American Dream Addiction Essay

Yaisaya Torres Professor La Pointe English Composition 29 March, 2024 The Contradiction of the American Dream and it’s Effects on Consumers Advertisers use the American Dream contradictions as leverage to manipulate consumers. In Jack Solomon’s “Masters of Desire: The Culture of American Advertising,” he describes a contradiction based on the use of elitism and populism. He acknowledges that the American dream in itself is a contradiction because while there is a promise of equality, there is also this need to rise above and take the opportunities and freedom to our advantage to rise above. It raises the question of whether or not we can be equal, but still be free to become elite. Solomon states, “The contradiction is between the simultaneous

People who are at a higher status will continue to feed into the elitism status and many of our society wants to fit in and feel into populism. Solomon feels as though advertising agencies feed on the consumers' desires. They give us semiotic signs that create a desire, rather than a necessity. Solomon states, “American companies manufacture status symbols because American consumers want them”(252). He based this on a study of a French aristocrat by the name of Alexis de Tocqueville who traveled to America to observe the society and institution of a country founded on freedom. Solomon mentions, “The American dream, in other words, has two faces: the one communally egalitarian and the other competitively elitist. This contradiction is no accident; it is fundamental to the structure of American society”(250). He even goes as far as to name equality in America a myth. The use of the word manipulation is used rather than persuasion because of the nature of the advertisements, they are not sources of information. They are a byproduct of our subconscious

Then a series of cuts between Rocky, Page, and Julia Dearer inside this home all dressed very nicely. They seem to be sharing a good time with each other and give off a sense of euphoria as they spend their time together. You then find all three of them lying on the floor, smiling. It ends with a final cut to two bottles of Gucci Guilty perfume, cologne, with 2 voices in the background, a man naming the cologne; and a woman naming the perfume who seems to have a French accent. When watching this commercial, it is very evident that they are trying to push luxury and a sense of elitism. To start off, when the outfits of these 3 celebrities are shown, they are all very well dressed. I would even go as far as saying that they were all designer clothes that you wouldn’t see the average person wearing. Then when looking at the background of each cut, there are different parts of this very luxurious home where the backyard has statues, an in-ground pool, and plenty of well-kept shrubs surrounding the background. I also noticed towards the end the bottles are silver and gold, this portrays precious metals that someone with a large income could easily