American Dream

By Craig David

Y ou may have heard of the “American Dream”,an ideal that has powered the hopes of Americans for generations.

It began as a belief that the US was a land of opportunity,and that anyone could achieve success through hard work.At times,the dream has referred to home ownership,a good job,retirement security or each generation doing better than the last.

Yet today,this concept seems to have greatly changed.As Time magazine pointed out,quite different from their predecessors,many Millennials(the generation born after 1980)redefine the American Dream as“day-today control of your life”.They“prize job mobility,flexible schedules,any work that is more interesting than typing,and the ability to travel,”said the magazine.

Home ownership,once the cornerstone of the American Dream,is becoming a smaller priority for this generation,as a new research released by US insurance company Mass Mutual noted.Meanwhile,nearly four in 10 Millennials choose travel as part of their dream.And entrepreneurship（创业）is a rising favorite,as 26 percent of Millennials cite selfemployment as part of the dream.

So what has led to this huge change?

Many point fingers at the poor economy.“Contemporary young Americans seem destined to face a world stamped by ever narrowing opportunity and societal stagnation（停滞）,” noted The Daily Beast.

“The rate of 16 to 24-year-olds out of school and out of work is unusually high at 15 percent.Many college graduates have taken jobs that don’t require a degree,”Time reported.

The Atlantic magazine worries that these difficulties may lead to a lost generation who are“unable to ever truly find their feet on the corporate ladder”.

Dan Kadlec of Time sees Millennials as resetting their expectations.“The situation is different for young adults today,” he wrote. “A true American Dream has to feel attainable,and many Millennials aren’t feeling they can attain much more than a day-to-day lifestyle that suits them.”