Requiem-For-An-American-Dream-Bob Davis Podcast 1082

Requiem-For-An-American-Dream-Bob Davis Podcast 1082

Requiem For An American Dream

Firstly in any requiem for an American Dream we pay our respects to a time when it worked. Details in Requiem-For-An-American-Dream-Bob Davis Podcast 1082.

Negativity

Secondly negativity and division permeate our culture these days.

New Dream

Therefore at the end of another not so good year maybe we need a new dream.

Or you can refer to the movie ‘Blow’ for the ‘Maybe You Had The Wrong Dream’ quote.

Shared Vision

Above all in Requiem-For-An-American-Dream-Bob Davis Podcast 1082 I talk about the value of a shared vision for the future.

Values

For example the American Dream originally was based on the values of the Declaration of Independence.

History

And in the 1930’s the dream we know today was created out of whole cloth by historian James Truslow Adams.

Advertising

Consequently advertising got hold of it after World War 2.

Consumer Economy

As a result Truslow’s dream helped fuel the growth of the consumer economy in the United States.

Twisted Remnant

Since then The American Dream has become a sort of twisted remnant from a bygone age.

Aspirations

Yet most young adults begin their journey through life aspiring to the same old theme.

Maybe it’s time for a new dream?

New Year’s Resolutions

In addition this is time of the year we allow ourselves to think about the future.

Similarly why not think about a new shared vision for the future?

Rejecting The Traditional American Dream

Certainly I have rejected the traditional American Dream by becoming a nomad.

Artistic Business

And attempting to grow an artistic business on the road.

Tools Of Tech

Even more technology today for all it’s foibles provides the tools to create versions of the American Dream our grandparents never considered.

Telling Stories

In Requiem-For-An-American-Dream-Bob Davis Podcast 1082 I tell some stories from the bygone era and talk about the postwar economic and social history.

Thought Experiment

Further I think this thought exercise helps in a time when everyone is pointing fingers.

Sponsored By Ryan Plumbing and Heating Of Saint Paul

Requiem-For-An-American-Dream-Bob Davis Podcast 1082

 

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The American Dream Is Killing Us? Really? Podcast 618

The American Dream Is Killing Us? Really? Podcast 618

“Deaths of Despair” is what some researchers call them. Death due to suicide, drug overdose and the consequences of heavy drinking. Alarm bells are ringing. Over the last twenty seven years deaths among middle aged white people with a high school diploma or less have doubled. So many deaths it has caused a fall in overall US life expectancy. Let’s talk about it in The American Dream Is Killing Us? Really? Podcast 618.

Failure Isn’t Your Fault Anymore?

This is a lurid headline. Lurid headlines get attention. Writers are writing. Talkers are talking. Princeton researchers blame ‘Cumulative Deprivation’. We’re suddenly wondering if The American Dream Is Killing Us? Really? Podcast 618.

American Dream Grows Up

What is The American Dream? James Truslow Adams tied it to the Declaration of Independence. All men are created equal. We have an unalienable right to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.

Who Says You’ll Be Happy

When did it become The American Dream? Do we expect our government to help us be happy? Are we supposed to be guaranteed success in our pursuit of happiness. A house in the suburbs? Two cars? A great job? Happy children? Retirement? Health Insurance?

Economic Inequality

Robert Samuelson thinks economic inequality is the cause. Inequality causes slow active social forces accumulating and destroying the hopes and dreams of white people with a high school education or less. It drives them to despair. Drink. Drugs. Death. Writers like JD Vance add to the ‘White Trash‘ ethos with stories of poor, dumb white people living in Appalachia.

We All Have Tough Times In Our Family Histories

In The American Dream Is Killing Us? Really? Podcast 618 I tell some stories of my own family’s history in the coal mines. I wonder what people think we’re responsible for these days. All of us have some kind of despair but we fight it. We get knocked down and get back up. Live to fight another day. Never give up.

Get Up And Fight

Life is a challenge. It does not come with a guarantee. How we define winning and success changes with age and time. Happiness doesn’t require a house in the suburbs and two cars. Happiness requires a warrior mentality to some degree. Sometimes you just have to reach down and get it.

The American Dream Is Killing Us? Really? Podcast 618

Sponsored by Ryan Plumbing and Heating of Saint Paul.

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