It is also everyone's favorite "rags to riches" story. If you just work hard enough you can be anything you want to be. Judging by the disappearance of the middle class and the enrichment of the very few at the top, it looks like Americans are just terribly lazy. They just simply _choose_ not to work hard enough. No fucking wonder they can't relax during their 3 week vacation. They feel like the should have accomplished a lot more given their 10 hour days + only 3 week vacation but there is still no result. So obviously they haven't worked hard enough, so while they are at the beach with the family, perhaps they should just check their work email or call the office to see how things are going there. If they work _just_ a little harder they, might get that white picket fence, 2 care garage, kids' college fund will be full and maybe, just maybe, the bosses at the end of the year will spare a couple thousand as "generous" reward for the hard work.
All the sarcasm aside. The root of the problem is horrible labor laws in US + laws protecting corporations. Everything is geared to please the corporations not the individuals. No mandated vacations, no mandated 2 week+ termination notices, no public health insurance, inflated college tuition, expensive over-inflated mortgages, while the culture keeps telling us that we can achieve the "American Dream" if we just work hard enough.
Also "American Dream" is one of the greatest propaganda motifs. Any candidate can apply those 2 words to any agenda they want and it will be swallowed hole, no questions asked, because it evokes such strong, warm, fuzzy emotions.
Good post. I hope you don't get down voted into oblivion for it. People need to realize how bad the labor laws actually are because I suspect it's going to get a lot worse if the people don't wake up on this.