>In another thread John Ryan referred several times to the American Dream.
>So, what is (was) the American Dream, and has it disappeared?

I'd say;

a) with hard work, you can improve your station in life;
b) your kids will do better than you.

I think it still happens for some people. My mom and her 4 siblings were orphaned immigrants. Two of them went to college (with the help of the others); all 10 of their offspring are college graduates, with a few graduate degrees thrown in.

But I also think it's harder to have that kind of success today than it was for previous generations.

Tamar