The American Dream as Envisioned In Popular Culture, Research Paper Example

The Mayan apocalypse that was predicted to take place on the 21^st of December 2012 solicited a lot of global attention. Doomsday prophecies have become part and parcel of popular American cultures. Television and film has become full of end-of-the-world scenarios, from zombies rampaging the surface of the earth to secret vampire covens and werewolf packs, airborne toxic events to asteroids and alien invaders that threaten the very existence of the human race. The media has become increasingly obsessed with this “dance of death”. Paul Cantor in his publication, The Invisible Hand in Popular Culture: Liberty Vs. Authority in American Film and Tv, shows how aspects of liberty and authority have become an integral part of the American dream, transforming it into something different. The popular culture in America has become fixated with the creation of a nightmare where the American civilization is reduced to a few individuals surviving apocalyptic events that are marred with monstrous and evil forces that force the survivors to live in meagre living conditions, surviving rather that living. Doomsday has ironically turned into the new American dream. The cataclysm of the earth appears to have become the wish and desire of the American people.

The American Dream

In order to provide answers to these questions, we have to understand the American dream. There exist numerous versions of the American dream as do Americans themselves. However, the most popular one and the one that is synonymous with all the versions of the American dream is one where one would obtain all material things that would lead to the ultimate state of joy and happiness. These material things would be obtained through a good and solid education, which would lead one to gain a good and well-paying job and finally obtaining the material things that pertain to the American dream (Hanson and White).

The vision of the American dream was founded on the fundamental trust in the American institutions. The longevity of institutions such as financial institutions, medical institutions and various industries would propel the American Dreamer to the heights that they so perceive to be the ultimate state of joys and happiness (Storey). The ultimate institution that the American Dream is founded on is the federal government. Faith in the government to regulate monetary and financial forces to create a conducive environment for success was paramount to achieving the American dream. However, this did not come without challenges and opposition. This came amid the peak of the American Dream conception in the 50s. The faith in the American institutions came under heavy criticism as many voiced their dissent towards the continual institutionalization of the American people.

James Truslow in his 1931 publication, The Epic of America, depicts the American dream as the hope of a land where life could be better, fuller and richer for all, everyone with opportunities according to their achievement or ability (Adams). He defines the ideal American dream as a quest for fulfilment as opposed to the quest for material wealth. He defines the American Dream as a state of social order where all should be able to attain maximum realization and fulfilment regardless of background or history.

The theme of the American dream is clearly shown in Citizen Kane. In the movie, as a child, Citizen Kane is shown happy, playing outside his home in the snow. Even though they are poor and he is lonely most of the time, he finds joy and happiness in the peace and security that he enjoys. However, Kane is soon removed from this place and taken into a completely different environment. He is introduce to a life of wealth and affluence he becomes the epitome of the American dream; having the best upbringing and schooling. He puts in all his hard work and catapults himself into a huge media empire. He has financial security but the lack of emotional security has leaves him with a void. He is soon left isolated as he attempts to buy affection and love as opposed to earning it. He dies a rich but lonely and sad man. He finds power, wealth and the American dream as worthless and empty pursuits.

Citizen Kane epitomizes the American dream in the manner in which he achieves his goals and realizes success by following the ideal career path set by the American dream. He receives a solid education, a path that is followed by many in the real world. The movie in itself is a true reflection of the desires, needs and wants of a young graduate. The promise of a brighter futures, one that sees one grow and rise up the corporate ladder to become an influential figure in the society. This is the society as it is today. Many hold on to the hope of realizing the American dream by following the prescribed ideal path towards realizing this dream.

However the American dream is self-destructing. This is because as many strived to provide a better and comfortable life for their families, they would soon get engulfed in the drive and ambition and end up losing touch with their families and their spouses they supposedly cherish. While a close-knit, happy family is at the centre of the American dream, however the principles of career always appear to conflict with this concept of family. This is because the lifestyle that a career demanded always ended up leaving little to no time for personal interaction with family and friends. This was a trap, a prison of sorts, which one could not get time to interact with the very people they sought to give a good life, leaving one’s personal fulfilment unattended to. This was echoed in the 50s through cinema (Storey). The 1957 movie, The Man in the Grey Flannel Suit depicted how the corporate life was dulling and empty.

In the fourth season of the Sopranos, we see Tony as a husband. The effects of chasing his dream of wealth, power and control are seen in this season. The infidelity of Tony is shown as one of the effects of chasing his ambitions. He rarely as time for his wife, spending most of his time working or with one of his mistresses.

