Greed, Egoism and Materialism:
The Bastard Children of Capitalism
Okay, okay--before I begin, I admit that the qualities of greed, egoism, and materialism existed long before capitalism. However, they are of the same place that created capitalism, generated by humans--maybe I should call them siblings? The overall point I am trying to make is how closely the qualities are related to the institution.
While it may be difficult to craft an inclusive and accurate definition of "the American Way," we can get closer to an understanding by looking at our cultural mythology. The concept at its center is the American Dream. Webster's II New Riverside University Dictionary, published in 1984, defines the American Dream as "an American ideal of social equality and especially material success." Basically, that means that we all have an equal chance at wealth and, in turn, the goods that can be purchased with it. The implication is not only that we should all want this, but that we should want it so badly that we dream of it.
Have our dreams changed in the past twenty some years? There is a study done annually by the Higher Education Research Institute of UCLA that shows they have, at least for some. The Institute surveys more than 200,000 incoming college freshman each year and has done so since 1967. These students are asked to say whether "it is very important or essential" to either "be very well off financially" or "develop a meaning philosophy of life." The findings are quite disturbing.