I am pleased to report that the American dream is alive and well for an overwhelming majority of Americans.
This claim might sound far-fetched given the cultural climate in the United States today. Especially since President Trump took office, hardly a day goes by without a fresh tale of economic anxiety, political disunity or social struggle. Opportunities to achieve material success and social mobility through hard, honest work — which many people, including me, have assumed to be the core idea of the American dream — appear to be diminishing.
But Americans, it turns out, have something else in mind when they talk about the American dream. And they believe that they are living it. CONT.
Samuel J. Abrams (Sarah Lawrence), New York Times