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What is your view of "The American Dream?"

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snapcap
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24 Dec 2011, 11:50 am

Sweetleaf wrote:

I think it would be cool to be one of the people that helps set up concerts, or just to work at a venue that has a lot of good shows.


A good way to get your foot in the door is to complete an Audio/Video Production program. I was enrolled in an AVP program for 5 terms. It's not as easy as it sounds, but It was fun.



Sweetleaf
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24 Dec 2011, 12:15 pm

snapcap wrote:
Sweetleaf wrote:

I think it would be cool to be one of the people that helps set up concerts, or just to work at a venue that has a lot of good shows.


A good way to get your foot in the door is to complete an Audio/Video Production program. I was enrolled in an AVP program for 5 terms. It's not as easy as it sounds, but It was fun.


How would I find any such thing......if its a college course that wont work because I am through with college at least for a rather long while. I am pretty sure one does not need a degree to get involved with music that way, but a program to help learn some of that to have some credentials I guess would be good. But yeah I cannot afford college in more ways than one right now.


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snapcap
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24 Dec 2011, 12:22 pm

Sweetleaf wrote:
snapcap wrote:
Sweetleaf wrote:

I think it would be cool to be one of the people that helps set up concerts, or just to work at a venue that has a lot of good shows.


A good way to get your foot in the door is to complete an Audio/Video Production program. I was enrolled in an AVP program for 5 terms. It's not as easy as it sounds, but It was fun.


How would I find any such thing......if its a college course that wont work because I am through with college at least for a rather long while. I am pretty sure one does not need a degree to get involved with music that way, but a program to help learn some of that to have some credentials I guess would be good. But yeah I cannot afford college in more ways than one right now.


If you can't afford it, you should probably just focus on paying off your debt for awhile.



androbot2084
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24 Dec 2011, 12:29 pm

If we lived in a Utopia where people cared for each other rather than caring for money would we need smoke shops?



Asp-Z
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24 Dec 2011, 12:34 pm

I'm not American, but if I may?

To me, the whole concept (and I have studied it in college) means that people should be where they want to be. If an individual wants to be rich, they should have the means to make themselves rich if they work for it. If they simply want a family, they should have the means to do that as well.

It's individual for each person.



blauSamstag
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24 Dec 2011, 12:38 pm

Sweetleaf wrote:
It appears you have much more than I could ever hope to have, so its no wonder you're alright with this american dream......some of us aren't so lucky though.

Also I see the following as a problem: Do i love what i do? No. I tolerate it. It doesn't hurt me. That's the best most people can hope for.

Why should people spend most of their time doing something that at best they can tolerate.....sorry but I already have a hard enough time enjoying life so I doubt getting a job I don't really like but can tolerate would really help my situation. If that is all I have to look forward to should I pursue the american dream then I don't want it.


Well, i do something I'm good at, and i found a company to do it at where they seem to like me, and when i go home at the end of the day i don't think about work.

The hazard of deciding to do for a living what you do for fun is that it may no longer be fun when your life depends on it.

A lot of people love to cook but the number of people who enjoy working in a restaurant kitchen is a lot smaller.

My father loves reading and writing and teaching so he is an english professor, but i hear rumors that he's been working on a novel for most of my life that is nowhere near complete. Maybe if he worked in a factory he would spend a whole lot less time grading papers and more time writing his novel?

I don't have a great passion in life. I have plenty of transient passions, though, and many of them have an up front investment cost.



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24 Dec 2011, 12:38 pm

The American dream is to earn and hoard up enough money to become independently wealthy therefore relying on money to sustain you rather than the charity of your fellow man.



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24 Dec 2011, 12:43 pm

Asp-Z wrote:
I'm not American, but if I may?

To me, the whole concept (and I have studied it in college) means that people should be where they want to be. If an individual wants to be rich, they should have the means to make themselves rich if they work for it. If they simply want a family, they should have the means to do that as well.

It's individual for each person.


I think perhaps the general theory is that the barriers to entry and barriers to success are weaker in america than they are elsewhere.

It's not that they aren't there, or that there aren't people who are trying to make them stronger, but that the barriers are faulty.

So a person who grows up with nothing has a larger possibility of breaching those barriers here than they would have had in England 100 years ago?



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24 Dec 2011, 12:54 pm

blauSamstag wrote:
Asp-Z wrote:
I'm not American, but if I may?

