american dream...
2007-03-23
interesting article....
The American Dream
Actors, authors, astronauts and others ponder the national promise.
By David M. Ewalt Michael Noer
What is the American Dream?
An excerpt from Forbes magazine on-line
Robert B. Reich, former U.S. secretary of labor, is professor of public policy at the University of California at Berkeley, and author of 11 books, including the forthcoming Supercapitalism .
What is the American Dream?
The American dream is the determination to continue dreaming even when reality keeps threatening to wake you up.
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Harry Shearer may be best known as an actor in films like This Is Spinal Tap and for his voice work on The Simpsons . But he is also the author of a novel, Not Enough Indians, and host of satirical radio program, Le Show, which is produced and distributed by public radio station KCRW-Santa Monica.
What is the American Dream?
The American Dream is to take anything difficult and labor intensive and make it easy and convenient. Whether it's cooking or war, the version we all crave is the one that's easy and convenient. It's working well, don't you think?
Oliver Stone is an Academy Award-winning film director whose credits include Platoon, Wall Street, Born On The Fourth Of July, World Trade Center and others.
What is the American Dream?
The American Dream is, despite its personal tragedies, a great experiment in the concept that freedom for the self can benefit the freedom of others.
Actor John Leguizamo won an Emmy Award for the Spike Lee-directed presentation of his Tony-nominated Broadway solo show "Freak," and has received accolades for his performance in movies including Moulin Rouge. He recently penned an autobiographical memoir, Pimps, Hos, Playa Hatas and All the Rest of My Hollywood Friends.
What is the American Dream?
The American Dream is full of loopholes and contradictions, but America is still the only place where you can start with nothing and end up having everything ... however, there are some rules. Be sure to be self-made, but come from a good family. Or, it's even better if you come from humble beginnings and make it huge; but then let us knock you down so we can build ya up again. It's anything goes--as long as you are successful. And you can't be too successful as long as you are humble and make everyone feel you are equal.
Mel Brooks is a director, producer, writer, actor and the creator of such comedy film classics as Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein. Brooks is one of only seven artists/entertainers to earn all four major entertainment prizes--the Tony, the Emmy, the Grammy and the Oscar.
What is the American Dream?
When I was a little kid 50 years ago, in 1946, I had just got out of the Army after two years fighting in the war. The American Dream was a house and a car.
Today, the American Dream is winning American Idol. It's changed slightly.
In another 50 years from now, when the economy collapses and everything is in threads and torn, the American Dream then, in 20-whatever, will be a house and a car.
Tom Brokaw was the sole anchor and managing editor of NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw for 21 years, and won every major award in broadcast journalism, including two DuPonts, a Peabody award and several Emmys. He is the author of three best sellers: The Greatest Generation, The Greatest Generation Speaks and An Album of Memories .
What is the American Dream?
To me, the American Dream is the freedom to choose to live how and where you want, to determine how you'll be governed and to provide your children with even more choices than you had.
Arianna Huffington is the co-founder and editor-in-chief of the Huffington Post, a news and blog site. She is also a nationally syndicated columnist, author of 11 books and co-host of Left, Right & Center, public radio's popular political roundtable program.
What is the American Dream?
The American Dream used to be a house with a picket fence, a good job, the thought that the next generation will always be better off than the last, and the idea that anyone can grow up to be president of the U.S. (unless they were born in Greece. Or Austria). But that's all changed.
The American Dream 2007 is a fevered hope that the health insurance premium doesn't double again, the factory doesn't relocate to China, Congress doesn't slash Pell grants again (making it even harder for your kid to go to college), the shiver-up-your-spine thought that the next generation will have a rude awakening when the national debt and Social Security bills come due, and the idea that anyone can grow up to be president of the U.S.--so long as their last name is Bush or Clinton.
Dr. Stephen R. Covey is the author of several acclaimed books, including The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People , which has sold more than 15 million copies in 38 languages throughout the world. He is co-founder and vice chairman of FranklinCovey, a global professional services firm with offices in 123 countries.
What is the American Dream?
For me the essence of the great American Dream is spiritual. I believe that our Constitution is inspired and that it is based on principles that are timeless and universal. This is the reason why 95% of all written constitutions throughout the world are modeled after our Constitution.
Not only does our country represent the liberty and freedom of people to live and think and speak as they choose, it also is a country governed by the rule of law and has a Supreme Court, which is commissioned to interpret all laws within the constitutional context. Even though history books talk about the compromises that were made in Philadelphia, I personally believe that the Constitution is the most synergistic, magnificent document produced by the hand of man, and it has institutionalized the values contained in the Declaration of Independence, even though they are not yet fully enculturated.
Some of the marvelous fruits, which have been produced through our founding, include the most safe and prosperous country in the world. A little over 5% of the world's population produces almost 29% of the world's goods and services. It's also the most generous country in the world, and the unleashing of human potential has created, however imperfectly, a volunteering civil society that in some way focuses on most every flaw, defect and problem. The spirit of America has nurtured responsibility and community unlike any other country.
Our challenge is to celebrate our diversity, to use our freedoms more responsibly and to subordinate selfishness, hedonism and materialism to the higher spiritual values of faith, family and community partnering in enabling everyone to share in these roots and fruits.
