Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Pooty]

Please, no politics. Just what it means to you. I'll post my interpretation when I'm not drunk.

Discuss

[Tiger Beer]

For whatever reason, it only seems valid to immigrants/foreigners (and their imaginations), doesn't seem valid to real actual Americans.

Just my personal interpretation, probably others differ than mine though.

[Bibbitybop]

A wet flag?

[CeleryMan]

Legal tax evasion via entrepreneurship.

[Pooty]

Okay, a little perspective before this thread gets off on the wrong foot.


Part of my job at my chaebol is to scour all North American media for information that might give us and edge on what the North American consumer looks for, etc. in life, consumer goods, etc.

So part of that is watching the news. I watch/read a lot of media almost every day. One of the things I've noticed over the last few months, especially since the economic crisis, recession, or whatever you want to call it has been on the news every night is that news anchors like to (quite often) quote this "American dream" thing. "Bob is living the American dream, he blah blah blah..." or "She thought she had been living the American dream until blah blah blah.."

So I was wondering what the "American dream" means to you.

[Unposter]

What does it mean to me? I don't know.

What does it mean? It means that you have progressive economic improvement over one's life and over generations. And, that you are able to own your own home. Home ownership is a key to "living the American Dream." And, considering the mortgage crisis in America, you are probably going to hear a lot of discussion about it.

As for buying products, the usual applies: price, quality, image. It should be fun and easy to use and light on the wallet.

[The_Source]

[sojourner1]

It simply means having a healthy livelihood, a good job in our preferred career field, own a home, take vacations, and generally prosper without the threat of suffering dire straights. This thing called the American Dream is everyone's dream regardless of what country you're in. America just calls it that since we have the philosophy of being a land of opportunity, which really isn't true anymore and hasn't been for quite some time.

When I was in my early 20's in the US Army, on the 1st day in Germany, I mentioned this to a Germany woman in my local expat bar when she asked me why I want to put myself through so much hard work and take risks going to other countries to fight. I said, "Because I want the American Dream of having money, a house, car, nice vacations, and good retirement and the Army just may provide as no employer at home has much for a young man." She said, "Oh, that's everyone's dream, all people in the world think what you think, because they need this too." This really got me thinking and opened my mind up.

[Ya-ta Boy]

As I've always understood it, it has two parts:

First, you won't be held back by social contraints like class. If you as an individual are willing to work hard, the avenues to success are open to you.

If you do work hard you will have at least a comfortable middle class life-style. No one guarantees you the mansion on the hill but you are 'guaranteed' the house with the yard and a white picket fence.

There used to be a third part, but I think that has faded away with time. That was that each generation would live 'better' than their parents. My impression is that people have stopped talking that way.

[Cornfed]

I'm not American, but I figure the American Dream is basically an extreme form of sycophancy to the system gleaned from the works of Horatio Alger (a pedophile, incidentally). The idea that it is your duty to work your ass off for the powers that be and kiss ass constantly. After decades of doing this, and if you're a really good little boy, then your overlords (who by virtue of the system throwing a bunch of money at them are obviously superior to you in every way) just might reward you with some scraps off their table. Then you too can dominate and demean the dirty poor people who haven't yet risen to you status. And if your hard work and sycophancy are never rewarded and you just get screwed? Well, since the system is perfect, that must just be because of some unspecified by nonetheless hideous character flaw that you have. Basically, Americans would have to be the most anti-freedom, anti-human, spineless insects in the history of the world.

[Cornfed]

[Fishead soup]

Some nice thick steaks giving on the barbeque. Some hot chicks in Bikini's sitting around the pool. Some of them will eventually strip naked for the party.

The belief that.

We don't have to believe in God, Creationism, or any of that crap.

Knowing that we can kick ass to those backwards heathens living on the other side of the world.

[Ninjaniki]

It means to me exactly what it says. It's the "American Dream" because you have to be asleep to believe it.

[xingyiman]

To me the "American dream" is using my United States passport to get jobs outside of America and live my dreams there.

[Jandar]

My house on a decent sized portion of land mortgage free and a bank account to satisfy my subsistence until I die.

Anything beyond that would be an American Wet Dream or frosting on that as it were.