First off I would like to say that I liked that “people like us” also focused on the cultural dynamics of class and well as the socioeconomic. It seems that the cultural aspects of class often get lost in the greater shadow of money. As for class and the “American dream”, I can say that my views have been radically altered after watching this movie. I am not a pessimist, I am not an optimist, I am a realist. The so called “American dream” works for some people but it certainly does not work for others.
Let’s take Tammy Crabtree and our young “WASP” (sorry forgot his name) as examples. Tammy as you remember is the mothers whose family lived in a trailer. Tammy grew up (had 21 siblings) and continued to live in poverty. She walked 10 miles to work every day in order to get to her low paying Burger king job. Her Goal growing up was to become a teacher and work in an elementary school. It is still her dream. However, while raising her kids and working this is not possible. Even the goal of getting enough cash to fix her car so she can drive again is a financial impossibility. She puts more work into just getting to work then a lot of Americans do in their actual jobs. Yet, if this is true then according to the fourth element of the American Dream then she should be moving up in the class structure. She at has many virtues, and has merit as well. She works hard yet at best she is stagnant in the class structure. More realistically giving the costs of raising a family as a single parent she will most likely fall down the class structure. At least for Tammy the “American dream” seems to be a fallacy.
The young “WASP” is basically the opposite of Tammy. He described himself as being part of the “silver spoon” crowd. Their lives are safe and planed out for them. He was born rich and will stay that way most likely. Yet I can’t seem to recall what exactly it was he did for a living? At least to me it seems like he was simply given success, that he really didn’t need to work hard for it. His success was not based on merit it was based on birth right. I certainly could not call him “virtuous” considering the way he looked down on people from different back rounds then his. Yet he is 100 times more successful then Tammy despite the fact that Tammy has earned it more by the fourth standard of the American dream. Yet again this interpretation dream does not hold true in reality.
Another thing to consider is that if Tammy or the WASP changed social classes in any direction it would be hard for them to assimilate to the social custom of their new class. I think the movie said it best “money can get you in, but it can’t get you accepted”. Given economic and social barriers it is rather difficult to change ones class. Yet, I do think this is possible. Everyone has heard a “rags to riches” story. But I think these stories are popular because they are the exception rather than the rule.
On a side note I am skeptical of what the American dream really is. Throughout my life I have heard dozens of interpretations of the so called “American Dream”, many being drastically different from one another. Sometimes it seems like the dream changes by the time period for example in the 1800s the American dream was “get a good job so I can raise my family”. While in the 1960s it was “to own your own home”, while today it may be to “keep your home”. Or maybe its class mobility like it says in the assignment posting. Or maybe it’s just to be able to pursue happiness. I honestly don’t know. Yet the question still looms in my mind: is there an American dream or is it all just an idea with no real meaning?
