From wikipedia [0]: "The American Dream is a national ethos of the United States, the set of ideals (democracy, rights, liberty, opportunity and equality) in which freedom includes the opportunity for prosperity and success, as well as an upward social mobility for the family and children, achieved through hard work in a society with few barriers."

[0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Dream

I suppose I'm wondering if the definition of "hard work" has shifted. In the '50s and '60s was "hard work" like 60 hour weeks and "hustle economy" type of stuff? or was it just "doing a good job" 40 hours a week?

I’d say it was more “an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay”.

I think to some extent it's always depended on who you talked to, but "hustle culture" as we know it today definitely wasn't part of the ideal of the American Dream at any point before the '90s, at the very earliest.

Back in the 50's maybe!

Now everyone are just 'temporarily impoverished billionaires', which is why the whole scam continues to hold itself up.

>'temporarily impoverished billionaires'

The Steinbeck that your are (mis)quoting is from the 30's. Misquote because Steinbeck was talking about how the majority of the ""socialists"" at the time were "most of the so-called Communists I met were middle-class, middle-aged people playing a game of dreams. I remember a woman in easy circumstances saying to another even more affluent: 'After the revolution even we will have more, won't we, dear?'"

So the feeling of entitlement is much older and across political lines.

I'm actually repeating/quoting my rejig of Steinbecks quote. I assumed the original quote is so well known as for that to be clear.

Hence, thanks, but looking back to the 30's isn't relevant here.

I think thats another facet of the dream. The theoretical starting point of the American dream is probably the immigrant who comes to the country and has nothing. So that would be an achievement compared to that starting point as well.