4 ms·

what seems very weird to me (as a non US citizen), is that most working class people in the US seem convinced the 'american dream' is synonymous with being a mi

what seems very weird to me (as a non US citizen), is that most working class people in the US seem convinced the 'american dream' is synonymous with being a millionare/billionare and introducing legalization to level the playing field of the latter will hurt their own changes at becoming part of the former. It might also be the reason social democratic/socialistic parties never got a foothold in the US post world war 2.

klipt 6y ago
Home ownership is a core part of the American dream, and in pricey places like the Bay Area, you pretty much have to be a millionaire to own a house. Thanks to inflation "millionaire" doesn't mean as much as it used to. Billionaires are a completely separate class though.
- sokoloff 6y ago
  Exactly. Even setting aside the house prices, if you have exactly a million dollars in your retirement account, you should plan on spending only about $40K-$50K per year from that account. That's hardly a luxurious retirement; yet "you're a millionaire!"
Consultant32452 6y ago
It's also interesting how the scale has slid up so much that many people now believe the "American Dream" is to become a millionaire/billionaire. When originally it was merely the idea that if you do the right thing your children will be better off than you were. It wasn't until the gold rush in the 1850s that the American Dream, for some, became this idea of get rich quick scheming. I can't speak to everyone, but my parents are children of the 50s and their idea of the "American Dream" was the nice house in a safe neighborhood in the burbs.
- scarmig 6y ago
  Thankfully pretty much everybody still has the ability to buy into a safe neighborhood with a good school district in the Bay Area.
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refurb 6y ago
is that most working class people in the US seem convinced the 'american dream' is synonymous with being a millionare/billionare That's true, but I have no idea where it came from. "The American Dream" was never about becoming a millionaire, it was the idea that you could start with nothing and have a nice, comfortable middle class existence in the US.

klipt 6y ago

Home ownership is a core part of the American dream, and in pricey places like the Bay Area, you pretty much have to be a millionaire to own a house. Thanks to inflation "millionaire" doesn't mean as much as it used to. Billionaires are a completely separate class though.

sokoloff 6y ago
Exactly. Even setting aside the house prices, if you have exactly a million dollars in your retirement account, you should plan on spending only about $40K-$50K per year from that account. That's hardly a luxurious retirement; yet "you're a millionaire!"

Consultant32452 6y ago

It's also interesting how the scale has slid up so much that many people now believe the "American Dream" is to become a millionaire/billionaire. When originally it was merely the idea that if you do the right thing your children will be better off than you were. It wasn't until the gold rush in the 1850s that the American Dream, for some, became this idea of get rich quick scheming. I can't speak to everyone, but my parents are children of the 50s and their idea of the "American Dream" was the nice house in a safe neighborhood in the burbs.

scarmig 6y ago
Thankfully pretty much everybody still has the ability to buy into a safe neighborhood with a good school district in the Bay Area.
- deleted 6y ago
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deleted 6y ago
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refurb 6y ago

is that most working class people in the US seem convinced the 'american dream' is synonymous with being a millionare/billionare That's true, but I have no idea where it came from. "The American Dream" was never about becoming a millionaire, it was the idea that you could start with nothing and have a nice, comfortable middle class existence in the US.