As we all know the American Dream functions as an Ideological tool... yup I used it the big I word. This political season has seen more than its fair share of tossing around the big Dream, restructuring it reinvisioning it, or just simply trying to make it what it once was. Putting this together along with the campaigns it is easy to see that each campaign has a distinct dream and a distinct path it wishes to sell this country through this dream. I will start with McCain's.
I start with McCain's American Dream because its the one thats been so familiar my entire life. It embodies everything America sells itself to be Ruggedly individualistic, Masculine, every one has a shot but not everyone will get there( what do we call that ... competition) 1950s TV family values. Paternity, mother in the home, capitalism. You know ... the American dream
Barack is selling something slightly different (understatement intended). There is a sense of group accountability, everyone's fate is shared, and while the individual still can achieve there is a sense of caring for those beyond the nuke fam. Cooperation begins to trump competition or at least comparatively to McCain's dream. Caring usurps the roll of the hyper masculinity embodied by dragging up Shwartzy. And all the while he is able to sell this different ideology as American. I find this amazing profound and ground breaking.
I start the body of this by saying, if you change the myth you change the path. I will repeat that in a not so greek way ... if you change the myth you change the path. This meaning if you change the fundamental belief structure you change the lens through which people view the world and thus the culture. there are those nay sayers out there who claim Barack is not talking about change, tell that to the American Dream we've known all our life. You know that dream which encouraged you to step on all the others allowed into the game and told you to take your toys and play alone. You know that dream that never really said sharing is caring .. because if you share you have less and if you have less you risk poverty. If you care about your neighbor enough to give you are succumbing to communism and that is the enemy. And LET ME SAY THIS CLEARLY that is not the American Dream Barack Obama has spoken for. He is very bold in an importantly bold way, in a time when America has lost its place in the world and its identity has found a dirty toilet to wallow in a new path is emerging. That is why this election is so key, the choice is clear expand the toilet into our living rooms workplace etc or vote for soemthing new.
Anyways comments welcome