The American is self-destructive in numerous ways. One way is the corruption of an individual through power. In The Godfather, Michael and his family understood that the flow of power dictated one’s status and position in the society and this is supplemented by wealth. Michael begins as a young man who is trying to figure himself out. He starts to slowly gain his father’s legacy and as this grows, we see the ruthlessness that was underlying. His thirst and greed for power clouds his compassion and love, turning him into a lonely human being.

In the pursuit of the American dream, wealth and power, many lose themselves in the search for a better life. Great poverty is usually a reflection of a huge appetite for wealth. The Grapes of Wrath shows how great poverty and an economic depression can bring out the greed in many individuals such as landowners and banker. On the contrary, migrant families like the Joads exercise generosity even when with little to offer. The author depicts how the desire to realize the American dream taps into an individual’s good and dark side, revealing desire, commitment and greed. This transformation of the American into something else, as depicted by the book, explains the current condition of the American dream. Desire and greed have turned the American dream into the apocalyptic strain that is engrained into the American culture. This movie is a depiction of the reality of the American Dream and wealth as an abundance of wealth and happiness.

Wealth and power are depicted as two important facets of the American dream. Wealth is predominantly the most desired thing in the world, power is also readily welcome by most. This is because wealth and power denote status in the society.

As the mid-twentieth century came towards a close, the American people increasingly became disenchanted with their institutions. This was amid numerous financial meltdowns, government scandals which questioned the fundamental integrity and honesty of these American institutions. This distrust was reflected in the manner in which home schooling became a popular movement as many lost faith in the academic institutions. These institutions were accused of failing to deliver on their promises. Many Americans started “living off the grid” as they generated their own electricity, fuel and water. One government scandal after another led many American to lose faith in the federal government as polls suggested. As a matter of fact, faith in the presidency and the congress in 2013 is at an all-time low amid the recent partial government shutdown.

This was a reflection of how the American dream is self-destructive. The pursuit of the American dream, wealth and power led to many individuals in power to become greedy. Their desire to accumulate more wealth for themselves led to the increasing number of scandals within governmental institutions. This deprives the poor of essential services, ever widening the gap between the rich and the poor.

This is where popular culture provided the American people with an imaginative to rethink and reshape the American dream. Through imagination, film has provided way in which people can visualize the destruction on the very institutions that are depriving them of self-fulfilling. These fantasies are mainly science fiction and horror. Of interest is the striking similarity with these movies. Most of the movies start with the start of the apocalypse in a small way, growing into a full-blown invasion. However, in the end, the characters seem to struggle and find a solution to the apocalypse. Though the story lines are different, they always seem to take a similar path in the ending. Vampire and werewolf flicks such as Underworld provide the chronicle of the vampire and werewolf race that end up taking over the world and destroying the governmental structure. The famous Resident Evil is about a conglomerate company that controlled major sectors of the market such as pharmaceuticals and other consumer products. A subsidiary of the company would develop a dangerous virus that would turn human beings into zombies. This virus would later be released and infect the whole world, leaving few survivors fighting for the survival of the human race. New movies such as World War Z have a similar story. Alien invasion movies such as Pacific Rim, Iron Man and Avengers all point to the coming of an alien race that would threaten the human race.

Popular culture is almost always depicted in the forms of media that is generally accepted at any given point in time. At the time that the mentioned movies were in production, the producer and writer had a given perception of the American dream. This concept is conveyed in the manner in which the character chooses to pursue their ambition or goal. The American dream had long been held as a cultural ideal to hold on to. It was a symbol of hope for all those who wanted happiness and joy. It is a dream that the majority wish for while the minority ruling class control the available resources. For this reason, Michael, in The God Father seizes each and every opportunity to obtain or usurp power from his father’s legacy.

The movie Our Family Wedding is centered on the theme of race and interracial marriages. A young African-American man, Marcus Boyd, has just graduated from Columbia Medical School and is about to join the Doctors without Borders organization in Laos to work for them. His fiancée Lucia Ramirez has been living with him for a while and they are planning to get married and later move to Laos together. All this is without the knowledge of their parents. (Famuyiwa)

Throughout the movie from the opening scenes, the complexities of race is brought out. For example when Brad Boyd, an African-American, finds Miguel Ramirez, a Mexican-American, towing his vehicle. They enter into a heated argument where they end up throwing racial slurs at each other. This brings out how different races, even the minorities, find it difficult to get along.

