>>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

Basically, I see two facets:
1- The dreams that immigrants had, and still have, about the opportunities here.
All four of my grandparents came from impossible poverty in Ireland and improved their situations many times over by coming here.
2- The dreams that people here have about improving themselves.
That's still possible, but it becomes more difficult as each generation raises the bar.
How can a phi beta kappa's kids get better grades?
I think the notion that the kids will do better puts undo stress on both the parents and the kids.
How much better can Warren Buffett's kids do?
Or Tiger Woods'?