Article Analysis Essay on 'The American Dream, Quantified at Last.'

Introduction

The article being responded to is entitled 'The American Dream, Quantified at Last.' The article, authored by Davis Leonhardt, appeared in the Sunday Review of The New York Times dated December 8, 2016. It was published at a time when the American dream seemed to be dwindling. The writer begins by explaining the origin and meaning of the phrase 'American Dream'. He then explains the progress and pitfalls of this dream over the years, citing data and research findings that have brought out information concerning the idea. Although the American dream was a near reality at the beginning, the idea has gradually changed due to the economic and technological diversities witnessed over the years, but this is not reason enough to kill the dream.

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The dream was almost becoming reality. Leonhardt argues that the decades that followed the invention of the term 'American Dream' were quite successful in the path towards achieving the dream. There was rapid economic growth which led to a better, fuller and richer life among the Americans. Nevertheless, he points out that despite the massive data available, no one has expressly determined "how many Americans are more affluent than their parents were". This means that it is not clear if the dream has become a reality or not. The world has changed tremendously since the invention of the phrase 'American dream' and so have the Americans. In that case, the subsequent generations have had to contend with myriad challenges.

Things have moved from bad to worse. According to Leonhardt, researchers from Stanford University used the available census information to construct a data set that, surprisingly, showed that 'about 92 percent of 1940 babies had higher pretax inflation-adjusted household earnings at age 30 than their parents had at the same age.' This could be explained by the rapid economic growth that was then spread across all social classes. Unfortunately, the situation has deteriorated with the index falling by 50% by the 21st century. The problem with America is that, with time, people have become very selfish. Instead of having an equal distribution of resources, those at the helm of power and the rich have often sought to make themselves richer and better. Many Americans are already angry with Trump, for instance, due to his unpopular policies such as that of health insurance thus blocking the achievement of the American Dream.

Nevertheless, there is hope. According to Leonhardt, the American Dream has survived many turbulent times such as the energy crises, the economic slowdown of the 1970s and the Global Financial Crisis of 2008. Therefore, if proper measures are put in place, such as empowering the middle class and the low-income earners, the American Dream is still achievable. I agree with these sentiments. Many children born of the poor are highly likely to either fail to make it or drop out of college. This contributes to the cycle of poverty. These children are not likely to live better lives than their parents. However, if policies such as tax cuts are implemented to favor the poor, higher numbers would join college and become economically empowered thus gearing towards the American Dream.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is clear that although there have been many challenges in trying to achieve the American Dream, there is hope. The 1940 babies enjoyed the fruits of the dream as opposed to those born afterward. However, there is hope of restoring faith in this dream. Therefore, the government must put proper measures in place so as to revive and ultimately have the dream achieved.