This blog post is dedicated to a multimodal argument presentation in class – our interpretations of the future of the American Dream.
After reading some of the texts we’ve looked at in class about the American Dream and how it can be used negatively, I’m not optimistic about its future. Grann, Johnson, and Lupsha taught me how the Dream can be reimagined as a reason to harm others for selfish gain (or in the case of Johnson, more self-satisfaction than gain). I’ve gained insight on the problems of inequality in America – past, present, and most likely future. As of writing, I’m looking into how life in general is becoming more difficult for the average consumer. Overall, I don’t think my future is doomed, but future generations of America will struggle to reach THE American Dream or even AN American Dream (depending on one’s interpretation).
I decided to depict America as a dystopian landscape, where the rich live in miniature utopias high above the ground and everyone else lives in slums below. I’d say it’s still a free country, but what good is freedom when you have barely anything to gain?
I also created a short comic of this world’s interpretation of “justice.” Money is already a driving force in America – people work for it, people use others by and for it, and people will harm others for it. On top of that, the game of inequality is still being played, we are not all equal under one flag. Many will be judged by harsher means than others, be it their gender, their race, their skin, anything. We will live and die by our thoughts and wants, and we all want the American Dream.
My idea for the slums was loosely inspired by my research into housing affordability, exaggerating the idea into forcing lower-class Americans into ramshackle houses. To some extent, this was also inspired by the common structures in Fallout – mostly Fallout 4, since that’s what I’m most familiar with. Below is a picture of Diamond City from that game. Not a reference I used, but an example of my idea.
As for the looming cities, that didn’t come from any specific source. I’d say it’s a fair assumption that rich people – whether they acknowledge it or not – are in some way above people who aren’t as wealthy. I’ve decided to take that literally, with modern cityscapes hundreds of feet above the earth.
Lastly, the little storyline with the enforcer came about from remembering the criminal’s alternative view, as described by Lupsha in “American Values and Organized Crime: Suckers and Wiseguys”. To quote:
“As one was surrounded by crooks and hypocrites in the guise of legitimate businessmen and politicians, one could at least be honest with oneself, true to some personal code, and be an excellent thief.” (150)
Overall, I’m basically considering how far corruption could go if politicians and businessmen in power always got their way. If anything, they already do, but thankfully we haven’t gotten here, and we shouldn’t.