Coining the Dream

I’ve always felt that there was more than just one way of looking at the American Dream, but it’s not something that people often talk about or speculate on. I’ve felt that there are different aspects, different sides, different perspectives based off of people’s positions in society. Now finally, the chance for conversation has opened, so let’s chat shall we?
Walter Fisher, professor and writer of “Reaffirmation and Subversion of the American Dream”, saw this dual sided aspect of the American Dream during the presidential election of 1972 between Nixon and McGovern. In this he saw the two sides of the dream: the materialistic view and the moralistic view. The materialistic view is, of course, associated with wealth, success, high paying occupations, the ability to purchase a home, and the like, while the moralistic view is typically associated with freedom, equality, equal opportunity, and other American Values.
In Fisher’s eyes, the American Dream is a myth/dream that all in the United States share to some degree, which defines our culture. He explains that  the function of dreams and myths are to “provide meaning, identity, a comprehensible understanding of the world, and to support the social order.” In America, success and high occupational standing are values held highly in society; going to college, buying a home, and putting in hard work every day are all part of the American social order that is upheld through the American dream. People feel that they have purpose when they have a goal in mind, which the American dream provides through its perpetuation of success. And this was something that Nixon had often spoken of, of hard work and effort put forth by the citizenry.
Fisher also claims that, at times, people assume that with two aspects of the dream, one must be good while the other is ultimately “bad”, but both are equally based in traditional american values. He states that “in the 1972 presidential election that McGovern preached what Americans profess in principle and that Nixon preached what most Americans practice in their everyday lives.” Again, Nixon often spoke of the values of hard work in society, and striving for success and advancement. McGovern, from what I could gather, was more into the idealistic and moralistic values, such as equality and freedom. Both have their own aspect of the American Dream that they represent; both differ in many respects, yet still come to somewhat of a mutual understanding in the importance of American values.
The American dream is by no means one sided. Like a coin, there are two sides of the whole that are distinct from one another, yet still part of one overarching thing. Some may focus more on one side than the other, but the fact remains that both still hold their place within each and every one of us. We cannot deny one without denying the whole, and we cannot have one without the other. Both exist in harmony.