Given the acrid political situation in the US these days, the American Dream might just go sour
Given the acrid nature of the ongoing political debate in the US, the notion of the grandiloquent American Dream is reaching a summation point. Questions are being raised about its efficacy, and the grandiloquent American Dream has acquired a new definition of raising of meaningful clamor and protest.
The notion of being a great nation, with the driving dictum of Manifest Destiny, is an intrinsic part of the American founding myth and lore. The founding fathers such as Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, John Jay and Alexander Hamilton blazed a trail for the realisation of the quintessence of the American way since the American war of Independence.
Gordon S Wood, an avid historian, has stressed upon the triplet theme of rhetoric, the agrarian nature of the American Republic and the high moral perch of the American republic.
The Calvinist self-doubt was ingrained in the evangelical zeal of the developmental trajectory of United States, which was recently reflected in the statements of Presidential hopeful Ted Cruz. The self-doubt trend serves as a central pillar of the American experiment in the New World which leaves room for the country to better its past performance.
Thus, stringent criticism has emerged as the pivot of the New Dream, wherein domestic stables have to be cleaned before a bombastic Mr Donald Trump or an ecclesiastically-ordained Ted Cruz skims through the Republican primaries. Mr Cruz’s visage of a new evangelist might do the trick for him. These values are of immense significance for the American nation and the world at large, with several riders attached to how they are interpreted globally.
Coming back to the American Dream, the twin ideals of opportunity and freedom has been inscribed in the nation’s political discourse. Yet, Ms Ashley Parker writes in The New York Times that, “Some 23 per cent of the voters at the New Hampshire Primary are free floaters as being undecided about the Presidential candidates.”
It has also been recently asserted that some Americans cannot afford the American Dream of plenty and pelf. The Canadian real estate hub, The Red Pin, said that not many average workers can afford a house, car, and decent health and education, including in several Western nations. The study found that the average Americans cannot equate themselves with citizens in Oman and Saudi Arabia.
Yet, CNBC reported that 63 per cent of Americans believe that they are living the American Dream. The Allstate-Heartland Monitor poll reflects the belief among American citizens that it is their talent, hardwork and steadfastedness of purpose which invigorates them to attempt new frontiers.
Additionally, the poll also observed that, “Almost half, or 45 per cent, of those polled rated their personal financial situation as excellent or good, which was a three-year high. However, 54 percent said their personal financial situation was only fair or poor.”
Apart from the tangibles of the Dream, critics have interpreted that the American Dream as envisaged by the Founding fathers is only about bombast, popular morality and rhetoric of terms and language. The criticism goes further to assert that these are hazy and larger-than-life ideals, only good to be debated in university classrooms and during Super bowl screenings. The protests in US and abroad reflect the growing moral angst of Americans as they involve themselves more in governance issues.
The idea of the Spiderman biopic rings true for the American nation. The famous quote from the film “With great power comes great responsibility” is true for the US as well. Despite recent losses and a crippling recession, the United States still wields considerable weight, and the American Dream lives on despite domestic and global challenges such as different perspectives on American armed interventions in foreign shores and the nation’s overt entrepreneurial zeal and the manner in which it manifests globally.
(The writer teaches at the Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi)