>>>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'?

For sure, and I almost said something about that.

Tamar