By TJ Shaw
When we think about the American Dream, most of us will inevitably think about money, property, marriage, and stability. While this is undoubtedly true of L, she also has another concern: her ability to help financially support her daughter.
L is an administrator and professor in the Honors Program and has a PhD in the field of literature. When first talking about the American Dream, L detailed how her American Dream was to be a high school English teacher and shape the minds of children. However, as a lesbian in the Midwest during the 1980’s, this career path was one which was impossible for her to pursue. Because of this, she was underemployed until her early forties, when she was hired at a Northeastern University and only then began accumulating wealth. While her individual American dream may not have been realized, this is not what troubles L the most about the state of our nation.
As we went deeper into conversation, she talked about her daughter’s situation and how as a mother, one of her American Dreams is to be able to provide more financial assistance to her. During the interview she said: “My biggest fear is that she [her daughter] will be homeless… Once I stop paying her rent, the chances of her being homeless are extremely high.” This statement was a slap in the face to how I think about the American Dream. Because America (and other individualistic countries) are centered on the person and how they can succeed, it never occurred to me to think beyond how parents worry about their children. The situation of her daughter is in encapsulates the disparities which minorities face in America. As wages have decreased while the cost of living has increased, it is no longer possible to hold a minimum wage job and earn a living.
When most people think about the American Dream, they think about individual betterment and opportunity. While it can be argued that individual mindset poses no harm, rarely do we consider the fact that minority parents have a lower likelihood of rearing their children to adulthood than white mothers. Part of the American Dream is to give your children the means to live a better life than you; but what happens when they can’t?
L is…
- 55 Years-Old
- Female, Masculine-Leaning
- White
- Buddhist
- Middle Class
- Queer