Trump
is the American Dream. And no this isn’t a coy metaphor or piece of wordplay that
only tangentially hits the point. Trump won this past election because he
represents this idyllic of the all-powerful and endlessly wealthy man, and
people bought it, hoping for a piece of it themselves. But the reason I can
prove Trump is the American Dream is the very reason that makes it dangerous.
Our American Dream, as we have come to define it, is rooted in nostalgia and
retrospect.
We
look to the ‘good old times,’ ‘how things once were,’ ‘American greats
Rockefeller and Carnegie.’ Our perspective is dangerously focused on recreating
a past version of America that doesn’t exist anymore. And if you listen to
Trump’s xenophobic remarks, it harkens back to racist roots more than a hundred
years old – the same anti-immigrant rhetoric that rippled at the turn of the 20th
century. Yet outside of the politically correct liberal bastion, this
old-school racism appeals to Trumps
supporters. Not because his supporters are bigots (necessarily), but because
that is how things once were. And in this “Great American History” that we have
created in our idealized view of the American Dream, how bad could it be to go
back?
Very
bad. Bad on an economic level, and worse on a social.
The
industrial America that we knew after World War II has vanished, and this idea
of returning to a great American economy in the same industrial way as before
is economically impossible. The middle class is shrinking by the year. The financial
mobility that we covet from the Rock n Roll era is now an afterimage our nation’s
eye. In truth we have less economic mobility now than the developing nation of
Rwanda. And so the Lower class and Upper class continue to grow, and the chasm
of immobility continues to drive itself between the tax brackets.
In
the post war economy, the US controlled more than 50% of all of the worlds
industry – Europe was in shambles and East Asia hadn’t modernized in the way we
know it today. We were a powerhouse of jobs and wealth. The path of the middle American
was paved with an American made car and a comfortable living. Today we control single
digit percentages of industry today. The industrial jobs we once produced have
been replaced by robots and tech companies. And in truth we are a nation in
crisis, and the threatened blue collar middle class voted for Trump as a hail
mary to get back to the American Dream of yesteryear. The sad truth of the
matter is that according to two economists from Harvard, we will not be able to
replicate the post-war industry today. Yet our eyes are set backwards.
Perhaps
the more dangerous consequence of this backwards looking approach is the
revival of old racism and sexism. We too quickly forgot that ‘colored’ water
fountains existed less than 60 years ago, the same “golden” years we look back
to for the American Dream. Trump’s ascendance to the presidency has revived a
brand of old racism with a new, and deleterious wave of nostalgia.
As
I see it, the American Dream as we now it is dead. But we keeping looking back
to before in this idealization of what was. And like sand escaping from a hand,
the more your clench the faster the grains slip out. And that’s what I find so
dangerous. As we nationally realize the death of the American Dream, we are
going to grasp wildly, trying to protect ourselves in a fight or flight way to
preserve our way of life. And we’re seeing it already with the division we have
driven between ourselves in the course of this election. I say the American
Dream is what drives this racism and what drives the shrinking middle class.
We
need to wake up, and begin looking towards the future like post-war Germany and
post-war Japan, abandoning this old mentality that only plagues us as we struggle
like a house collapsing in on itself.
Sources:
http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2016/05/11/americas-shrinking-middle-class-a-close-look-at-changes-within-metropolitan-areas/
Of course, it's important to note that the real Trump far from exemplifies the American Dream - most don't start out with a multi-million dollar loan from their father. But it's precisely his supporters' ravenousness for "change" and that aspiration for postwar prosperity that helps them look past the deceit. America does have a penchant for romanticizing its past (or as another article I read puts it, a "unique gift for amnesia"), and much of modern political rhetoric relies on exploiting that ignorance. Throughout the presidential primaries and general election we were inundated by policy proposals so idyllic that many ignored the experts who tried to let us down gently. As a result, half the country elected a man with no understanding of our bureaucratic and democratic infrastructures, and half the country will be disappointed when they don't reap the results they were promised. This yearning for a falsified past will only yield frustration; our next candidates need to spend the next four years educating the electorate on our real possibilities for success, so they can lead us in pursuing a new American Dream.
ReplyDeleteThis is probably one of my favorite pieces I've read on Trump supporters, because it addresses one of the strongest myths that this country perpetuates.
ReplyDelete"As we nationally realize the death of the American Dream, we are going to grasp wildly, trying to protect ourselves in a fight or flight way to preserve our way of life."
I remember loving The Great Gatsby when I was younger because nostalgia and idealization of the past is what really got Gatsby in the end. So, too, will happen to this country. It should also be noted that Trump's core supporters held many ideals about their candidate--that he's a good businessman, he's "strong," he says what he means, he's financially independent. But as you basically said that seems to be what his supporters want America to be; a strong and financially prosperous country whom the world will think twice about double-crossing, all offended parties be damned. But we're in a different world now. The American Dream doesn't apply to this era where the best predictor of success is what socio-economic class you're born into.
I just hope that for the sake of the future of this country, more people will begin to realize that.
I concur with Heidi--this is an excellent piece. I think when the pundit class makes blanket statements about trump supporters ("they're all racists" "they're all uneducated") they do a disservice to their readership. While people may be racist or ignorant, there is no way that their ethical deficiencies can fully explain the Trump phenomenon.
ReplyDeleteAmerica needs to stop promoting the idea of the "American Dream." It makes people feel entitled to a comfortable life. And, when people don't achieve that Dream, it makes them retaliate in vicious ways.
The election of Donald Trump was not only about racism, economics or culture. Like you said Spencer, it was about the dissipation of a dream. People cannot underestimate the power of this.
I appreciate the comments, the final remark I'd share is in my mind an odd certainty out of the unexpected Trump presidency. And it's exactly what Trump has been, his policy, strategies and platforms will be as equally asinine, confusing and isolating. I'm not even sure he will be able to cater to his own voter base. In four years time, I think many Americans currently aligning with Trump will see through his veneer when things don't change.
ReplyDelete