be reproduced without authorization.