Crime And The American Dream Analysis

Buzz Aldrin says, “I think the American Dream used to be achieving one 's goals in your field of choice - and from that, all other things would follow. Now, I think the dream has morphed into the pursuit of money: Accumulate enough of it, and the rest will follow”. Cash is the fundamental material to accomplish the American dream, yet was the fantasy expected to be similar to that? The American dream’s purpose was to work by providing equal opportunity. However the dream has been luring people into a system which only promotes ‘survival of the fittest’ which for this situation the individuals who is controlling the income, the rich. Capitalism which can be defined by the Oxford Dictionary as “an economic and political system in which a country’s

Individuals have been examining whether the American dream has been a risk or an open door for the American society. Donald L. Barlett and James B. Steele in their book “The Betrayal of the American Dream”, Steven Messner and Richard Rosenfeld in the book “Crime and the American Dream”, Frederick Wherry in his text “The Social Characterization of Price: the Fool, the Faithful, the Frivolous, and the Frugal.” argue that the American dream has turned out gravely and eagerness for money, ubiquity and usage has started to impact us dreadfully. On the contrary, Mark Rank, Thomas Hirsch and Kirk Foster in the book “Chasing the American Dream: Understanding What Shapes Our Fortunes” defend that the American dream is the way it should be, helping and giving chances to individuals. Notwithstanding the contentions safeguarding the American Dream by asserting that it offers reason to the American individuals, the fantasy is really a risk to the American culture, on the grounds that it transforms residents into over-shoppers, it makes financial crevices in the middle of classes, and the speeding up in crime

Criminal activities are seen as the only way to break poverty and to reach the dream which has been changed. The American Dream has promoting fame and fortune, therefore, the citizens of the middle and working class are being lured into criminal activities in order to become rich, to become one of the people who has achieved the dream. Messner says that money is special and is high priority in the American culture and also implies that the Americans are materialistic (70). Money has been accelerating effects in the lives of the American people with the effect of capitalism and the consumer culture. Since people are trying to show themselves off by using what they buy, money has started to define the Americans and has become what they value the most. This demonstrates that they would do anything for cash, including illegal activities. Messner also says that what is by all accounts the most particular about wrongdoing in the United States is the excessive and perilous character. As it were whether the offense is savage or robbery, it is more prone to take the manifestation of “any means necessary” (Messner et al, 21). The aspects of criminal activities are defined to be unlimited and unsafe. This indicates since these activities are done in “any means necessary” as Messner mentions, this only results in the hypothesis that criminal activities are done from need, this can be either for the peoples