Have you ever wondered what the American Dream represents? What does it mean? Have you really thought about it? I’m sure it’s something you don’t think about on a daily basis. We all have an opinion about the American Dream. We’re probably not aware of it, at least not on a conscious level. However, somewhere deep in our subconscious the American Dream and all of the images that represent it can be found.
There are those out there trying to find a way into our subconscious in order to use the American Dream to their advantage. It goes on all the time, and it’s a really big deal. If you start to pay attention, you will notice that the American Dream is discussed a lot in our news coverage, in our media, in our entertainment and especially in our politics. Whoever can define the American Dream—its origins and purpose – will ultimately control the future of our society and our nation. The battle for who defines the American Dream is ongoing. And you will hear a great deal about it as the new political campaign cycle begins.
This past weekend at the Conservative Political Action Conference or CPAC, Presidential candidate, former Minnesota Governor, Tim Pawlenty, said this: “We need to restore American confidence, American optimism, and America’s hope for the future. We need to restore the American Dream by restoring American common sense.” It seems that these days everybody wants to restore the American Dream. What ever that means is anybody's guess.
Can we make sense of the American Dream? Historian, James Truslow Adams, popularized the phrase “American Dream” in his 1931 book, Epic of America. Adams summarized the American Dream in this way “life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement regardless of social class or circumstances of birth. The idea of the American Dream is rooted in the United States Declaration of Independence, which proclaims that all men are created equal, and they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, including life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
Somewhere along the way there has been a calculated and a deliberate effort to redefine and hijack the American Dream. Who benefits and profits, and what are their motives? Is the American Dream today more about consumerism, materialism and wealth rather than patriotism, freedom, justice, and liberty? Has our media and our mass media culture decided for us what they think the American Dream is? is it nothing more than selling jeans or automobiles. Does evoking the phrase, American Dream, enable politicians to gain power and control over people who are trying to achieve the mythical American Dream?
A recent advertising campaign by Levies suggests that advertisers have realized for years that images and myths created by the American Dream can be good for business. What exactly is Levies selling in their “Go Forth, O’ Pioneer” advertising campaign? Practically every image you can think of that expresses patriotism, youth and the American way of life is portrayed in these commercials.
The narration evokes a strong sense of purpose and destiny. “America centre, of equal daughters, equal sons, all alike, endeared, grown, ungrown, young and old, strong, ample, fair, enduring, capable, rich, perennial with the earth, freedom, law, love, and, finally, Go Forth America.” That’s an incredible amount of symbolism just to sell a pair of jeans. What Levies is really selling is their version of the American Dream. We, as pioneers, have a destiny to control and occupy the land, to become prosperous, and we can all do it by wearing Levies. Oh, and by the way, Levies are made in China.
Levies is just one example. There are countless others who use the same advertising strategies. This past Super Bowl, Chrysler ran a two-minute spot featuring rap artist, Eminem. The ad asked the question, “What has a city that’s been to hell and back know about luxury?” It invokes images of an old dying city, but rekindled it with a spirit of optimism as it portrayed the people of Detroit determined to restore past glory. The final tag line of the spot reads, Imported from Detroit. What Chrysler is selling is not cars but a restoration of the American Dream. The meaning of this message is somewhere deep inside of us in our subconscious, and as Americans ,we can all relate to this message. And Chrysler understands this completely. We grew with the original dream. But nowadays media makers, politicians and advertisers are prepared to take advantage of or our concept of the American Dream to create new meanings to the American Dream for their advantage.
The bottom line.
The American Dream is up for grabs. It’s anybody’s guess who will ultimately redefine it. But one thing is for sure. Whoever does will control the fabric of our society. I put my money on the mass media culture. They have the means and the motivation to do it. The question is, are we paying attention. Do we realize what’s at stake, or do we just nod our heads and continue to spend our money, our savings, and our future and charge our way to the American Dream?
And did you know that Chrysler spent $12 million to run this add which they got from the bail out from the American people.
