How the American Dream is Changing
In today’s age, we are faced with a troubling national idea. Most Americans today believe that the next generation of the country is going to be worse off than the last generation. This isn’t necessarily a reason to panic in despair, however.
Many young people actually believe that they can turn this whole thing around, and the answer to the question of how each generation is doing requires a lot of nuance. The prevailing idea that we have somehow lost the American Dream is somewhat flawed. After all, the entire ideal of what the American Dream isn’t even nearly as old as our country. It wasn’t a romantic notion that was born with America, it was something that evolved with our country.
Now, the view of what the American Dream is has started to shift. Whether this is for better or worse, it is inevitable, and there isn’t much good that can be done from fretting about it. Here are some ways that the American Dream is evolving, and all the benefits and dangers that come with such change…
How we look at transportation is evolving
There are two major aspects of the American Dream that have existed since the 1950’s. Part of this was owning your own home, and the other part was owning your own vehicle. How today’s generation views both of these things has greatly changed. Far less millennials own cars than the previous generation. However, despite this fact, they are finding ways to travel far more.
The act of owning a vehicle and being able to drive oneself anywhere has somehow become less appealing, as though such freedom comes with its own baggage. On top of this change in ideology, public transportation has greatly improved, and apps like Uber and Lyft have greatly reduced the need to own a car. Improvements in technology have also been making huge strides in how transportation will change, with the autonomous car barreling its way into the 21st century every single year.
The United States actually recently confirmed that it will be putting Federal support into providing infrastructure towards autonomous cars, which legitimizes the technology even further.
Home ownership is drastically changing
As we previously mentioned, a car and a house used to be two inseparable ingredients of the American Dream. However, today’s generation is finding less of a reason to own either. Home ownership, while remaining somewhat steady, has been declining for people between the ages of 25 and 44.
While part of this is attributed to younger people not having the resources necessary to purchase a home, there is also a change in attitude about even wanting one. Many young people find more solace in the freedom to roam than in the safety of owning a home. While there are certainly many benefits to buying a home, rather than renting or subletting, this generation simply isn’t jumping on board.
Modern health issues bring new threats
Each generation comes with its own set of dangers that it faces in its own way. Perhaps it is these risks and threats that help inform what exactly this new chapter of America becomes. Today, one of the huge threats to this new generation is the epidemic of addiction that has swept the country in recent years.
Rates of addiction, especially to horrific drugs like crystal meth and heroin, have climbed and climbed, Despite many young people being told that the failed war on drugs would put a stop to it. What’s even more disheartening about this epidemic, from the heroin side of it, is that many current heroin addicts got there due to the over prescription of medical opiates during the past 15 years.
Now that the pharmacies have finally begun to cut people off of these abusive prescription drugs, many addicts are looking to dangerous street drugs to feel the void. There are people looking for new ideas to help, though. One such was is in the writings of neuroscientist Marc Lewis, who posits the theory that addiction is not a disease, and that attempting to simply treat it as such will not solve the problem.
The idea of a career is adapting
It used to be, in this country, that you went to college, got a degree, found a decent job, and worked there until you retired. That was the framework of the American career. While large numbers of older people often view this generation as being more lazy, or having less ambition, there are actually numbers to suggest that the opposite is true.
Two-thirds of millennials have said that their measure of success is in starting their own business, rather than climbing a corporate ladder. This is vastly different from previous generations, yet makes perfect sense for a generation that believes that they will be failed by the previous institutions that held up their parents.
This is an incredibly important moment in the evolution of the American Dream, as it could signify that we are on the cusp of the most entrepreneurial phase of America, yet. The numbers are already there, as well, as millennials tend to launch businesses at about twice the rate of baby boomers.
Share this:
Category: Family Finances
