The Myth of the American Dream Book Review
The American dream is embedded in American society. Kids of various ethnic, racial, religious, and economic backgrounds grow up being taught that if they only worked hard enough and went to college, they would get a well-paying job and be successful. Only the lazy and incompetent who make bad decisions are poor. The American dream offers false promises to those on the margins of society.
This is of course not to say that there haven’t been individuals who have overcome poverty and other structural barriers to become “successful” as defined by the larger society, but the fable of the American dream, often ignores the very systematic issues that prevent people from marginalized groups from being able to survive let alone thrive.
The notion of the American dream is an excuse for those in power and for those who are relatively privileged to claim that institutional racism and inequality are not woven into the very fabric of the United States. It is a way for the powerful and/or the privileged to attribute their own wealth and success to their own individual actions while claiming that poor people, Black and Brown People, immigrants, are inherently lazy.
The myth of the American dream has also been intertwined with Christian theology. The American dream not only says that we need to pull ourselves up by our boot straps and that if we only work hard enough, we will be successful but it claims that hard work and success is God’s will. God will reward those who do what they are supposed to do. Leaving the converse to be implied: those who are poor and struggle are obviously being punished by God.
While the myth of the American dream has been proclaimed by people from various ethnic and racial backgrounds, as well as citizens and immigrants, and non-Christians, by the poor, the middle class, and the rich, the reality the most ardent supporters of the American dream have been white middle class and upper class Christians. They benefit and thus reinforce it. But the American dream is nothing but an oppressive lie.
But how do you explain that to people who are not only invested in the myth of the American dream but who have religious faith is entwined with it? How do you explain how the American dream is not synonymous with the Gospel? The task is difficult. People will get angry and defensive. and to be frank, as a Brown latinx, I am tired of trying to explain to others that poverty and oppression are not in fact, the result of the individual failings of the marginalized.
D. L Mayfield in her recently released book, The Myth of the American Dream: Reflections on Affluence, Autonomy, Safety and Power does a great job of explaining how the American dream is a harmful, oppressive myth. And she does so with empathy and conviction. She is empathetic to both the oppressed and marginalized who have to deal with the violent ramifications of a society built on white supremacy and rabid individualism but she is also empathetic towards the very people that uphold such an oppressive worldview: white, middle class/upper white Christians.
Mayfield is able to both speak forcefully against the violence and oppression committed as a result of the American dream and American Christianity’s propagation of said myth and yet also acknowledge how seductive the myth is for white, middle/upper class Christians because she occupies an interesting space.
On the one hand, she grew up embracing the idea of the American dream. Growing up as a middle class evangelical, the American dream was part of the cultural script that she uncritically accepted. So, she understands why so many Christians see nothing wrong with embracing the American dream.
On the one hand, she grew up embracing the idea of the American dream. Growing up as a middle class evangelical, the American dream was part of the cultural script that she uncritically accepted. So, she understands why so many Christians see nothing wrong with embracing the American dream.
On the other hand, she works extensively with immigrants and she has witnessed first-hand through her work, and the neighborhood she lives in, the ways in which white supremacy, anti-immigrant sentiment, racism, poverty, and other structural obstacles have hurt her neighbors.
To be honest, when I first heard about the book, I had a few misgivings. When I saw it was published by Intervarsity Press I thought, “wait isn’t that an evangelical publisher? Where is this going?” I also admit that I was weary about reading a book written by a white woman because, I thought, “ok sure, she might critique the ways in which Christians have embraced the American dream myth but she’ll probably make excuses for them.” Yes, I know. I should not generalize. But I have read so many books from well-meaning white people that end up reinforcing the status quo or making excuses for those who advocate for policies that harm people that I am a bit weary.
But my concerns were unfounded. Mayfield may understand the why the American dream is attractive to those in positions of power and she freely admits having embraced it growing up but she does not mince words about the ways in which white supremacy and oppression are a core part of America’s history and present reality. She doesn’t deny that all are beloved children of God-both the marginalized and those part of the dominant culture but she details how America’s obsession with affluence, autonomy, safety, and power oppresses and kills.
This book is a necessary read for all, but especially for those who benefit from the status quo. And although I am sure Mayfield did not want to launch a book in the middle of the pandemic, and it was written long before COVID 19, it really is a timely book. The pandemic has made it abundantly clear that the American dream is a cruel joke. The pandemic has led to millions of people becoming unemployed who risk not only the inability to pay their bills but may lose their health insurance. It is a fact that the poor and people of color are disproportionately killed by the virus because they have no choice but to continue going to their dangerous jobs. The American dream is implied if not outright mentioned in discussions regarding reopening in order to save the economy even as we approach 100,000 dead. No one wants to release a book during a pandemic, but its message is needed now more than ever.
