Title: The American Myths of the "Self-Made Man," the American Dream and Meritocracy - Ray Williams
Headings: The American Myths of the “Self-Made Man,” the American Dream and Meritocracy
The American Myths of the “Self-Made Man,” the American Dream and Meritocracy
“The reason they call it the American Dream is because you have to be asleep to believe it.”—George Carlin
The “Self-Made” Man Myth and the American Dream
‘Middle points’ reveal more than averages
American Dream
Meritocracy
Hard Work
Value Conflicts
A Critique of the Myths
Social Mobility
How The Self-Help Industry Perpetuates the Myths
How Beliefs in Meritocracy and Democracy Have Merged
Summary:

Content: While these studies showed a strong association between parental occupation and intergenerational persistence, they understated the significance of parents’ jobs on the status of their children. ‘Middle points’ reveal more than averages
The findings, which appear in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, reveal a more powerful link as they rely on data that use medians, or middle points, as opposed to average socioeconomic status, in gauging occupations. Additionally, in almost all Horatio Alger stories, the protagonist is aided by a small coterie of friends and strangers who help make his success possible. The themes of self-reliance and personal responsibility as a means to amassing unlimited success is no doubt an appealing story. But it is a simplified narrative that has created an indelible impression among many Americans that there is neither responsibility nor the need to take care of one another, including those most vulnerable among us. American Dream
The term American Dream was first used in James Truslow Adam’s 1931 best selling book, The Epic of America. Adams define the concept as “the dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for every man, with an opportunity for each according to his ability or achievement.” In her book, , Facing up to the American Dream, Jennifer Hochschild identified four tenets of the American Dream: Everyone regardless of origin or status can attain the American Dream. The American Dream is a hopefulness for success.