In the build-up to the wedding, both sets of families try to have their culture dominate the wedding. The Boyd family try to impose the African-American way of conducting wedding ceremonies while the Ramirez family try to impose the Mexican way of conducting weddings. Even though both families try this, they end up finding a way to accept their different racial identities and put aside any differences. Back in Los Angeles, Brad Boyd, the father to Marcus, comes out of a meeting only to see his car being towed by Miguel Ramirez, coincidentally, the father to Lucia. Brad Boyd attempts to stop his car from being towed by clutching on the door to his car, however, he is unsuccessful. The argument between Brad and Miguel becomes heated and they end up throwing racial slurs at each other. The two would later meet the same evening only to find out that they would soon become in-laws. Both sides of the families try to out-do each other by attempting to make the wedding more Mexican-American or African-American. The results are comedic and hilarious. (Melanie)

Lucia keeps a secret from her parents of her dropping out of Columbia Law School so that she can teach catering at a charter school to new immigrants. When Miguel finds out, he assumes that Lucia will be supporting her husband to be Marcus as he would be a volunteer doctor without a salary. Miguel confronts Marcus on the issue and categorically disapproves of Marcus living of his daughter. Meanwhile Lucia is present and does not comment on the issue. Due to this, Marcus feels alone and he eventually cancels the wedding.

Isabel Ramirez, Lucia’s sister, who had earlier disapproved of the marriage between Marcus and Lucia, convinces the family that Marcus is Lucia’s happiness and the fact that they are of different races should not be a deciding factor on whether or not they should marry. This leads to Marcus and Lucia reconciling after Lucia goes to Marcus and apologizing for not taking a stand when she should have. They finally recall the wedding and the ceremony ends up embracing both the Mexican and African-American wedding customs.

At the end of the movie, numerous pictures of family events involving the two families depict a happy and united family. Of note were pictures of the engagement of Isabel and Harry, an Asian-American.

The movie has a much deeper meaning that is centered on the theme of race. At the beginning of the movie, the quarrel between Brad Boyd and Miguel Ramirez signifies the quarrel and problems between the African-American and the Latin-American communities. It points out to the fact that even though the Latin-American and African-American communities largely form the minority groups in the United States, they still cannot get along. The racial divide runs so deep that the minorities find it hard to trust each other and find ways to harmonize their relationship.

Also in the movie, the Brad Boyd is seen to be significantly comfortable financially. Brad Boyd has a beautiful and modern penthouse with a significantly well-paying job.  On the other hand, Miguel Ramirez is seen to be moderately middle-class with the job of a tow-truck driver. This shows the real-life disparity of the African-American and Latin-American communities. The African-American community has made significant strides economically while the Latin-American community still lingers behind financially. This is a rather subliminal symbolism and simply outlines the real-life disparity that most races in the United States experience.

According to Bennett (2009) the field of popular culture is structured by the attempt of the ruling class to win hegemony and by forms of opposition to this endeavour (Bennett, Culture, Class, Distinction). This is clearly seen in the manner in which faith in American institutions and governmental structures has dwindled over the years. The concept of the American dream has since been abandoned with the minority seeking ways to demolish the ones in authority, the institutions and government that deprive them of realizing self-fulfilment. This is echoed in the manner in which apocalyptic movies have gained so much popularity, becoming the highest selling movies in the world. Out of the highest earning movies in the world as of October 2012, 75% of them were either horror or science fiction movies (Cantor). This only points to the struggle to win hegemony between the ruling class and forms of the opposition.

In conclusion, all the apocalyptic movies and series that are available in America and the world today are simple a re-creation of the attempt to win hegemony between the ruling class and the opposition. The popular culture that was the need and desire to achieve the American dream has slowly transformed into the need to be free of the institutions and governmental structures.

Works Cited

Adams, James T. The epic of America. Boston: Little, Brown, and Co., 1931. Print.

Bennett, Tony. Culture, Class, Distinction. London: Routledge, 2010. Print.

Bennett, Tony, Colin Mercer and Janet Woollacott. Popular Culture and Social Relations. Milton Keynes: Open University Press, 1986. Print.

Cantor, Paul A. The Invisible Hand in Popular Culture: Liberty Vs. Authority in American Film and Tv. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 2012. Internet Source.

Hanson, Sandra L and John K White. The American Dream in the 21st Century. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2011. Internet Source.

Melanie. “Our Family Wedding.” 2010. The Movie Spolier.<http://www.themoviespoiler.com/Spoilers/ourfamilywedding.html>.

Newlin, Keith. The American Dream. Massachusetts: Grey House Publishing, 2013. Print.

Our Family Wedding. Dir. Rick Famuyiwa. Prods. E. Saxon and S. J. Wolfe. 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, 2010.

Storey, John. Cultural Theory and Popular Culture: An Introduction. Harlow: Pearson Education, 2001. Print.