To me, the whole concept (and I have studied it in college) means that people should be where they want to be. If an individual wants to be rich, they should have the means to make themselves rich if they work for it. If they simply want a family, they should have the means to do that as well.

It's individual for each person.


I think perhaps the general theory is that the barriers to entry and barriers to success are weaker in america than they are elsewhere.

It's not that they aren't there, or that there aren't people who are trying to make them stronger, but that the barriers are faulty.

So a person who grows up with nothing has a larger possibility of breaching those barriers here than they would have had in England 100 years ago?


In all honesty, I think the belief it's an America-specific thing is elitist. The same thing works in England, see Alan Sugar for an example. I think it's a mindset which can be adapted by anyone anywhere.



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24 Dec 2011, 1:07 pm

Asp-Z wrote:
I'm not American, but if I may?

To me, the whole concept (and I have studied it in college) means that people should be where they want to be. If an individual wants to be rich, they should have the means to make themselves rich if they work for it. If they simply want a family, they should have the means to do that as well.

It's individual for each person.


You're right.
Sometimes the best way to see ourselves is through the eyes of a foreigner.

-Bill, otherwise known as Kraichgauer



blauSamstag
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24 Dec 2011, 1:13 pm

Asp-Z wrote:
blauSamstag wrote:
Asp-Z wrote:
I'm not American, but if I may?

To me, the whole concept (and I have studied it in college) means that people should be where they want to be. If an individual wants to be rich, they should have the means to make themselves rich if they work for it. If they simply want a family, they should have the means to do that as well.

It's individual for each person.


I think perhaps the general theory is that the barriers to entry and barriers to success are weaker in america than they are elsewhere.

It's not that they aren't there, or that there aren't people who are trying to make them stronger, but that the barriers are faulty.

So a person who grows up with nothing has a larger possibility of breaching those barriers here than they would have had in England 100 years ago?


In all honesty, I think the belief it's an America-specific thing is elitist. The same thing works in England, see Alan Sugar for an example. I think it's a mindset which can be adapted by anyone anywhere.


Of course it is elitist. Americans are nothing if not exceptionalist. The americanness of it is obsolete - there are a lot of countries you can immigrate to for a chance of a better life. But for a long time, America was the one with the best marketing.



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24 Dec 2011, 1:18 pm

snapcap wrote:
Sweetleaf wrote:
snapcap wrote:
Sweetleaf wrote:

I think it would be cool to be one of the people that helps set up concerts, or just to work at a venue that has a lot of good shows.


A good way to get your foot in the door is to complete an Audio/Video Production program. I was enrolled in an AVP program for 5 terms. It's not as easy as it sounds, but It was fun.


How would I find any such thing......if its a college course that wont work because I am through with college at least for a rather long while. I am pretty sure one does not need a degree to get involved with music that way, but a program to help learn some of that to have some credentials I guess would be good. But yeah I cannot afford college in more ways than one right now.


If you can't afford it, you should probably just focus on paying off your debt for awhile.


wait 'just' focus on paying of the college debt........as in don't focus on much else? I do not think there is any way I could convince myself to spend my 20's that way. Sure the loans have to be paid back at some point, but not for 6 months and then I can still defer it if I cannot afford to make payments yet. Not to mention I need income to pay that back anyways so I might as well try to purse things I am intrested in.


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Sweetleaf
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24 Dec 2011, 1:21 pm

androbot2084 wrote:
If we lived in a Utopia where people cared for each other rather than caring for money would we need smoke shops?



Not traditional smoke shops no, but it might be nice to have a specific place to go if you would like something to smoke or something to smoke out of. But in this utopia there would be no monetary system I imagine so it would not be nessisary to 'sell' or 'buy'.


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Asp-Z
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24 Dec 2011, 1:50 pm

blauSamstag wrote:
Of course it is elitist. Americans are nothing if not exceptionalist. The americanness of it is obsolete - there are a lot of countries you can immigrate to for a chance of a better life. But for a long time, America was the one with the best marketing.


Very true.

Kraichgauer wrote:
You're right.
Sometimes the best way to see ourselves is through the eyes of a foreigner.

-Bill, otherwise known as Kraichgauer


Thank you :)



pandabear
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24 Dec 2011, 2:45 pm

If Europeans think of emigrating, do they think of the USA? Or, are they more inclined to consider Australia (or another country)?



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24 Dec 2011, 3:17 pm

pandabear wrote:
If Europeans think of emigrating, do they think of the USA? Or, are they more inclined to consider Australia (or another country)?


Usually they come to the UK.